Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Male characters in The Awakening
By now, we have identified the various female characters in The Awakening; however, we have not focused so much on the males, except perhaps for Robert. Here, you will make a contrast and comparison between Leonce' and Robert. What type of character is each? Do they represent the traditional male or the contemporary male of the time? Provide evidence with a few quotations (indicating page #). How is their treatment of women? Is either more respectful than the other? Discover and analyze these two men. Provide your personal input and support your opinions with evidence from the novel.
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As I was reading “The Awakening”, I didn’t know if I liked Robert or Leonce more. They both had their pros and cons, but I think that they both need to be analyzed in order to pick one. We meet Leonce in the beginning of the book and he seems like a loving husband. He has two sons and really seems to try and be there for them. I think that Leonce started to show is true colors that night that he got into a fight with Edna. They didn’t really throw things at each other or anything to dangerous, but there seemed to be a little tension. One night while at Grand Isle, Leonce had just walked up to the house after being at the beach and found his wife lying on the porch. On page 25, Leonce goes into the house and opens a bottle of wine. He drinks quite a few glasses and seems to be very angry. He repeatedly asked his wife to come inside and she refused. I think this shows that he has some anger issues. We see him discuss this with a doctor in Chapter 22, page 92. The doctor said that she must going through some kind of stage and she could get over it over a period of time. Leonce wants to know what he can do because he gets a little tense at times and doesn’t know how to speak calmly to her. I think that Leonce is someone who fit the role of what a man should be like in that time period. He wanted to try and help his wife with whatever issues she was having, but she seemed to ignore him. He cared for the materialistic things in life, which was very typical of the men back in that era. I think that he could have respected his wife a little bit more, but she did give him the cold shoulder most of the time. He is a guy who cared for his children and tried to show his wife love, but he didn’t get it in return.
ReplyDeleteRobert is a friend of Edna’s, whom she meets while in Grand Isle. They start off being just friends, but their relationship turns into something more, and it happened right before Robert left for Mexico. Robert seems to have a clue that he shouldn’t get involved with Edna. He knows that she is married and was a little hesitant at the time. As their time at Grand Isle continues, they get closer and closer. When the summer was over, Robert shocks Edna and tells her that he is leaving for Mexico that night. On page 63, Edna begins to go crazy because she loves him. She hasn’t told him, but figures that Robert feels the same way about her. He says good bye to her and doesn’t really show any type of emotion. Robert surprised me by not writing letters to Edna like he had promised. He seemed like the type of guy who would let the girl that he cared deeply for, know that he is thinking of her. When he does return from Mexico however, he accidentally runs into Edna and realizes how much he missed her. On page 149, Robert begins to explain how much he loves Edna. This is the first time that he lets emotion really come out of him. He seems like the contemporary guy in the book. He didn’t want to get involved with Edna until she felt free from her husband. He now feels that she is free from the marriage because of how much she cares for him. Most men in those days would never dare think of getting with a married woman, but Robert didn’t care because he was in love. I think that both men have lot of good qualities, but also have a downside to them.
Camille, i feel that you did a good job in describing how Leonce was first seen as a loving husband until that night he came home and criticized Edna's mothering of her children. But i feel that Leonce was more of a traditional male figure compared to Robert because he wants her to take care of the children and tend to him like all stereotypical women of that time did. Camille, I feel that you should have directly compared Leonce and Robert to eachother because I found many differences and similarities when I read the book. Great Job on everything though!
DeleteCamille, I agree with you when you say that Leonce seemed like a loving husband at first. As time went on however we began to realize how critical of Edna he was. He criticized her mothering skills and also that she ended up getting a tan one day at the beach. Leonce is definitely more traditional than Robert. Leonce thinks that a woman's only place is in the home. Robert however has never settled down and had a family, so his beliefs are very different. He likes to move from one woman to the next, which wasn't a very traditional and common thing of the time. This is something Leonce would disagree with because of how traditional he really is. I also think you could have compared Leonce and Robert a little more closely however. Other than that's you did a fantastic job this week!
