Life and Love: Mr. and Mrs. Pontellier

            Personally, the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Pontellier seems very forced, whereas the relationship between Edna and Robert is natural. I believe that Mr. Pontellier deserves as much of the blame for the failure of their relationship as Mrs. Pontellier. In The Awakening Chopin depicts a troubling scene, “Mrs. Pontellier was quite sure that Raoul had no fever. He had gone to bed perfectly well, she said, and nothing had ailed him all day. Mr. Pontellier was too well acquainted with fever symptoms to be mistaken. He assured her the child was consuming at that moment in the next room” (Chopin 5). As I was reading the text, this scene in particular really bothered me.  Yes, it could support the fact that Mrs. P neglects her children, but I see another side/layer to this passage. What (does the text suggest) that would make Mr. P a master of “fever symptoms?” He is a stock broker. Honestly, I felt sympathetic toward Mrs. P, because it seems like Mr. P is challenging her with the “husband/father” knows best approach. What do you think? I am not insinuating Edna should receive an A+ in the mother department: “She was fond of her children in an uneven, impulsive way. She would sometimes gather them passionately to her heart; she would sometimes forget them (Chopin 18). (Does this mean Edna does not love her children? Personally, I don’t think so. Edna just was not ready for the lifestyle of motherhood.) However, I do think it is important to consider the parental unit as a whole.  

           

            A small passage about Mr. Pontellier that I wish would have been brought up in class: “He was eager to be gone, as he looked forward to a lively week in Carondelet Street” (Chopin 6). In this quotation, I believe that it is evident that Mr. P is unhappy in his marriage. So far, he seems like the kind of character who likes parties and drinking. Edna strikes me as a thinker or maybe an old soul. In other words, I think Mr. and Mrs. P have contrasting personalities. But, if you read dialogue between Robert and Edna, they have more interests in common. Although, Robert is flirtatious, I feel like their connection is natural.