“She is not one of us; she is not
like us. She might make the unfortunate blunder of taking you seriously”
(Chopin 64). Madame Ratignolle, who is supposedly
one of Edna’s friends, acknowledges that Edna doesn’t fit in with their
society. These thoughts only continue when Edna admits she would “never sacrifice
herself for her children, or for any one” (Chopin 97).
While Edna’s refusal to sacrifice herself
to anyone hints at her inner strength, she is still terribly naïve. She denies
her husband’s command to go into their cottage, yet she can’t understand that Robert
is trying to be more than a friend. Not only does Edna not realize Robert is flirting
with her, but she also doesn’t comprehend her own feelings towards him. It
takes Robert leaving for Mexico in order for her to recognize “anew the symptoms
of infatuation” (Chopin 94).
Although this picture is rather
crude, it does explain what happens to something when it is naïve. In
Edna’s case, her throat won’t be ripped out, but she will suffer consequences. Edna
will clash with her husband, her friends, and the society she has
immersed herself in.
However, to reiterate an earlier
point, Edna is a strong character. Already
she is resisting her husband and gaining power as a woman. Strength, while a good characteristic to have, never
meshes well with naivety. Hopefully when Kate Chopin chose the title, The Awakening, she was referring to more
than Edna’s strength and freedom. In order for Edna to deal with the
backlash the Creoles will give her, she needs to be strong and experienced. She is pushing her husband away, and with Robert in Mexico, this
could potentially lead to Edna facing the backlash alone.
Edna's naivety not only appears in her relationship with Robert, but it also appears in her relationship with Mr. Pontellier. She herself "could not have told why she was crying" after listening to Mr. Pontellier's command (Chopin 49). She does not realize how his oppressiveness suffocates her and causes her unhappiness.
ReplyDeleteEdna is even portrayed as childlike. Her utter unsophistication is pointed out when Madame Ratignolle calls her different. The argument she and Léonce have has no substance. Madame Ratignolle is demure and serves as a contrast to Edna. Ratignolle is everything a Creole woman should be, and Edna has yet to mature to that point.
ReplyDeleteIt is clearly evident Edna is naive and, not only that, extremely immature. She lacks motherly qualities and refuses to sacrifice herself for her children because of a lack of maturity. Her obliviousness to Robert's affections towards her further demonstrate her naivety as well as immaturity because she is not in tune with her feelings.
ReplyDelete