Both Madame Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz are pianists. Madame Ratignolle has established popularity throughout the community with her playing, and Monsieur Pontellier thinks highly of her talents. However, she does not play for artistic reasons. She plays to please her husband and children and to entertain others at parties. On the other hand, Mademoiselle Reisz plays for herself. She is overwhelmingly disliked publicly and only Robert and Edna recognize her as an explosively talented musician. Unlike Madame Ratignolle, Mademoiselle Reisz shies away from showing off her talents and claims that Edna is "the only one worth playing for." In fact, Mademoiselle Reisz's emotion inducing piano playing is what first drew Edna to her.

Both Madame Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz serve as two essential references in the story. Madame Ratignolle is the example of the type of woman that Mr. Pontellier wants Edna to be. Madame Ratignolle is revered by the community and viewed as the perfect woman. She follows the mold and becomes what society wants her to be but loses her individuality in the process. Conversely, Mademoiselle Reisz

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Approximate Word count = 772
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)