Edna is slowly starting to awaken. Deep inside she feels many feelings--she is unhappy in her marriage, highly critical of herself, and does not like Mr. Pontellier much, despite his gifts and that all the other ladies think he's the best husband in the world. She's growing more and more dissatisfied with her lifestyle and wants more from life. Though she's not sure what that more is. Edna's awakening is both positive and negative. Equally present is sleep though. She is more of herself and happier around Robert, but Mr. Pontellier at the same time negatively awakens her feelings of wanting more from life than just being his property and a mother. Mr. Pontellier also suppresses' her awakening. He wants her to be more like Adele and more mothering to their children. He also wants her to pay more attention to what he says and his interests but he never really pays attention to her. He expects her to behave not only how society expects her too but also he wants her to and pretty much rewards her with gifts in return.
Edna sleeps a little bit more than normal (Mrs. Ahmed compared her to being an infant and saying that's her current emotional state), and she also shows signs of depression. But when Mr. Pontellier wakes her up she has difficulty going back to sleep when he wakes her up and gets mad at her for "habitual neglect of the children" (6) and gets upset easily as well as suffering from insomnia.
In these chapters, Edna has begun to transition from sleeping all the time to not sleeping at all. She fills her hours with leisure activities, sitting "in the library after dinner and read Emerson until she grew sleepy," (86). She is filling her own needs. Before, she needed to sleep (perhaps to escape her constricted reality). Now, she can shape her reality to how she wants - reading after dinner and going to bed when she's sleepy.
Again, after the dinner with the Highcamps, "Edna was neither tired nor sleepy," (88). She is invigorated with her newfound freedom and full of energy - she composes a letter to her husband in the middle of the night, laying awake in bed, "[tossing] there for hours in a sort of monotonous agitation," (89). Deprived of her habitual, regular life, Edna has no idea what she's doing.
After the altercation with Alcee, Edna "slept a languorous sleep," (91). For Edna, sleep has become something to enjoy, not a necessary process to regain stamina so that she won't crack under the pressure of following society's rules.
Chapter 26-30 Edna is not mentioned sleeping during these chapters. Edna decides to move out of her big house, and live in an apartment down the street because she is tired of the cleaning, and looking after the servants. “I’m tired looking after a big house. It never seemed like mine, anyway – like home.”(93). She is becoming Mademoiselle Reisz; she wants to live by herself, paint as she likes, and live her way. Edna has finally awakened, she understands that if she wants to be happy, and live a life were she feels comfortable she needs to live on her own. In these chapters there is much more dialogue in the text. Since Edna has broken much of her habits, and is awake for longer periods of time, she is able to fully express her emotions to those around her. The dialogue is a relief because we finally see how Edna interacts with others, her tone of voice, and her word choices. She is flirty, but sarcastic with Arobin, and she is comfortable around her friends during her coup d’etat. Edna has awakened, “The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings”(98). She has finally grown her strong wings, and is ready to break tradition and make her own. She has full conscious of her decisions, and is able to live her life the way she thinks will make her happy. ~Tesnime Selmane
Mr. Pontellier assumes that when she is dressed casually after Tuesday, the day she uses for social calls, she was tired out by her activities for the day. However, she isn't tired out about that at all. In fact, ever since she has that crazy nap, she hasn't really used sleep as an escape from the change that's occuring, which I think is a really big indicator of how she's doing with this whole awakening thing. In fact, a lot of the references to sleep/awake are changing from an escape (and sort of an indicator of depression) to more of a respite, a healthy thing. When Mr. Pontellier is away, she lives in a much healthier state. She says, "she discovered many a sunny, sleepy corner, fashioned to dream in" (68). So, sleep has become this beautiful, dreamy thing, rather than what it was before, an unhealthy escape.
In these chapters one of the times that the sleep/awake motif happens it is not with Edna as it typically is, but there is a brief comment on the children. It is in chapter nine.
"The children were sent to bed. Some went submissively; others with shrieks and protests as they were dragged away. They had been permitted to sit up till after the ice-cream, which naturally marked the limit of human indulgence" (Chopin 28).
So obviously if we are following the symbol that "sleep" is like unaware, moving through the habits that have been oppressed upon someone from society. On the other end, "awake" is like aware of your individual thoughts and beliefs and aware of the way society doesn't want you to have those.
So in that case, this is just a small but interesting passage, and it might be making a larger connection to the greater society and younger generations as a whole. Like this may be a huge jump but perhaps Chopin is trying to say that this will continue to happen where older generations put the younger ones to SLEEP, in the oppressive, thoughtless sense. Some will not like to, some will fuss and try to stay awake, but they are being put to bed. Chopin describes it as being dragged away. Almost violent.
