Hipster Parrot Being An Angry Bird Before It Was Mainstream

As the story progresses, there is a special weekend where a sort of party is held for the husbands that had come back from work. This meeting, arranged by Madame Leburn, mostly consisted of the families of the husbands having their children stay up past their bed times. This meeting ends up being more like a talent show than anything else as the children start doing their recitations and playing the piano. Of the children, some honorable mentions are the Farival twins who "were girls of fourteen, always clad in the Virgin's colors, blue and white, having been dedicated to the Blessed Virgin at their baptism" (52). They played a couple of duets in the piano probably making their parents proud, but what mostly stood out about their presentation was the interruption of the parrot shouting "Allez vous-en! Sapristi!" Phrase which, through the courtesy of Google Translate, translates to "Go Away! Damnit!" This parrot has said this before with little relevance and context but here must have a meaning or else it wouldn't be a reason to include it. The parrot seems to be bothered by these twins. Must be by how their fate was decided by their parents when they were still young. Their free will is oppressed by their parent's imposition of future as a nun. The twins grow up worrying more about becoming like the virgin rather than developing their own character. This sort of imprisonment made by their parents becomes apparent when everyone dances but the twins because they could not be convinced to separate as one dances with a man. They've become mechanical in a way. Only capable of what they've been taught to do.

Later on in the party, after the children had been sent to bed, there was some sort of piano concert held in the house. The one to play was Mademoiselle Reisz, a short tempered, older woman. Mrs. Pontellier, being used to listening to Madame Ratignolle practice in the mornings, was getting ready for the way she normally reacts to Ratignolle's piano playing, which is an image that symbolizes the feeling of the song. One of these images is that of a naked man standing next to the sore, staring out in a resigned way to a bird that flew away. This, combined with the title of the song "Solitude," makes an impression of someone giving in, letting go of everything, and accepting the cold embrace of solitude. Mrs. Pontellier, expecting the habitual, is shocked as she feels a surge of pure emotions that make tears fall from her eyes. This sort of awakening that brought to her attention an option of something other than the common and more beautiful adds to Mrs. Pontellier's strange behavior and keeps the story moving in interesting ways.

Run Forrest Run!

As the story continues, the importance of the sea that is near where all the characters live is being shown more often. Not only that, but Mrs. Pontellier also starts going more into her past and what events were key in the shaping of her current position. The point where this glass breaks is when Mrs. Pontellier tells Madame Ratignolle of how the sea reminds her of when she was younger in Kentucky and would traverse a field of tall grass that was like an ocean to her. 

Note: This picture is hardly relevant

This small anecdote then gathers great importance when Pontellier mentions that she was “running away from prayers” (40). This gives a sort of reason for her actions of swimming from the grass, actions which Pontellier later defines as done “idly, aimlessly, unthinking and unguided” (41). It might sound like she is contradicting herself, but when one thinks about it she is making complete sense. Isn’t a big aspect of religion being a guide to how you should live your life? The Bible is filled with rules that the church imposes you with. Then it makes sense that, by running away from religion, Pontellier is being aimless, unthinking, and unguided. The grass field in Kentucky is basically a symbolization of escaping oppression. This is probably why Pontellier is now longing for that same feeling. She is in need of running away from oppression. Oppression that is no longer caused by religion but by being a woman or by her kids. Pontellier wants to be free again. Desire that explains her strange recent attitude.

Mooooom

So, starting with Kate Chopin’s The Awakening you think it’s a pretty cool book. Not really sure about what is the premise and BAM! your main character gets a foil, the main character being Mrs. Pontellier and the foil being her friend Madame Ratignolle. Chopin, when introducing Madame Ratignolle, makes her seem like what is supposed to be perceived as the ideal woman: charming and focused on her children. However, Chopin, being a woman herself, is trying to make fun of this point of view and achieves in doing so by taking these characteristics and taking them to the point where it is absurd. A point where this is apparent is how Madame Ratignolle has her children clad in Eskimo-like apparel to protect them from “treacherous drafts coming down the chimneys and insidious currents of deadly cold finding their way through key-holes” (27). These kids are basically prepared for an arctic expedition only to stay at home probably drinking chocolate milk and playing the equivalent of a Nintendo in those days.

The entire absurdity makes one question whether this “ideal woman” is really what is best. This is where Mrs. Pontellier comes in. Is Madame Ratignolle’s spoiling really what is best for the children? Isn’t it better for their growth to learn to “pick themselves up, wipe the water out of their eyes and the sand out of their mouth, and go on playing” (25)? They can’t be dependent of their parents for much longer. Nevertheless, Mr. Pontellier insists that this is the wrong way to take care of children settling the positions of the characters that will last for the rest of the novella.