What strikes you about this?
What strikes me about this is the sharp contrast in how Robert versus Mr. Pontellier react to their relationship with Edna being potentially threatened. Around this time, for different reasons, both Robert and Mr. Pontellier’s relationships with Edna can be understandably viewed as precarious. Robert after being away, finds her with a picture of another man. Although this is a simple thing, and personally I find his reaction absurd and childish, he grows jealous. This jealousy reveals his fear in the state of his relationship with Edna. By fearing that she has moved onto another man to love, he reveals his feelings for her. His jealousy shows that he does love and desire a relationship with Edna, even if he will …show more content…
Pontellier. Edna leaving the home and purchasing a separate home is a huge sign of this relationship being beyond precarious. Mr. Pontellier reacts to this, but his reaction is not one of jealousy or concern over whether his wife still loves him. He is concerned over “what people would say” (Chopin, 98). This reveals that he does not care about the condition of his marriage as much as he cares about how his marriage is viewed. This reveals that his love for her is minimal in comparison with his love for respectability. He is her husband, yet he does not care over this major warning sign, while Robert grows clearly jealous over a minor threat. This proves that Robert loves Mrs. Pontellier more than Mr. Pontellier, something that struck me. How much more Robert cares about her than her own husband is extremely striking. It was evident that Edna cared more for Robert than she did for Mr. Pontellier, but it is now revealed that Robert cares for her more than Mr. Pontellier does as well. This section thusly brings about a huge, striking revelation. The strikingness of this revelation reminds me of a common theme in the Hallmark movies my mother enjoys watching. Oftentimes, in cliché manner, the female protagonist discovers that the man who truly loves her is not the …show more content…
It has become clear by this point that the Pontelliers’ marriage is not one of pleasantry and true love for either party. There is a better match also present for the main character, one who, as proven by this outtake, loves her reciprocally. Robert shows jealousy in this section, just as Edna showed jealousy previously over the thoughts of him with a Mexican woman. Their clear feelings for each other makes the reader want it to work out for the two. Nevertheless at some point after reading, one comes back to reality. A divorce was difficult experience even in mid-twentieth century America, let alone the late 19th century. Divorce would have been so extremely taboo at this time, along with any affairs had by a wife. Their love is much like a pleasant dream. It is a sweet thought, but it lacks in reality and is filled to the brim with impossibility. A reader cannot help but sympathize with the two, and dread the unhappy ending that is destined to come. It is evident that this will not end well and cannot end happily even though a resolution appears present. In that way, it is also extremely frustrating and aggravating. A positive ending would be able to happen if the circumstances were different. This feeling is remnisent of how one feels while watching a movie that has a known sad ending, such as “Where the Red Thorn Grows”. Everyone knows that it is going to end with the dogs dying, but the reader/viewer nevertheless does not want that
What strikes me about this is the sharp contrast in how Robert versus Mr. Pontellier react to their relationship with Edna being potentially threatened. Around this time, for different reasons, both Robert and Mr. Pontellier’s relationships with Edna can be understandably viewed as precarious. Robert after being away, finds her with a picture of another man. Although this is a simple thing, and personally I find his reaction absurd and childish, he grows jealous. This jealousy reveals his fear in the state of his relationship with Edna. By fearing that she has moved onto another man to love, he reveals his feelings for her. His jealousy shows that he does love and desire a relationship with Edna, even if he will …show more content…
Pontellier. Edna leaving the home and purchasing a separate home is a huge sign of this relationship being beyond precarious. Mr. Pontellier reacts to this, but his reaction is not one of jealousy or concern over whether his wife still loves him. He is concerned over “what people would say” (Chopin, 98). This reveals that he does not care about the condition of his marriage as much as he cares about how his marriage is viewed. This reveals that his love for her is minimal in comparison with his love for respectability. He is her husband, yet he does not care over this major warning sign, while Robert grows clearly jealous over a minor threat. This proves that Robert loves Mrs. Pontellier more than Mr. Pontellier, something that struck me. How much more Robert cares about her than her own husband is extremely striking. It was evident that Edna cared more for Robert than she did for Mr. Pontellier, but it is now revealed that Robert cares for her more than Mr. Pontellier does as well. This section thusly brings about a huge, striking revelation. The strikingness of this revelation reminds me of a common theme in the Hallmark movies my mother enjoys watching. Oftentimes, in cliché manner, the female protagonist discovers that the man who truly loves her is not the …show more content…
It has become clear by this point that the Pontelliers’ marriage is not one of pleasantry and true love for either party. There is a better match also present for the main character, one who, as proven by this outtake, loves her reciprocally. Robert shows jealousy in this section, just as Edna showed jealousy previously over the thoughts of him with a Mexican woman. Their clear feelings for each other makes the reader want it to work out for the two. Nevertheless at some point after reading, one comes back to reality. A divorce was difficult experience even in mid-twentieth century America, let alone the late 19th century. Divorce would have been so extremely taboo at this time, along with any affairs had by a wife. Their love is much like a pleasant dream. It is a sweet thought, but it lacks in reality and is filled to the brim with impossibility. A reader cannot help but sympathize with the two, and dread the unhappy ending that is destined to come. It is evident that this will not end well and cannot end happily even though a resolution appears present. In that way, it is also extremely frustrating and aggravating. A positive ending would be able to happen if the circumstances were different. This feeling is remnisent of how one feels while watching a movie that has a known sad ending, such as “Where the Red Thorn Grows”. Everyone knows that it is going to end with the dogs dying, but the reader/viewer nevertheless does not want that