Another interesting thing that happens is the whole "human indulgence" things. Like, that the human indulgence is to stay and think on your own as an individual as a treat yourself (like having an ice cream is a treat) but then eventually just go back to sleep.
Maybe I'm off base, but I think with all we've described as sleep and awake means, it is certainly an intriguing passage to study.
After having her farewell dinner party and reverting back to the feelings of hopelessness and depression that society and it's expectations cause (Ch. 30), Edna characteristically is tired. It seems whenever depressed Edna reverts back to the 'baby'-like stage we saw in the beginning of the novel.
Edna has awakened even more since moving into the pigeon house--both physically, mentally and even socially. "There was a feeling of having descended in the social scale, with a corresponding sense of having risen in the spiritual. Every step which she took toward relieving herself from obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual." (111) The fact that she both has Alcee and Robert loving her also shows that she has awakened, but whereas she feels comfortable around Alcee, Robert's sudden return from Mexico leaves her with mixed feelings of confusion and doubt--that maybe all those letters he wrote to Mlle. Reisz about loving her wasn't really true.
And once more when upset Edna isolates herself and reverts back to the 'baby' stage.
An example of exhaustion early on in chapter 16 actually ties in well with Clothing... One day, Edna wasn't dressed up in her usual 'Tuesday reception gown', and her husband had noticed this. In response to this mistake on her behalf, "Tired out, Edna? Whom did you have? Many callers?" [Chopin 54] He assumed that the only reason for such an unbelievable mistake as to not wear her specific Tuesday outfit was that she must have been sleep deprived or exhausted, or something. Edna was, in fact, tired, but the fact that her husband only cared enough to notice and ask her about it was because she wasn't dressed in a particular way is almost pathetic. To me, it's an example of how little Pontellier actually cares for his wife, and how little he'll pay attention to her needs unless her unusual behavior is somehow inconveniencing him or others; like when in the early part of the novel, he had come home to find his children supposedly having fevers, and mentioned this to Edna because she was carelessly asleep at that hour. The times that Edna is tired, sleepy, exhausted, and otherwise physically drained seem to represent dissatisfaction in Mr. Pontellier. It's as though she is expected to always been bright and awake all hours of the day, even though she's the primary homemaker and caretaker of her and her husband's household, and undoubtedly keeps the house together while he's at work.
In these chapters Edna lays down in a hammock to wait for Mr. Pontellier and Robert stays awhile with her. "When the voices of the bathers were heard approaching, Robert said good-night. She did not answer him. He thought she was asleep. Again she watched his figure pass in and out of the strips of moonlight as he walked away." (pg.35) From this I started thinking about how everyone at first glance would think shes asleep, but if they actually look close enough they would see that she is actually awake. But no one ever looks or gets that close, they only see whats obvious. I think this happens a lot in the book as well. People would see from the outside that its one way, but get close enough and that point of view would change.
Chapters 16-20 During these Chapters I think that Edna is still slowly awakening. I think that before when she was in Grand Isle with Robert she was making changes faster in herself towards her awakening but now at a slower pace getting used to her home and husband and what she really wants from her life. She does start to work more on her sketches which shows me her independence coming in, she also asks to be more distant with her husband, however she still needs the security of him, his economic stability and the knowledge that someone cares for her. By Edna seeking out Mlle. Reisz also shows her awakening for she had not seen her since her time at the sea where she started this long strand of her awakening.
chapters 26-30 Nothing in these chapters is about Edna sleeping, she is only mentioned awake. She is finally awake, she is moving out on her own, she doesn't really seem to care what her husband has to say about it, she gives into her immediate desire and kisses Arobin. There are specific quotes from these chapters that mention the process of her awakening; "She felt as if a mist had been lifted from her eyes, enabling her to look upon and comprehend the significance of life, the monster made up of beauty and brutality."
Chapter 16-20 make up In these few chapters Edna sleeps much less than she did at the beginning of the book, but is not sleep deprived. She sleeps every nnight but sometimes has trouble actually falling asleep. She is slowly growing into her new lifestyle, and like a child growing up, needs less and less sleep to manage.
( The Awakening at Hains Point, Washington, DC) 
Edna is slowly starting to awaken. Deep inside she feels many feelings--she is unhappy in her marriage, highly critical of herself, and does not like Mr. Pontellier much, despite his gifts and that all the other ladies think he's the best husband in the world. She's growing more and more dissatisfied with her lifestyle and wants more from life. Though she's not sure what that more is.