DeleteCamille, you made good points about Leonce seeming like a good husband but really he's not. At first he was alright, but as the story went along we noticed his anger towards Edna and t made her unhappy. Their marriage really wasn't good at all. It was kinda just for show they didn't even really care about each other.
DeleteRobert and Leonce in the Awakening are both very different; however, they are similar in some aspects. Their views on women and how they should act are very different also. I personally like Robert the best over Robert because of how he treats and appreciates things other people do. Therefore, both characters are very different in the book, but have some relatable characteristics.
ReplyDeleteRobert is a man that at the beginning of the book was described as going,"each summer at Grand Isle had constituted himself the devoted attendant of some fair dame or damsel."(pg.25) Meaning he always had a woman. Most of them were young or widowed, but it mainly meant in my mind that he got around a lot, and that he must not have been very appreciative or content with the women in his past life. During the time Robert spent with Edna, he seemed like he wasn't in much control of their relations. It seemed to me that she was the head of their relationship, and they followed what she wanted to do, which contrasted Leonce and Edna.
Leonce was a one woman man, who is married and didn't get around much which is very different than Robert. Also instead of the women in his life being in control, he was the head of the household in which he lived with Edna and their children. Edna said,"Another time she would have gone in at his request."(pg. 51) This showed how she would do anything he said because he would be in control. Leonce's views on what women should do in their lives in what a typical man in that time period think, women should care for the husband and the children in comparison to Robert, who seemed to allow the women to take control and do what they please. Leonce also didn't appreciate his wife and what she did for their family. Leonce is more of the traditional man who looks at the women in a manner of them being the cleaners and motherly figures of the house, while Robert is more of a contemporary figure of a male in the story.
Therefore, both of these men in the book are different in how they treat the women they have been with. They both are similar in ways of how they may take advantage of women, but Robert is more contemporary compared to Leonce.
Emma, I was a little confused at the beginning of your blog. You said that you liked Robert best over Robert, but I think you meant to say that you liked Leonce over Robert. After that, your blog had a lot of good points to both sides of the argument. Robert seems like a ladies man and you picked a very good quote to describe that. He seemed to let Edna take control of the relationship. I feel that he did this because he didn't want to lose her. Leonce was more of the family man and didn't want to go after other women. He wanted to be incharge of the relationships. Great job on explaining the ideas on both men.
DeleteHaha sorry everybody i put i chose Robert over Robert, I meant I chose Robert of Leonce as who I liked best. Thanks Camile.
DeleteEmma, thank you for clarifying what you meant at the beginning of your blog! I think you did a great job this week. Your comparing and contrasting between Leonce was very straightforward. Your ideas were very clear, accurate, and precise. Your blog was very easy to follow and enjoyable to read. I like how you considered Robert the ladies man, because this is exactly the kind of character he is. He seemed to have had a lot of different woman with him in a relationship. More then most people would who didn't play the role of a gentleman and then turn around and do the same thing to twenty other girls. Robert also let Edna take control of the relationship compared to Leonce who was in direct control of the relationship and even a lot of the things Edna did. Great job this week Emma!
DeleteEmma, you had some really good points of comparison between the two males. Robert is more focused on then Leonce in the novel. Robert seemed to have feelings for Edna at points, then he seemed to have lost them. It was almost like he wasn't sure of what he wanted. Leonce on the other hand, barely attempted to make his relationship with Edna any better, he didn't care at all. He really cared for his children but not for his wife. Even when she was away he didn't even seem to care about where she was. Leonce wasn't a gentleman at all or a good husband.
