Dissolution of Marriage in \"The

¶ … Dissolution of Marriage in "The Awakening"

Marriages fall apart for thousands of reasons. In Kate Chopin's story, "The Awakening," we see some very basic reasons for why marriages break down. Edna becomes an individual that women from around the world can learn from because she represents the independet woman in search of herself. There ae several forces at work that add to the breakdown of Edna's marriage. Edna's husband and their marriage itself are partially responsible for the dissolution of the marriage. Edna was simply not the marrying type. Edna's family and the pressure they place upon her is also a cause in the ending of her marriage. Other factors are the relationship that Edna has with other men while she is married. Edna's state of mind is perhaps the largest contributor to her marriage failing. Edna has too many negative forces encroaching on her and, with no way out, her marriage fails completely.

The first and foremost reason that Edna's marriage falls apart is the marriage itself. Mr. Pontellier is an abrasive and unsympathetic man. Instead of seeing her saddened state as one in which he could help Edna, he makes her feel worse than she already does. For example, he reproaches Edna for her "habitual neglect" (Chopin 7) of their children. He would rather make her feel inadequate than offer a helping hand and he belittles her when he asks, "If it was not a mother's place to look after children, whose on earth was it?" (Chopin 7). We know that such remarks are not out of the ordinary when we read, "Such experiences as the foregoing were not uncommon in her married life" (8). In addition, Mr. Pontellier does not like Edna having relationships outside their marriage. Edna's unhappy martial state forces her into a depression that cannot be overlooked as Edna feels an "indescribable oppression" that "filled her whole being with anguish" (8). Even if Edna was not discontent before, a husband such as Mr. Pontellier would certainly make her that way before too long.

The state of Edna's marriage is significant for two reasons. First, she is married to a horrible man. Second, it would make no difference to whom Edna was married because she would never have been satisfied with the kind of life that society told her was rght for her. As a result, we cannot place the blame entirely on Mr. Pontellier. Some of the blame must go to the society in which Edna lived. Edna was not free in any respect and the expectations placed upon her were great considering that she was not the paternal type. Motherhood offers Edna nothing in the way of staisfaction. It is important to note this fact because even at the end of the story, Edna cannot stop herself with even the thought of her children. In fact, her children occur to her as "antagonists who had overcome her; who had overpowered and sought to drag her into the soul's slavery for the rest of her days" (151). Furthermore, as Edna walks outi nto the water, she thinks of "Leonce and the children. They were apart of her life. But they need not have thought that they could posses her, her body and soul" (152). Here we see that Edna was not capable of being satisfied as a wife and a mother. Edna needed more than what family life could offer her but she was living in a time where women did not seek an independent life outside the home. Edna was a woman out of her time and society made sure of that.

Another aspect that leads to the breakup of Edna's marriage was the relationship she had with men other than her husband. Edna and Robert are not doubt in love but even Robert's love could not satisfy Edna. She knew this and Robert's love, romantic as it was, could never be enough. Edna needed Robert but not completely. However, Robert is significant because he brings Edna "out of a life-long stupid dream" (143). She valued their relationship but knew that it would not last. She tells him that he is a foolish man because he:

wastes his time dreaming of impossible things when you speak of Mr. Pontellier setting me free! I am no longer one of Mr. Pontellier's possessions to dispose of or not. I give myself where I choose. If he were to say, 'Here, Robert, take her and be happy; she is yours.' I should laugh at you both. (143)

In addition, Edna's fling with Arobin only reinforces the fact that Edna is desperate and wants to find meaning outside of house and home. Her outside relationships are important because we see that Edna can never be content with one man as long as she lives in a world that does not see women as anything more than wives and mothers. It is also important to realize that Edna's affairs are the result of an inner conflict. Edna knows that there is more to life and she is content to do whatever she can to experience what life has to offer.