ReplyDeleteEdna's awakening is both positive and negative. Equally present is sleep though. She is more of herself and happier around Robert, but Mr. Pontellier at the same time negatively awakens her feelings of wanting more from life than just being his property and a mother. Mr. Pontellier also suppresses' her awakening. He wants her to be more like Adele and more mothering to their children. He also wants her to pay more attention to what he says and his interests but he never really pays attention to her. He expects her to behave not only how society expects her too but also he wants her to and pretty much rewards her with gifts in return.
-Sam Trotter
(Sorry got more to add)
ReplyDeleteEdna sleeps a little bit more than normal (Mrs. Ahmed compared her to being an infant and saying that's her current emotional state), and she also shows signs of depression. But when Mr. Pontellier wakes her up she has difficulty going back to sleep when he wakes her up and gets mad at her for "habitual neglect of the children" (6) and gets upset easily as well as suffering from insomnia.
Chapters 21-25
ReplyDeleteIn these chapters, Edna has begun to transition from sleeping all the time to not sleeping at all. She fills her hours with leisure activities, sitting "in the library after dinner and read Emerson until she grew sleepy," (86). She is filling her own needs. Before, she needed to sleep (perhaps to escape her constricted reality). Now, she can shape her reality to how she wants - reading after dinner and going to bed when she's sleepy.
Again, after the dinner with the Highcamps, "Edna was neither tired nor sleepy," (88). She is invigorated with her newfound freedom and full of energy - she composes a letter to her husband in the middle of the night, laying awake in bed, "[tossing] there for hours in a sort of monotonous agitation," (89). Deprived of her habitual, regular life, Edna has no idea what she's doing.
After the altercation with Alcee, Edna "slept a languorous sleep," (91). For Edna, sleep has become something to enjoy, not a necessary process to regain stamina so that she won't crack under the pressure of following society's rules.
Chapter 26-30
ReplyDeleteEdna is not mentioned sleeping during these chapters. Edna decides to move out of her big house, and live in an apartment down the street because she is tired of the cleaning, and looking after the servants. “I’m tired looking after a big house. It never seemed like mine, anyway – like home.”(93). She is becoming Mademoiselle Reisz; she wants to live by herself, paint as she likes, and live her way. Edna has finally awakened, she understands that if she wants to be happy, and live a life were she feels comfortable she needs to live on her own.
In these chapters there is much more dialogue in the text. Since Edna has broken much of her habits, and is awake for longer periods of time, she is able to fully express her emotions to those around her. The dialogue is a relief because we finally see how Edna interacts with others, her tone of voice, and her word choices. She is flirty, but sarcastic with Arobin, and she is comfortable around her friends during her coup d’etat.
Edna has awakened, “The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings”(98). She has finally grown her strong wings, and is ready to break tradition and make her own. She has full conscious of her decisions, and is able to live her life the way she thinks will make her happy.
~Tesnime Selmane
OUT OF ORDER, sorry, chapter 16-20
ReplyDeleteMr. Pontellier assumes that when she is dressed casually after Tuesday, the day she uses for social calls, she was tired out by her activities for the day. However, she isn't tired out about that at all. In fact, ever since she has that crazy nap, she hasn't really used sleep as an escape from the change that's occuring, which I think is a really big indicator of how she's doing with this whole awakening thing.
In fact, a lot of the references to sleep/awake are changing from an escape (and sort of an indicator of depression) to more of a respite, a healthy thing. When Mr. Pontellier is away, she lives in a much healthier state. She says, "she discovered many a sunny, sleepy corner, fashioned to dream in" (68). So, sleep has become this beautiful, dreamy thing, rather than what it was before, an unhealthy escape.
Chapters 6-10
ReplyDeleteIn these chapters one of the times that the sleep/awake motif happens it is not with Edna as it typically is, but there is a brief comment on the children. It is in chapter nine.
"The children were sent to bed. Some went submissively; others with shrieks and protests as they were dragged away. They had been permitted to sit up till after the ice-cream, which naturally marked the limit of human indulgence" (Chopin 28).
So obviously if we are following the symbol that "sleep" is like unaware, moving through the habits that have been oppressed upon someone from society. On the other end, "awake" is like aware of your individual thoughts and beliefs and aware of the way society doesn't want you to have those.
