Thesis Statement: Although it can be argued that Edna Pontellier’s character took the role of a heterosexual woman going through marriage problems, it can be determined due to her relationship with Mademoiselle Reisz and her overall dissatisfaction in the life she was living, without truly “coming out”, that Edna would land somewhere along the queer spectrum.
Topic Sentence: Edna and Mademoiselle Reisz had a very close relationship— closer than that of most friendships.
Textual Evidence: Tension (whether sexual or not) was prevalent in the relationship between the two women.
Quote: "That woman, by her divine art, seemed to reach Edna's spirit and set it free" (Chopin 78).
Quote: "She was a disagreeable little woman, no longer young, who had quarreled with almost everyone, owing …show more content…
She cannot be contained within these institutions; she exposes their gaps and contradictions; she signifies a radical absence. Her desire functions as excess within the heterosexual economy. Hence she positions herself outside these institutions, or creates space within them. She also creates a narrative or textual space in which she interrogates accepted norms of textuality and sexuality, and constitutes herself as subject” (Zimmerman 4).
Explanation: In older literature, “the lesbian” is often seen as a reject of sorts. Bonnie Zimmerman brings up the idea of the “metaphorical lesbian” time and time again in her literature. This “lesbian” does not neccessarily have to be conciously homosexual or even act upon her unconcious impulses, but rather can represent woman-identified relationships and experiences in a typically heterosexual and patriarchal environment. Edna, with her tendency to veer away from societal norms and attempts to conquer her desires, is a representation of the “metaphorical lesbian”.
Clincher/Wrap Up
Topic Sentence: Edna and Mademoiselle Reisz had a very close relationship— closer than that of most friendships.
Textual Evidence: Tension (whether sexual or not) was prevalent in the relationship between the two women.
Quote: "That woman, by her divine art, seemed to reach Edna's spirit and set it free" (Chopin 78).
Quote: "She was a disagreeable little woman, no longer young, who had quarreled with almost everyone, owing …show more content…
She cannot be contained within these institutions; she exposes their gaps and contradictions; she signifies a radical absence. Her desire functions as excess within the heterosexual economy. Hence she positions herself outside these institutions, or creates space within them. She also creates a narrative or textual space in which she interrogates accepted norms of textuality and sexuality, and constitutes herself as subject” (Zimmerman 4).
Explanation: In older literature, “the lesbian” is often seen as a reject of sorts. Bonnie Zimmerman brings up the idea of the “metaphorical lesbian” time and time again in her literature. This “lesbian” does not neccessarily have to be conciously homosexual or even act upon her unconcious impulses, but rather can represent woman-identified relationships and experiences in a typically heterosexual and patriarchal environment. Edna, with her tendency to veer away from societal norms and attempts to conquer her desires, is a representation of the “metaphorical lesbian”.
Clincher/Wrap Up