Edna Pontellier Is Not A Good Mother

While at the Grand Isle, Edna meets several contrasting characters who help develop her defiant thoughts eventually leading to her awakening. One of her closest friends, Madame Ratignolle, is described as the ideal mother and wife; she is attentive to her husband and cares for her children above all else. Ironically, Edna feels the opposite way; she would “give up the unessential; [she] would give [her] money, [she] would give [her] life for [her] children; but [she] wouldn’t give [her]self” (40). When she revealed this opinion to Madame Ratignolle “a rather heated argument [followed]; the two women did not appear to understand each other or to be talking the same language” (52). Edna’s attitude toward her children compared to Madame Ratignolle’s is the first of many rebellious

Her father tells her that he doubts that her sisters will ever speak to her again. Edna feels that she should not attend the marriage of her sister when her own marriage is responsible for her unhappiness. She gains a bit more of her own say in her life, and loses the acceptance of her father and

At first it might seem Edna does not care about her children, but in reality, Edna cares about her children, even if she has to sacrifice her life. But she won’t give up herself as a person. Mr. Pontellier was angry at his wife for not doing what she is suppose to do as a wife. Edna said the her husband, “I feel like painting….Perhaps I shan’t always feel like it”(108).

Right before Edna goes to kill herself, she had many thoughts about people who have meant a lot to her in her past life. She thinks this about her children: Edna declares her children to be a representation of her own “slavery” of being a mother. Edna uses the word “antagonists” to describe the images of her children in her head. She believes that her kids are a wall standing between the standards of being a mother, which Edna is trying to escape, and her becoming an individual woman. She then uses the verbs “overcome” and “overpowered” to describe the action of what her children have done to her.

Edna lacks presence in her children’s lives and fails to love them in the way a mother should. During the majority of the summer,

As summer comes to a close, Edna decides to move out of the family home. She sends her boys to stay with her mother-in-law. After visiting them, Edna “[breathes] a big, genuine sigh of relief” because she is once again without them (Choin 97). She enjoyed spending a short time with her children but forgets about them shortly after leaving. She finds it easier to be distant and detached rather than engaged with her boys.

Edna’s illusions imply that she saw her children and her obligation to raise them as a burden. She believes they are in opposition to her true freedom and sees death as her only viable escape from them. Edna’s unwillingness to sacrifice her personal happiness exhibits her inability to nurture and provide for children of her

Edna recognizes that her children live a sheltered life and occasionally need new experiences which is why she sends them off with their grandmother. She truly wants to see her kids happy and does everything in her power to make sure they have the best experiences possible. Edna finds herself wholly alone after Léonce leaves for work and “Old Madame Pontellier had come herself and carried them off to Iberville … She wished them to taste something of the life their father had lived and known and loved when he, too, was a little child”(Chopin 125). Edna slowly pulls away from the confines of her her life, more specifically her marriage, leaving her kids out of the awkward tension that is an unhappy marriage.

Women during Edna’s time were supposed to be dedicated to their husbands and children, however, Edna yearned for her own independence, and as a result of wanting her own independence Edna knew that she was seen as a terrible person. For instance Edna wanted to “…try to determine what character of a woman I am; for, candidly, I don't know. By all the codes which I am acquainted with, I am a devilishly wicked specimen of the sex. But some way I can't convince myself that I am. I must think about it" (27.4).

Edna is not a motherly woman because she never puts her children as her first priority. Edna sends her children to their grandmother’s house to get some

Edna continually questions whether or not she is destined to live a life of subordination or if she can find her own freedom. Edna Pontellier’s defiant nature is brought out

Every situation has it own point of view. In the novel, Edna attempted to convinved herself that whateer dishonesty she was doing was not wrong. She seems to be drowning herself in her own issues. throughout the novel, she commits moral crimes such as maintaining a false marriage.

Edna even says herself, “I would give up the unessential…my money…my life for my children, but not myself.” For her life, Edna realized that means her marriage and physical life. As far as her marriage, Edna was never truly happy with her marriage with Leonce. Furthermore, Edna states she truly cares for her children, but sometimes her search for herself may conflict with this. This then further discourages readers even more due to the fact that this gives insight to her actions, and somewhat justifies them.

Moreover, when her children tumbled, she will not pick them up just let them get up on their own. In contrast to Adele, Edna is not contributing herself to her family as well as Adele. Edna tries to fit in as the role to be a good mother, but, she cannot definitely, to be a mother-woman cannot fulfill her eagerness to be a special, independent and egocentric person. In Chapter XVI, Edna said to Adele, she would give her money and her life to children, but never herself. And that is what she is trying to understand and recognize.

Edna sets personhood limits on how much she would give up for her children through a recalled conversation with Adele where Edna spoke her views on motherhood: “I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn’t give myself” (47). Her statement is revealing because Edna goes against what society says a woman is supposed to feel towards her children. She would give up superficial things like money, or a even a vital thing - her life - for her children. However, Edna states her unwillingness to become a ministering angel where to reach divine status she would have to erase her personhood, who she is as an individual. Edna will not give up her self for anything.