The Awakening This year in ENC 1102 we have read stories and watched movies and they have all been pretty good. Some of these movies and stories include Midnight in Paris, The Double and Story of an Hour. Sure these stories have great plots and good storylines, but I believe what makes a good story is its protagonist or main character. Although all of them were great, the one who stands out to me the most is Edna Pontellier from The Awakening because of how misunderstood and dynamic her character was. Edna Pontellier is a 28 year old woman, married to Léonce Pontellier, and has two boys with him, Etienne and Raoul. The story begins in the late 1800s in Grand Isle, located on the Gulf of Mexico. Grand Isle was a popular wealthy resort managed by Madame Lebrun and her two sons, Robert and Victor; there Edna and her family spend their summer. Edna was so used to her life that she never stopped to think about what really made her happy. But after meeting a Creole woman named Adèle Ratignolle, Edna finally opened her eyes. In doing this, Edna goes out of control as she slowly ruins her life and reputation by leaving her husband, falling in love, being unfaithful and not being a mother to her children’s. Corrales 2
The conflict of the story begins after Edna starts spending time with Adèle. Being Creole, Adèle is more unreserved and forthright than most women. Edna starts noticing these traits and tries pick them up herself. That’s when she “awakens” from the life that she has been living and discovers who she really is. The conflict worsens when Edna starts spending her summer with Robert. He is known as a lady’s man, especially for attending married woman each year that go to the resort.
When she goes back to New Orleans she goes back as a new woman. She stops being a house wife because she starts going out every day, and spending her spare time painting. Her