Character Relations In The Awakening :: essays research papers

It would be scant(p) to say that Edna Pontellier emulates both Madame Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz, howalways, through show up the novel, it is evident that Edna steps out beyond this assumption and asserts herself as a nonher person altogether. This is obvious in the defining features of each of the women. Madame Ratignolle, for example, is always represented in a genuinely flamboyant nature and is usu on the wholey associated with clothes, whereas, Mademoiselle Reisz, in contrast, has no similarity to clothes or anything of material nature. She instead is associated &8220passionately with music. Edna, on the another(prenominal) 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 music onlyy inclined, with the exception of the fact that the music moves her toward the &8220awakening of her sensuality.When examining the first stirrings, &8220a sealed light that was beginning to dawn dimly within her, we see that Edna thinks singly of outside interference. When she &8220was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the founding within and about her she does just that&8212she realizes the world within her, not without her. That is to say, she does this perfect &8220awakening on her own. She does not directly receive any outside influence. 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 terms to say that Madame Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz are embodiments of two different Ednas. They are not. They tot their thoughts and ideas to Edna but Edna interprets these thoughts and ideas and either incorporates them or disregards them. In the end, with one fell swoop, she disregards everything ever suggested to her by these two othe r women. In the final chapter, she takes off all her clothes and walks into the water thereby ridding herself of both Madame Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz. She does this in that, as mentioned earlier, Madame Ratignolle is often represented by her clothes, thus, by taking off all her clothes and standing &8220naked in the open air, at the grace of the sun, the breeze that beat upon her, and the waves that invited her she rejects Madame Ratignolle&8217s self-righteous dedication to her husband and children.