DeleteLeonce is a stereotypical man in this novel. Leonce does not have a good relationship with his wife. Instead of supporting her, Leonce' constantly criticizing her and bossing her around. Leonce rude, discriminating behavior is first seen in chapter three in the confrontation with his wife. Leonce tells Edna that she is "neglecting the children" and talks to her in a way that makes her so upset to the point that she goes to the window crying.(page18) Leonce's interactions with his wife are also a supporting factor that presents his chauvinistic attitude to,the readers. Leonce is a man who only cares about what others think of him. When Edna decides to move out of her house, Leonce panics. Leonce is worried about what others will think and say about him if she moves. To make Edna happy and keep his own status quo in tact, Leonce hires an architect to create an addition for Edna to have instead of her moving out. (chapter32) In addition Leonce feels the need to be superior to others. In chapter eleven Edna refuses to listens to Leonce to go inside, so Leonce stays outside with her and to make sure he felt superior he stayed outside longer than Edna.(page51-52) However Leonce is not heartless. Actually Leonce cares about Edna. After Robert left, Leonce was concerned for Edna's well being because he knew that she and Robert were good friends. In a way in chapter seventeen, Leonce treats Edna like a piece of property. He takes care of her and looks out for like his own possessions, but he does not show the extra qualities of a relationship or love toward Edna. Leonce also shows a concerned, caring attitude when Edna's attitude begins to change by talking to a doctor to evaluate her. In the end Leonce resembles a stereotypical man in this time period.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand Robert Lebrun is a different type of man. In the beginning the characters in the novel suggest that Robert is a player. Robert is described as a flirtatious, caring man. In my opinion Robert is misunderstood in the beginning. Roberto's feelings for Edna show what a caring and loving person he is. Robert would accompany her to events and visit her often, even just to talk. Robert is a gentleman. He realizes that his love for Edna is wrong and can only be a courtly love. After Edna decides to start to commit to a relationship with Robert, Robert leaves for Mexico. Although many readers may find this heartless, it is not. Robert leaves out of his love and care for Edna. He did not want to screw up Edna's life by ruining her status with Leonce so he decided to leave. He cared for Edna so much he left the country for her well being. Robert was a kind, caring, passionate, and loving man. Unlike Leonce he did not care about what others think of him.
Marla, your blog was very well written this week. As we see in the book that Leonce is really just like any other typical guy during that time period. Most guys during this time did boss their wives around and were sometimes mean. This was nothing out of the ordinary though. Also men during this time they thought more about the appearance. They were always worried that someone was going to mess it up for them. Robert is somehow different liked you mentioned. He is a player at the beginning. I agree with that's you said that he starts to change during the novel. I think that he went to Mexico do Roth same reason. Good job on the blog this week.
DeleteMarla, you did really good in your blog. i liked how you brought up the fact that Leonce is a steriotypical husband and man in the way he acts towards his wife. I also like you put your own opinion on how you felt that Robert was misunderstood at the beginning of the book. Feel that Robert is very different from other men because he allowed Edna to be in control of their relationship. I also feel that Robert cared about Edna so much that he left because he knew she was married with children. So great job this week!
DeleteLeonce is Edna’s husband. He may seem loving at times, but other times he is rude. For example when he comes home when Edna is sleeping, he starts criticizing her because one of the children is sick and she didn’t notice. This is a good example of him being a loving father, but not a loving husband. He was criticizing her for being a bad mother. He does kind of have a point though because she doesn’t have a very good relationship with her children and good mothers have good relationships with their children. He should be a better loving husband to her though. He definitely has a few anger issues. We notice his anger issues when Edna refuses to go in the house when he tells her to. He isn’t used to her refusing his orders and this makes him angry. He is concerned about how Edna feels like she isn’t loved by him but he is having trouble being a good husband. He starts to try to help Edna because he feels bad, but Edna ignores his help. Leonce shows more of a character of this time. Robert is sort of like Leonce’s competition for Edna. He first started out of just a friend of Edna’s that she met at Grand Isle. She started to develop a sort of love for him, something more than friends. She felt that he feels the same and it seemed like he did. He felt weird about it though because she was a married woman and he knows that it is wrong. When he leaves to go to Mexico, Edna is upset and goes crazy because she is in love with him. She’s devastated when he shows no affection or emotion when he leaves. He said that he would write and he didn’t so that might say that he is unsure of what he wants. But when he comes back, he runs into her and realizes that he missed her and that he loves her.
ReplyDeleteLeah, I see where you are coming from whenever you say that Leonce is critical on Edna because of the way that she does not care for her children, but I am not so sure I agree with you when you say that he is a loving father. I think he wants to come off to other people as a loving father, but he does not actually put the effort into it as is needed. For example, whenever Leonce goes out and tells the children that he will bring them back something and when he returns he seems to have forgotten to pick it up. He is, however a man of that time period and I agree with that. Robert is more of a man of our time period with all of his flings with many different women that seem to mean nothing to him after they are over.
