Edna and her husband’s relationship is expressed in the first chapter of the novel when Robert and Edna come up from the beach. After seeing she is sunburnt, Mr. Pontellier chastises his wife, regarding her as “a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage” (Chopin 3). This foreshadows the rocky relationship between the two, and how Edna is viewed by both her husband and society as an object and possession. Robert represents the inescapability at the time of male influence. In chapter 5, he encourages Mrs. Pontellier to go for a bath, and while she initially refuses, he makes the decision for her, grabbing her hat and leading her to the beach. In chapter 7, Ms. Pontellier and Madame Ratignolle go for a walk along the beach, without Robert or their children. While, at first, Madame Ratignolle wants to bring her children, Ms. Pontellier convinces her to go without them. However, Madame Ratignolle insists that she brings her needlework, a sign that the woman is unable to escape from her duty and role as a housewife. After Edna and Adele’s conversation about Edna’s childhood memories, their peace is interrupted by Robert and their children, proving that their freedom is short lived and their role as a housewife is inescapable. We see how Edna is affected by society’s expectations of her as a woman. In Chapter 11, while staying outside in the hammock after a long night, her husband requests for her to come into the house. She doesn’t obey his wishes, a contrast to how she would have normally listened and followed her husband. Chopin writes of Edna’s obedience to her husband, saying, “She would, through habit, have yielded to his desire; not with any sense of submission or obedience to his compelling wishes, but unthinkingly, as we walk, move, sit, stand, go through the daily treadmill of the life which has been portioned out to us” (41). Even unwillingly, Edna thoughtlessly obeys her husband because she has been almost trained to do so, by her husband and society’s role for her. However, this scene shows Edna’s defiance towards her husband, reprimanding him for speaking to her in a harsh tone and refusing to follow his request of coming inside. This shows Edna acting as an individual rather than a housewife. The Pontellier marriage is also a product of Edna’s defiance, as she found Mr. Pontellier much more appealing when her father and sister opposed the marriage because of his religious affiliation.
Edna is described as not a mother-woman. This automatically separates her from many of the characters in the novel, one of which being her friend Adele Ratignolle. In the beginning of the novel, Mr. Pontellier describes a worry towards Edna’s care of the children. He noticed that when one of their boys would fall, the child would comfort himself and move on quickly rather than finding solace in his mother. Mr. Pontellier compares his wife to the others on the island. While the other women “idolize their children” and “worship their husbands” (10), Edna is often disconnected from her children and husband. Chapter 7 describes Enda’s relationship with her children in detail as well. Chopin writes that Edna “was fond of her children in an uneven, impulsive way. She would sometimes gather them passionately to her heart; she would sometimes forget them” (25). She would also go on to say that she would not miss her children when they were apart, even calling their absence a relief, because she knew they were safe. Being away from her children allows her to feel a sense of release or freedom, as she did not assume the role of a mother willingly.
In the chapters, there is a common theme of birds. The parrot in the beginning of the novel may represent Edna, who feels trapped by societal pressure and her marriage. In chapter 9 during the gathering of the families of the island, Edna describes her associating with music and different visions. In one piano piece, which she has nicknamed “Solitude”, she envisions a mad standing naked at a beach shore, watching a bird fly away. The bird, in this case, shows that Edna finds liberation and freedom while listening to music, as the animal is flying away from grounded reality and towards the greater, inconceivable horizon. Edna’s relief in music is also evident in her reaction to Mademoiselle Reisz playing the piano, as the song brought her to tears. Music
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