Explain multiple reasons for Edna’s final decisions.
In Edna’s mind her final decision to commit suicide was the only way to be truly free from the things that bind her. Before walking into the ocean to drown she removes all her clothes, symbolically removing the binding of societal expectations she didn’t want to uphold. “How strange and awful it seemed to stand naked under the sky! how delicious! She felt like some new-born creature, opening its eyes in a familiar world that it had never known.” In this moment Edna is basking in the feeling of what her life should've been, a life of solitary independence that allows her to be spontaneous. She must’ve known that if she continued to live she would never be able to keep this feeling and would have to live knowing it exists, but not having it for herself. Her close friend Adele was also a reason that Edna felt she must drown herself. Adele was the ideal mother and wife, the person that Edna was expected to be. Instead of resenting Adele for this Edna comes to enjoy her company and is present when Adele goes into childbirth. “Edna began to feel uneasy. She was seized with a vague dread. Her own life experiences seemed far away, unreal, and only half remembered. She recalled faintly an ecstasy of pain, the heavy odor of chloroform, a stupor which had deadened sensation, and an awakening to find a little new life to which she had given being, added to the great unnumbered multitude of souls that come and go. She began to wish she had not come; her presence was not necessary. She might have invented a pretext for staying away; she might even invent a pretext now for going. But Edna did not go. With an inward agony, with a flaming, outspoken revolt against the ways of Nature, she witnessed the scene of torture.” Edna refers to the act of childbirth as torture and agony when to most women this is seen as the most beautiful moment of their lives. It is inferred that after Adele gives birth she dies of complications, with her last words to Edna urging her to remember her children, leaving Edna feeling distressed and dissociative. As she walks to the ocean the next day she thinks about Adele and her last words and she does think about her children. She recalls a time when she swore to Adele she would do all she could for her kids, expect sacrifice her whole self. By killing herself she keeps this promise to Adele, she doesn’t sacrifice her desire of freedom to stick around for her children. While we want to pin Edna as a character who is cold hearted and selfish, it is clear that she sees it to be more selfish to stay alive and raise children when parts of her hate them for holding her back.
I agree with your claim that Edna killed herself because she believed it was necessary. There were many reasons that contributed to her carrying this out. Her husband controlling her to the point where Edna had no other way to gain freedom from his demands but to kill herself. Contributing to this feeling of hopelessness was the fact she could not get a divorce, therefore there was no other way to end the marriage. Leonce confined Edna to the point where she lost reason and will to live. If she had not killed herself, she would have been constricted by Leonce’s power over her and felt like she was dead anyway. The validity of her decision to kill herself in our eyes may or may not be there, but it definitely was in her's.
I agree, I don't believe it was necessarily selfish, especially if she lacked motherly duties most of the time anyhow. I believe that it was more than just the constraints of her children and husband, but I do think they played a large part. I think Edna was also upset about Robert saying good-by for a final time as well. Mademoiselle had also criticized her paintings and said she was not yet a true artist. I think Edna felt lost and confused after being "awakened" in Grand Isle. She began to question the many things that made up her current life, and now she was seeing it through a negative lens.
I agree with your conclusion that Edna did intentionally kill herself. I also agree with you that it was selfish of her to kill herself. She wasn't the best mother, but still she left her kids. She could have turned and been a better mom for her kids. She wanted to just focus on herself and not anyone else anymore which kind of makes sense. You should definitely take care of yourself before you try to take care of someone else. If you are broken and try to take care of someone else, it just doesn't work. Edna was not with it. She was at the lowest point in her life and this is what she thought was best for her.
I believe that if Edna had not committed suicide, she would have continued to live a miserable life since she is unable to get a divorce and is extremely unhappy in her marriage. The death of Adele also left her alone in an unhealthy state and contributed to her feeling as if she needed to commit suicide. I agree that Edna keeps the promise she made to Adele in the beginning of the book. Edna is extremely unhappy in caring for her kids as well as in her marriage, so by committing suicide, she is not sacrificing her life for them. She is getting away from them as to not resent them and have them there just to make her more miserable than she already is.
It is both interesting and difficult to attempt to see things from Edna's perspective. She exists as a character purely to challenge societal norms. What we most easily see as selfish, her character sees as selfless. The reader can decide that they do not like her for the things she has done. However, it must be known that Edna has only ever done what made sense to her. She only followed each logical thought to the next. Her suicide is the ultimate culmination of her train of thought. She could not give what was necessary for her to be a true mother, and she could not bring herself to do what was required of a "proper woman." To her, her suicide was all that was left.
I see Edna's suicide as her giving all she has left. She sees that someone she loves, Robert, doesn't understand that she doesn't want to be bound by marriage. She can't give her children the love they deserve from a mother. However this is her responsibility. She had the children, so she must raise them. At the same time she may have just had the children because that was what was expected of her in that time period in regards to appearances in society. If that is the case, I see this suicide as a necessity to portray to society that she felt she didn't belong. She didn't feel accepted by the people around her. I feel as though she was debating for so long what she truly wanted. She saw Adele as the ideal woman and also Mademoiselle Reisz as what she desired to be. She still continued to go after men however even after declaring she enjoyed independence when Mr. Pontellier left.
Explain multiple reasons for Edna’s final decisions.