DeleteLeah, it is true when you mentioned that Leonce may be a loving father, but not a loving husband. I understand that most parents need to care for their children. If one spouse is not, then you don't need to yell at them about it, you just need to have a private conversation with the person. It may be true that he has a point, but he does not need to treat his wife like that. He is just proving that he only cares about himself and he loves the feeling of superiority. Everyone seems to have the same feelings about Robert. You made a good point when saying that Robert was competition for Leonce. Robert was such a caring person however, that he respected that she was married.
DeleteThere has been a common theme in all of the plays and novels we what've been reading during English this year. The thing that all these have in common is they have characters that are opposites of each others. In this play Leonce and Robert a the ones that are being compared.
ReplyDeleteLeonce is the typical man of this time period. All men during this time only really cared about them selves. During the book in chapter Leonce is worried that by Edna moving out it will ruin his reputation. To make this seem like Edna did not move out, he hired a contractor to finish projects on their house. He did this so people would think that's why she is living in their other home. Also he is worried that because she is not having guests over that the wives, of clients that he works with, will tell their husbands. This may prevent his business to slow down. Another thing with Leonce is that when everything is going on with Robert and Edna he doesn't really seem to care that much at first. Then he goes to the doctors and talks to him. The doctor seems to know what is going on but doesn't tell Leonce. Leonce really fits the type of guys that were around during this time period.
Robert, on the other hand, is not the ideal man. He is a player. He is more like many boys in this time of age. Every summer he has a new summer fling. These flings don't really mean all that much to him. Most of the girls know better then to fall into his trap. However Edna does not. She starts to have feelings for him. Right when she starts to he leaves for Mexico. In a way I almost feel like he was trying to get Edna to get over him so he would not ruin her life with her husband already. I think he does truly care for her though. Even though it may not always seem like he does. This is how Robert is different for the men of that time period
Hayley you are correct in saying that Leonce acts like a typical man of this time period. Leonce's concern is only for his self image and pride. Leonce has to feel and be the person in control. Leonce is also rude and judgmental. Although Leonce is not the best husband, he still cares for Edna. Also I agree that Robert is first described as a player. Robert in my opinion is misunderstood. It seen throughout the novel that Robert cares deeply for Edna. Robert is definitely different than the average man in this time period.
DeleteHayley, I agree with how it seems that every story that we have read so far in this class seem to have characters that are different from one another. Leonce seems to be a man of their time period while Robert seems to be more of a man that would fit into our time period. However different these characters may seem, they both seem to care a lot for themselves. Leonce is worried about how other people see him. He wants to have a perfect marriage with a perfect wife who loves to take care of children and is the best mother out there. While Robert does not seem to care about that, he still seems to only be looking out for himself and what he wants at that particular moment as we are able to see in the many different flings that he has with different women all of the time. Robert always ends up leaving them and does not, in the end, care for anyone but himself.
DeleteLeonce and Robert are both very different. Leonce is more traditional compared to Robert. Leonce is very controlling of Edna. He gets upset when she ends up getting a tan at the beach. Leonce also tells Edna that she is "neglecting the children" on page 18. This really hurt Edna because never really thought she was neglecting her children. Her husband is very critical over everything she does. He is more concerned about what others think about himself and his family. Leonce panics when Edna tells him she is moving out. Leonce is worried about what others will think and say about him if she moves. To make Edna happy and keep his status and the status of his family alright. Leonce hires an architect to create an addition onto the house for Edna to live in instead of her moving out because this way it would look like she was still living with him. Leonce treats Edna like a prize or piece of property. No woman should ever be treated the was Leonce treated Edna.
