Chopin uses Edna’s past fantasy lovers as a parallel to the progression of her relationship with Robert through the novella, ultimately foreshadowing her end of never reaching what she desires.
Edna’s initial experiences with Robert in Chapter II is a parallel to her first fantasy lover: the cavalry officer. Edna’s emotional state with the cavalry officer, being “passionately enamored”(26), parallels a similar emotional state in her moment with Robert found in Chapter II. Chopin’s selection of the word “enamored” portrays how she doesn’t reach an intense burning love for the cavalry officer, since the image the word gives is a less powerful enchanted or captivated, not a deep love. These more moderate synonyms show Edna’s emotional …show more content…
The diction “deeply” implies a sense of Edna’s emotional devotion to the married man, similar to the devotion she gave to the cavalry officer and Robert in Chapter II. This parallel shows how Edna repeatedly devotes herself to whoever is in her life. The married man fantasy for Edna furthers the development of her emotional state when she is devoted to someone. This developed state comes in the form of her realizing her true place in reality, and for her and the married man, it’s when she realizes“ she herself was nothing, nothing, nothing”(26). Chopin repeating the word “nothing” evokes Edna’s true realization of her place, and it’s impact for her. Her place with the married man is nothing, hence the emphasis that is put on the word, and whatever possibility she desires with him, amounts to nothing as well. This parallels her place with Robert as well, except with reversed roles as she is the married one now. To be so devoted as she was to the married man, and to Robert-only much less intense, and with realizing no chances of her desires coming true, drastically and negatively impacts her. The repetition of “nothing” reaffirms negativity, and through its repetition evokes the severity of the impact. This parallel between the married man and Robert portrays how the impact Edna feels in realizing her place with the married man must also be represented in Robert as
Edna’s initial experiences with Robert in Chapter II is a parallel to her first fantasy lover: the cavalry officer. Edna’s emotional state with the cavalry officer, being “passionately enamored”(26), parallels a similar emotional state in her moment with Robert found in Chapter II. Chopin’s selection of the word “enamored” portrays how she doesn’t reach an intense burning love for the cavalry officer, since the image the word gives is a less powerful enchanted or captivated, not a deep love. These more moderate synonyms show Edna’s emotional …show more content…
The diction “deeply” implies a sense of Edna’s emotional devotion to the married man, similar to the devotion she gave to the cavalry officer and Robert in Chapter II. This parallel shows how Edna repeatedly devotes herself to whoever is in her life. The married man fantasy for Edna furthers the development of her emotional state when she is devoted to someone. This developed state comes in the form of her realizing her true place in reality, and for her and the married man, it’s when she realizes“ she herself was nothing, nothing, nothing”(26). Chopin repeating the word “nothing” evokes Edna’s true realization of her place, and it’s impact for her. Her place with the married man is nothing, hence the emphasis that is put on the word, and whatever possibility she desires with him, amounts to nothing as well. This parallels her place with Robert as well, except with reversed roles as she is the married one now. To be so devoted as she was to the married man, and to Robert-only much less intense, and with realizing no chances of her desires coming true, drastically and negatively impacts her. The repetition of “nothing” reaffirms negativity, and through its repetition evokes the severity of the impact. This parallel between the married man and Robert portrays how the impact Edna feels in realizing her place with the married man must also be represented in Robert as