So in that case, this is just a small but interesting passage, and it might be making a larger connection to the greater society and younger generations as a whole. Like this may be a huge jump but perhaps Chopin is trying to say that this will continue to happen where older generations put the younger ones to SLEEP, in the oppressive, thoughtless sense. Some will not like to, some will fuss and try to stay awake, but they are being put to bed. Chopin describes it as being dragged away. Almost violent.
Another interesting thing that happens is the whole "human indulgence" things. Like, that the human indulgence is to stay and think on your own as an individual as a treat yourself (like having an ice cream is a treat) but then eventually just go back to sleep.
Maybe I'm off base, but I think with all we've described as sleep and awake means, it is certainly an intriguing passage to study.
Ch. 31 - 34
ReplyDeleteAfter having her farewell dinner party and reverting back to the feelings of hopelessness and depression that society and it's expectations cause (Ch. 30), Edna characteristically is tired. It seems whenever depressed Edna reverts back to the 'baby'-like stage we saw in the beginning of the novel.
Edna has awakened even more since moving into the pigeon house--both physically, mentally and even socially. "There was a feeling of having descended in the social scale, with a corresponding sense of having risen in the spiritual. Every step which she took toward relieving herself from obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual." (111) The fact that she both has Alcee and Robert loving her also shows that she has awakened, but whereas she feels comfortable around Alcee, Robert's sudden return from Mexico leaves her with mixed feelings of confusion and doubt--that maybe all those letters he wrote to Mlle. Reisz about loving her wasn't really true.
And once more when upset Edna isolates herself and reverts back to the 'baby' stage.
Chapter 16-20
ReplyDeleteAn example of exhaustion early on in chapter 16 actually ties in well with Clothing... One day, Edna wasn't dressed up in her usual 'Tuesday reception gown', and her husband had noticed this. In response to this mistake on her behalf, "Tired out, Edna? Whom did you have? Many callers?" [Chopin 54] He assumed that the only reason for such an unbelievable mistake as to not wear her specific Tuesday outfit was that she must have been sleep deprived or exhausted, or something. Edna was, in fact, tired, but the fact that her husband only cared enough to notice and ask her about it was because she wasn't dressed in a particular way is almost pathetic. To me, it's an example of how little Pontellier actually cares for his wife, and how little he'll pay attention to her needs unless her unusual behavior is somehow inconveniencing him or others; like when in the early part of the novel, he had come home to find his children supposedly having fevers, and mentioned this to Edna because she was carelessly asleep at that hour. The times that Edna is tired, sleepy, exhausted, and otherwise physically drained seem to represent dissatisfaction in Mr. Pontellier. It's as though she is expected to always been bright and awake all hours of the day, even though she's the primary homemaker and caretaker of her and her husband's household, and undoubtedly keeps the house together while he's at work.
Chapters 6-10
ReplyDeleteIn these chapters Edna lays down in a hammock to wait for Mr. Pontellier and Robert stays awhile with her. "When the voices of the bathers were heard approaching, Robert said good-night. She did not answer him. He thought she was asleep. Again she watched his figure pass in and out of the strips of moonlight as he walked away." (pg.35)
From this I started thinking about how everyone at first glance would think shes asleep, but if they actually look close enough they would see that she is actually awake. But no one ever looks or gets that close, they only see whats obvious. I think this happens a lot in the book as well. People would see from the outside that its one way, but get close enough and that point of view would change.
Chapters 16-20
ReplyDeleteDuring these Chapters I think that Edna is still slowly awakening. I think that before when she was in Grand Isle with Robert she was making changes faster in herself towards her awakening but now at a slower pace getting used to her home and husband and what she really wants from her life. She does start to work more on her sketches which shows me her independence coming in, she also asks to be more distant with her husband, however she still needs the security of him, his economic stability and the knowledge that someone cares for her. By Edna seeking out Mlle. Reisz also shows her awakening for she had not seen her since her time at the sea where she started this long strand of her awakening.
chapters 26-30
ReplyDeleteNothing in these chapters is about Edna sleeping, she is only mentioned awake. She is finally awake, she is moving out on her own, she doesn't really seem to care what her husband has to say about it, she gives into her immediate desire and kisses Arobin. There are specific quotes from these chapters that mention the process of her awakening; "She felt as if a mist had been lifted from her eyes, enabling her to look upon and comprehend the significance of life, the monster made up of beauty and brutality."
Chapter 16-20 make up
ReplyDeleteIn these few chapters Edna sleeps much less than she did at the beginning of the book, but is not sleep deprived. She sleeps every nnight but sometimes has trouble actually falling asleep. She is slowly growing into her new lifestyle, and like a child growing up, needs less and less sleep to manage.