What does sleep symbolize in the awakening?
Edna’s moments of awakening are often preceded by sleep and she does a great deal of it. Robert Levine calls it the “sleepiest novel in the American literary canon” (71) and sees Edna’s sleep patterns as a rebellion against natural rhythms. Sleep is also a means of escape and of repairing her tattered emotions.
How does Edna view herself as a woman?
Further, art is a way for Edna to assert herself. She sees it as a form of self-expression and individualism. Edna’s own awakening is hinted at when the narrator writes, “Edna spent an hour or two in looking over her own sketches. Art, as Mademoiselle Reisz defines it, is also a test of individuality.
What is life’s delirium?
Life’s delirium is the combination of true love and sexual passion. Why is it important for Edna to feel both anguish and passion? These feelings show her that she is truly alive, truly her own person.
What is significant about the description of Mademoiselle Reisz’s apartment?
What is significant about the description of Mademoiselle Reisz’s apartment? She lives on the top floor of apartments to “discourage the approach of beggars, peddlers and callers”. Her out-of-the-way living style signifies her independence from ordinary life and distractions.
Who is Mademoiselle Reisz in The Awakening?
Mademoiselle Reisz may be the most influential character in Edna’s awakening. She is unmarried and childless, and she devotes her life to her passion: music. A talented pianist and somewhat of a recluse, she represents independence and freedom and serves as a sort of muse for Edna.
What does Edna do with her wedding ring?
Edna’s wedding ring is a symbol of the bonds between her and Leonce Pontellier, her husband. It represents the vows they took when they were married. By taking off her ring and stomping on it to try to destroy it (Carey 43), Edna is showing us that she wants to end the marriage and break the vows.
How is Mademoiselle Reisz a foil to Edna?
In contrast to Adele Ratignolle, Mademoiselle Reisz offers Edna an alternative to the role of being yet another mother-woman. Mademoiselle Reisz has in abundance the autonomy that Adele completely lacks. Although she has a secure sense of her own individuality and autonomy, her life lacks love, friendship, or warmth.
What does the lady in black symbolize in the awakening?
The lady in black represents the conventional Victorian ideal of the widowed woman. She does not embark on a life of independence after fulfilling her duties as a wife; instead, she devotes herself to the memory of her husband and, through religion, to his departed soul.
What does Leonce Pontellier’s reaction to Robert’s being gone suggest about him?
What does Léonce Pontellier’s reaction to Robert being gone suggest about him? He has expressed regret that Robert had gone. It shows that perhaps he admires Robert in a way.
What does this excerpt reveal about Edna’s perception of Mademoiselle Reisz?
What does this excerpt reveal about Edna’s perception of Mademoiselle Reisz? Edna has conflicted feelings about Mademoiselle Reisz; she does not always care for the woman, but admires her life choices. NOT their names directly reflect how Edna feels about the two women.
What does Edna realize about her life?
What does Edna come to realize about her “position in the universe”? She begins to realize that her value as an individual and how she actually matters, and how her opinion has weight. She has a lot of wisdom for a young woman of 28. Everyone can overcome their tangled beginning, and Edna is starting to realize that.
Why is Edna upset when she sees Robert at Mademoiselle Reisz’s apartment?
Why is Edna upset when she sees Robert at Mademoiselle Reisz’s apartment? He did not tell her when he was coming back, and he did not see her when he arrived (which was two days ago), so Edna feels betrayed by Robert. In this chapter, Robert is clearly linked to Edna’s Awakening.
Why is Mademoiselle Reisz disliked by almost?
Why is Mademoiselle Reisz disliked by almost everyone? She gives her true opinions instead of being polite.
What is Edna’s attitude toward her sister’s wedding?
Summary and Analysis Chapter 22 Further, Edna is refusing to attend her sister’s wedding, asserting that a wedding is a highly regrettable occasion.
Does Robert really love Edna in The Awakening?
Although he never consummates their relationship physically, Robert’s tender treatment of Edna proves that his love for her extends beyond the superficial adoration he is used to showing his female companions.
How does Edna feel in her new home?
How does Edna feel in her new home? She is pleased. While she feels that she has “descended in the social scale” she feels that she has “risen in the spiritual”.
What does Edna do that she has never done before what phrases are repeated?
What does Edna do that she has never done before? What phrases are repeated? She’s never sent for Robert before. The phrases repeated are “Tell him” and “she had never”.
Why does Edna visit Mademoiselle?
Why does Edna visit Mademoiselle Reisz? It “quiets the turmoil of Edna’s senses”. Her visits to Mademoiselle Reisz seem to “reach Edna’s spirit and set it free.
What do the lovers symbolize in the awakening?
The lovers and lady in black are minor, symbolic characters that make paired appearances; the lovers represent the naiveness of young couples in love, oblivious to the future or any short comings.
Which day is Edna’s reception day during which she is at home to visitors?
Tuesday
What do birds symbolize in the awakening?
In The Awakening, caged birds serve as reminders of Edna’s entrapment and also of the entrapment of Victorian women in general. Madame Lebrun’s parrot and mockingbird represent Edna and Madame Reisz, respectively. The novel’s “winged” women may only use their wings to protect and shield, never to fly.
How does Edna feel about Mademoiselle Reisz?
In the beginning of the novel, Edna is a character who fits in with the society, but is unhappy with it. Her unhappiness and influence from Mademoiselle Reisz is what eventually leads her to become independent. She is unhappy with her marriage and does not do much with her kids.
What purpose does the long detailed narration of Edna’s search for Mademoiselle Reisz serve?
The long, detailed narration of Edna’s search for Mademoiselle Reisz serves to portray just how badly Edna wanted to see her.
Does Edna sleep with Robert?
The narrator does not offer any definitive explanation, and there’s really no need for one. Edna sleeps with Arobin because she desires him at that moment, and she simply acts on her impulse.
What is a Quadroon nurse?
As Edna becomes increasingly absent from her prescribed familial role, entering into an affair and eventually moving out of her family home, the Quadroon Nurse performs the role of caretaker and constant companion to Edna’s two young boys. Her oppression and resignation to her domestic duties preserves the family.
What is Edna’s response to the music of Mademoiselle Reisz?
A nude man standing on a rock; this is a contrast because the man is free where she is not. What is Edna’s response to the music of Mademoiselle Reisz? How is this related to the “awakening” theme in the novel? Edna cries because she is feeling the emotions brought on by the music and feels free in doing so.
Why does Mr Pontellier remodel their home?
Pontellier remodel their home? to make his wife angry after she leaves him. to exert his independence while she is gone. to protect his reputation in the community. to convince his wife that she should return.
Does Robert know that Edna is reading his letters to Mademoiselle Reisz?
As usual, Mademoiselle Reisz gives Edna Robert’s latest letter. She does not tell Robert that Edna sees his letters because Robert is trying to forget the woman whom he recognizes is “not free to listen to him or belong to him.” Edna is shocked to read that Robert will soon be returning to New Orleans.
Why is Edna crying find the best word from the text to describe what she is feeling?
Page 18, why is Edna crying. Find the best word from the text to describe what she is feeling? She is crying because her husband asked if she was good enough for her kids and for him. The word that describes what she is feeling is tumult.
Why is Adele always in white?
Adele is always wearing white, flowy, gauzy clothing, like an angel, representing her innocence and happy willingness to comply to the social norms of Victorain society.
