Pontellier begins to realize that his wife is constantly failing in female roles. In this case, Edna decides to reject traditional thought and social conventions. In addition to society’s oppression, as women fall into the entrapment of feminine stereotypes, society discourages one to seek independence and freedom. The refusal to accept this image society asserts on Edna shows the development of her character. Unwilling pressure to conform overwhelms many women which causes them to defy the conventional role of a woman.Įdna struggles with society’s oppression and encourages herself to defy social norms. In like manner, Edna realizes she is unsuitable to take the form of a mother because it disrupts her path to freedom. It is known that a woman’s role is to accept and conform to society’s beliefs and values. If women refuse to follow the demands of society, they are ignored and criticized by society. The oppression and control felt by Edna are the reasons for rejecting social norms. Due to her actions, denying to worship her husband and idolizing her children, she is forced to confront society. Edna decides to defy oppression and become more than just a traditional wife.Ĭorrespondingly, through the use of conflict, Edna fights against society’s idea of oppression and discrimination. She refuses to be tied in marriage again due to the eager for freedom and independence. Pontellier is an accident and that she is dissatisfied with her life.
Edna accepts the fact that her marriage with Mr. In this case, Edna struggles in her marriage because society classifies women as solely wives, mothers and caregivers. Similarly, when a woman defies social norms, they begin to sense oppression from society. Chopin uses tame animals to display a women’s nature and to also demonstrate Edna’s ultimate spiritual liberation.
The caged bird symbolizes Edna’s entrapment in societal expectations, and the bird’s wings demonstrate the inability to fly and be free as it is only there to protect themselves. Birds represent both imprisonment and freedom. Near the cottage house, “a green and yellow parrot which hung in a cage outside the door… He could speak a little Spanish and also languages nobody understood, unless it was a Mockingbird that on the other side of the door” (Chopin 13). The birds inability to escape their cages exemplifies this notion. Likewise, the impotence regarding a female’s suffering corresponds to the domination society holds. She is influenced to become an ideal wife because of the roles society places. The temptation to destruct the ring is a representation of her entrapment in marriage, and as a mother, it limits her independency. Edna apprehends that longing for freedom is hopeless and she eventually develops a defeatist attitude.