Chopin’s character choice for this novel is quite interesting. While Edna deals with her own struggles, Chopin creates charactors the resemble the polar opposites of what Edna is dealing with. Adele, who embraces the mother role and lives exactly the way she should and then Mademoiselle Reis who is not married, does not care of the opinions of others, and lives for what she is passionate about – music. Throughout the beginning of the novel, Edna is much more like Adele, who is serving her societal expectations. As the novel carries on and when we get to Chapter 13 I believe, we see the strong similarities between Mademoiselle and Edna. They understand one another and their ideas about life. Mademoiselle even gives Edna the letter that Robert wrote about her. Those two women together do not care what society thinks about them. However, I think that Mademoiselle also serves as an example for Edna in a way that has self control and respectful of the traditions of the society. Edna is still filled with the passion of women independence and living the way she wants, while Mademoiselle lives the way she wants but in an acceptable manner, for lack of better way to put it.
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I think Edna, Madamoiselle Reisz, and Adele also offer a lot of material for understanding Chopin's point of the novel. Why is Adele beautiful and charismtic while Reisz is homely and odd? Why does Chopin make it seem like Reisz isn't happy while Adele is totally happy as long as she has her family? Is Chopin making the point that even though it is better to see the truth you have to bear consequences? Or is she simply making the point that no one survives in the fight for independence (at least in this novel)? I'm not sure and your blog made me get very philosophical with the book.
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