Edna, the Anti-Mother-Woman in Chopin’s The Awakening :: Chopin Awakening Essays

Edna, the Anti-Mother-Woman in Chopin’s The Awakening In short, Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman. The mother- women seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle. It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended, protecting wings, when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood. They were women who idolized their children, worshipped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels. (29) She had all her life long been accustomed to harbor thoughts and emotions which never voiced themselves. They had never taken the form of struggles. They belonged to her and were her own, and she entertained the conviction that she had a right to them and that they concerned no one but herself. Edna had once told Madame Ratignolle that she would never sacrifice herself for her children, or for any one. Then had followed a rather heated argument; the two women did not appear to understand each other or to be talking the same language. â€Å"I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn’t give myself. I can’t make it more clear; it’s something which I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to me.† (69-70) In the first passage, Edna is clearly set apart from what appears to be the status quo of female behavior in her society. She is not a mother-woman. The term, mother-woman is a reductive one which implies a singular purpose or value. The mother-woman is a mother; being one defines and regulates every aspect of her life. They â€Å"†¦esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels.† Chopin’s use of religious words and imagery is interesting; it certainly alludes to Victorian ideals of womanhood in which the woman is a vessel of purity and piousness. Viewing women as angels or pure, infallible beings elevates them, but also robs them somewhat of their humanity. In addition to this, it places restraining and unnecessary imperatives on their behavior, and encourages them to strive for the unattainable-a pursuit that will probably leave them feeling inadequate. The mother-women are described generally, however, in th is passage, and seem entirely one-dimensional. Also, they possess an almost absurd and quality, â€Å"fluttering† about after their children, perceiving â€Å"imaginary† dangers everywhere. Chopin deals with the mother-women more complexly later through the character of Madame Ratignolle.