ReplyDeleteIn Edna’s mind her final decision to commit suicide was the only way to be truly free from the things that bind her. Before walking into the ocean to drown she removes all her clothes, symbolically removing the binding of societal expectations she didn’t want to uphold. “How strange and awful it seemed to stand naked under the sky! how delicious! She felt like some new-born creature, opening its eyes in a familiar world that it had never known.” In this moment Edna is basking in the feeling of what her life should've been, a life of solitary independence that allows her to be spontaneous. She must’ve known that if she continued to live she would never be able to keep this feeling and would have to live knowing it exists, but not having it for herself. Her close friend Adele was also a reason that Edna felt she must drown herself. Adele was the ideal mother and wife, the person that Edna was expected to be. Instead of resenting Adele for this Edna comes to enjoy her company and is present when Adele goes into childbirth. “Edna began to feel uneasy. She was seized with a vague dread. Her own life experiences seemed far away, unreal, and only half remembered. She recalled faintly an ecstasy of pain, the heavy odor of chloroform, a stupor which had deadened sensation, and an awakening to find a little new life to which she had given being, added to the great unnumbered multitude of souls that come and go. She began to wish she had not come; her presence was not necessary. She might have invented a pretext for staying away; she might even invent a pretext now for going. But Edna did not go. With an inward agony, with a flaming, outspoken revolt against the ways of Nature, she witnessed the scene of torture.” Edna refers to the act of childbirth as torture and agony when to most women this is seen as the most beautiful moment of their lives. It is inferred that after Adele gives birth she dies of complications, with her last words to Edna urging her to remember her children, leaving Edna feeling distressed and dissociative. As she walks to the ocean the next day she thinks about Adele and her last words and she does think about her children. She recalls a time when she swore to Adele she would do all she could for her kids, expect sacrifice her whole self. By killing herself she keeps this promise to Adele, she doesn’t sacrifice her desire of freedom to stick around for her children. While we want to pin Edna as a character who is cold hearted and selfish, it is clear that she sees it to be more selfish to stay alive and raise children when parts of her hate them for holding her back.
I agree with your claim that Edna killed herself because she believed it was necessary. There were many reasons that contributed to her carrying this out. Her husband controlling her to the point where Edna had no other way to gain freedom from his demands but to kill herself. Contributing to this feeling of hopelessness was the fact she could not get a divorce, therefore there was no other way to end the marriage. Leonce confined Edna to the point where she lost reason and will to live. If she had not killed herself, she would have been constricted by Leonce’s power over her and felt like she was dead anyway. The validity of her decision to kill herself in our eyes may or may not be there, but it definitely was in her's.
DeleteI agree, I don't believe it was necessarily selfish, especially if she lacked motherly duties most of the time anyhow. I believe that it was more than just the constraints of her children and husband, but I do think they played a large part. I think Edna was also upset about Robert saying good-by for a final time as well. Mademoiselle had also criticized her paintings and said she was not yet a true artist. I think Edna felt lost and confused after being "awakened" in Grand Isle. She began to question the many things that made up her current life, and now she was seeing it through a negative lens.
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DeleteI agree with your conclusion that Edna did intentionally kill herself. I also agree with you that it was selfish of her to kill herself. She wasn't the best mother, but still she left her kids. She could have turned and been a better mom for her kids. She wanted to just focus on herself and not anyone else anymore which kind of makes sense. You should definitely take care of yourself before you try to take care of someone else. If you are broken and try to take care of someone else, it just doesn't work. Edna was not with it. She was at the lowest point in her life and this is what she thought was best for her.
DeleteI believe that if Edna had not committed suicide, she would have continued to live a miserable life since she is unable to get a divorce and is extremely unhappy in her marriage. The death of Adele also left her alone in an unhealthy state and contributed to her feeling as if she needed to commit suicide. I agree that Edna keeps the promise she made to Adele in the beginning of the book. Edna is extremely unhappy in caring for her kids as well as in her marriage, so by committing suicide, she is not sacrificing her life for them. She is getting away from them as to not resent them and have them there just to make her more miserable than she already is.
ReplyDeleteIt is both interesting and difficult to attempt to see things from Edna's perspective. She exists as a character purely to challenge societal norms. What we most easily see as selfish, her character sees as selfless. The reader can decide that they do not like her for the things she has done. However, it must be known that Edna has only ever done what made sense to her. She only followed each logical thought to the next. Her suicide is the ultimate culmination of her train of thought. She could not give what was necessary for her to be a true mother, and she could not bring herself to do what was required of a "proper woman." To her, her suicide was all that was left.
ReplyDeleteI see Edna's suicide as her giving all she has left. She sees that someone she loves, Robert, doesn't understand that she doesn't want to be bound by marriage. She can't give her children the love they deserve from a mother. However this is her responsibility. She had the children, so she must raise them. At the same time she may have just had the children because that was what was expected of her in that time period in regards to appearances in society. If that is the case, I see this suicide as a necessity to portray to society that she felt she didn't belong. She didn't feel accepted by the people around her. I feel as though she was debating for so long what she truly wanted. She saw Adele as the ideal woman and also Mademoiselle Reisz as what she desired to be. She still continued to go after men however even after declaring she enjoyed independence when Mr. Pontellier left.
ReplyDelete