Men In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

Society in the 1890’s had women subservient and ruled by men. Thus, women were often defined by a man, whether he was her father or husband, and if they were not they became separate from society. Edna Ponteiller in The Awakening by Kate Chopin is no exception. This novel reflects the idea that men in, specifically, Creole society in New Orleans greatly impact the lives of women. Edna desires a greater purpose in life, but her position limits her prospects. The men in Edna’s life, Lèonce Pontellier, Alcèe Arobin, and Robert Lebrun, impact her need for an awakening both negatively and positively, and they ultimately participate in the events that lead to her suppression and suicide. Lèonce Pontellier, Edna’s husband, views her as his possession, leading to Edna’s need for an awakening. Lèonce is an atypical man of the late 1800’s in both his appearance and behaviors. On the outside …show more content…
Yet, the fault in their relationship occurs because Lèonce has a …show more content…
She has abandoned her Tuesdays at home, has thrown over all her acquaintances, and goes tramping about by herself, moping in the street-cars, getting in after dark. I tell you she’s peculiar. I don’t like it; I feel a little worried over it.’ (118).
This proves that he has no understanding of Edna, for he continually views her as his possession instead of a person, and whenever one of his possession exhibits a fault, he needs it fixed. Through her entrapment to him, bounded through their wedding rings, Edna believes she needs her final awakening, where she knows that Lèonce “need not have thought that they could possess her, body and soul,” (176). Thus, Edna and Lèonce’s unbalanced, unloving relationship helps to propel Edna need for her final awakening in which she commits suicide due to her suppression in Creole