These chapters revealed the slow awakening that Edna is experiencing. I particularly enjoyed how she felt a sense of purpose through her artwork. One aspect of this part that I disliked is the introduction of Alcee. This is because Alcee and Edna’s relationship makes her adulterous, which is undoubtedly unethical. I did not have the same complaint about Robart’s role because I thought she deserved better than Mr. Potnellia, and their affair was only emotional. Their relationship felt l genuine, therefore acceptable, but I feel that it is still objectively wrong. While it’s true that Edna’s husband is not a good person, this does not give her the excuse to get involved with other men. After all, Edna chose to enter this marriage willingly. I understand that she was pressured into this norm by social norms, but social norms did not stop her from kissing another man who was neither her husband nor a man she loved. People during this time looked for excuses not to support the fight for women’s rights; one of their excuses was that women would become unfaithful and abandon their families…Edna’s story perpetuated this stereotype. “Feminist books” that want to persuade ideas about more rights for women should not portray women to be adultorus or morally problematic. There are far too many stories like this, and it gives feminism a bad reputation. It’s as if to say that “modernity” comes with unethical sexual premises. Aside from this critique, I generally enjoyed the events of this story. Moreover, the awakening of Edna reminds me of Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House. The main character, Nora, gets herself into some trouble, and her husband does not provide her the support she had though she would. She realizes that her marriage is not what it seemed to be. She also realizes she has never had a serious conversation in her life. Nora becomes aware of the fact that everything in her world is frivolous, and she becomes inspired to see and explore the world. The play ends with her slamming the door shut as he leaves her family to find herself. Nora’s world is parallel to Edna’s, as both women become awakened and inspired by self-reliance. What I found most interesting is that both women are connected to birds as a symbol of representation. It seems that self-reliance would be the “wings’ for the two since that is what they would require to fly away from their cage.
Leave a Reply