Character Relations in The Awakening

A detailed Summary of Character Relations in The Awakening


It would be easy to say that Edna Pontellier emulates both Madame Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz, however, throughout the novel, it is evident that Edna steps out beyond this assumption and asserts herself as another person altogether. This is obvious in the defining features of each of the women. Madame Ratignolle, for example, is always represented in a very flamboyant nature and is usually associated with clothes, whereas, Mademoiselle Reisz, in contrast, has no relation to clothes or anything of material nature. She instead is associated "passionately" with music. Edna, on the other hand, has none of these qualities attributed to her. She is not described in terms of clothes. She is never attributed with being flamboyant. She is not musically inclined, with the exce


So, all in all, Edna Pontellier presents herself as one singular self with no predilection to one woman or another. It is sad that she could not deal with the awakening of her soul, that she could not be one of the few to "emerge from such a beginning [of an awakening]." It is very unfortunate that Edna's soul was one of those "souls [that] perish in its tumult."

ption of the fact that the music moves her toward the "awakening" of her sensuality.

Edna Pontellier, as a whole, is a woman completely different from any other in the novel. She stands alone and thinks alone and speaks alone. Her ideas and thoughts are completely hers. It would be wrong to say that Madame Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz are embodiments of two different Ednas. They are not. They contribute

Some common words found in the essay are:
Mademoiselle Reisz, Edna Pontellier, Madame Ratignolle, Edna Edna, Madame Ratignolle's, Mlle Reisz's, mademoiselle reisz, madame ratignolle, Ratignolle Mademoiselle, madame ratignolle mademoiselle, ratignolle mademoiselle reisz, edna pontellier, ratignolle mademoiselle, ,

Approximate Word count = 527
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

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