The Awakening Chapter 11-20 Dialectical Journal

“Edna took him in her arms, and seating herself in the rocker began to coddle and caress him, calling him all manner of tender names, soothing him to sleep” (Chopin 53).

This quote very greatly characterizes the internal character of Edna that the rest of the Creole society does not see. Everyone in the town characterizes her as "bad mother" because she does not fit the typical Creole persona. One specific example of this is when her two little boys play around the town with the rest of the kids and when they get hurt, Edna doesn't tend to them, she leaves them be. So because of this everyone sees her as an unfit mother. However, this quote shows another side of Edna because she is loving and caring towards her child, and shows them a lot of affection. 

“The conditions of her life were in no way changed, but her whole existence was dulled, like a faded garment which seems to be no longer worth wearing” (Chopin 62)."

In this quote, Chopin uses a simile to compare the dulling of her life to old, worn clothing to signify the degree at which her life could go down because of her desire and feelings to escape the Creole lifestyle that she is living. When I read this, I thought that the significance of comparing her life to horrible clothing was also to demonstrate that if she really were to leave her rich, luxurious life as she knows it now, she would be left poor, helpless and without any material objects, also known as the worn clothing her life is currently being compared to. This also can be seen as foreshadowing, because before anything happens to make her life go down, her life is already seen as "old and worn."

"The Ratignolles understood each other perfectly. If ever the fusion of two human beings into one has been accomplished on this sphere it was surely in their union" (Chopin 75).

This quote demonstrates the moral viewpoint of the Ratignolles, and how strictly they follow the Creole lifestyle structure. In class today, we discussed how Adele Ratignolle is a foil for Edna Pontellier, but throughout the whole novel it becomes apparent that the Ratignolle family as a whole is a foil for the Pontellier family. This quote directly references the strong dynamic of their family and how well they, and more specifically Adele by worshiping and always tending to her husband, work together and their compatibility.