ReplyDeleteRobert is a gentleman to Edna composited to Leonce. He realizes that his love for Edna is wrong because she is married. Most of Robert's love for women is courtly love. After Edna decides to start to commit to a relationship with Robert, Robert leaves for business in Mexico. Robert leaves because he loves and cares for Edna. He knew it was wrong for them to be together and that their relationship would ruin the status of Leonce and her. He cared for Edna so much and knew that he must leave the country for her own well being and the well being of her family. Robert was a kind and loving man who unlike Leonce did not care about what others think of him or his status in life.
Rachel I agree with your point of view on Leonce. Leonce is definitely a critical, stereotypical man of his era. Leonce is rude and judgemental towards his wife. Leonce only cares about his self image. Robert is definitely a gentleman in comparison to Leonce. Robert is misunderstood in the beginning of the novel. I also agree that Robert's love towards Edna can only be courtly because of her marriage to Leonce. This shows what an honest, loyal character Robert is
DeleteLeonce is arrogant and worries about how other people think of him. I do not think he really cares so much about his family as much as he cares about looking like a good father. Robert might be a gentleman compared to how Leonce acts, but Robert is still a bit of a womanizer. He always changed which woman he was devoted to each summer. Robert knew what he had to do for the sake of someone else, and I doubt that Leonce could do the same thing that Robert did.
DeleteLeonce is a character that fits rather well into his time period. He seems to be quite a hard working man, with a wife and children who love him. He has a beautiful house, that he likes because the things inside of the house are his possessions. This is a clue to how most men were in his time. They looked at everything as being in their possession, especially their significant others. He seemed to like what he had not for the reasons of them bringing him happiness or joy but rather because the things were his. Leonce criticized his wife for not being an ideal mother, but comes out to be a bit hypocritical because he was not the ideal father, either. One is able to see this from whenever he told his children that he would bring them back something but seemed to have forgotten it upon his return. Leonce was critical on his wife, and did not like it whenever the tables finally turned and she seemed to become more critical on him.
ReplyDeleteRobert on the other hand, seems to be a man of our time. It is easy to see that Robert likes women and many different ones at that! He was not really the type of man to pick a woman and to stay with her. He did not have a wife or child and he did not care if the woman that he wanted to be with was married. Robert jumped from woman to woman without ever seeming to care for their feelings or to ever contact them whenever their relationship was over. He was a classic example of a womanizer.
I have to agree with saying that Leonce fits in with the time period. Acting as sort of a slave to routine and hates it when anything falls out of balance, which is why he did not like it when Edna started to stand up for herself. I think he just cares about his personal image and likes to manipulate everything in his favor. I did not think of Robert being more modern, but the way you described it made me see that. I think he lives in ignorance, only aware of what is currently important and ignoring everything else, such as how other people feel.
DeleteMorgan, I really liked your description of Leonce, it was straight on. Men of that time period really did think of everything from their jobs, families, and houses as possessions, and they could be very selfish. Leonce saw himself as a righteous man, who claimed to know what was best for everything he took claim over, especially Edna. He was quick to criticize her when he felt she did not do a sufficient job as a mother, but not once did we ever read of Leonce taking a step back in the mirror to see that he himself could use some improvement as well. For Leonce, image is everything, and when Edna did not cooperate, he had to cover it up for the sake of his image, not Edna's.
DeleteThe Awakening focuses mainly on Edna and her finding her true self and living how she wishes too. The female protagonist would likely not want to change herself if it was not for the influence that Robert and Leonce had on her. Robert and Leonce are contradictory characters, having opposite behaviours. With The Awakening being published in 1899, I feel that Leonce's behaviour was actually standard of most men during the time period. Robert is different, being more respectable toward women than Leonce who only really cares about himself.
ReplyDeleteLeonce really does not care about Edna. In the beginning of chapter 14 when Leonce actually worries a little about Edna's whereabouts, it takes almost no persuasion to convince him to forget about it. In chapter 17 on page 73, one of Leonce's perks is described. Leonce enjoys actually owning things, "He greatly valued his possessions, chiefly because they were his." Leonce also forces a schedule on Edna, making her deal with visitors every Tuesday. The book describes this quite well, "This had been the programme which Mrs. Pontellier had religiously followed since her marriage, six years before." When Edna decides to break this routine, Leonce was outraged. This was because he felt that Edna was making him look bad to other people. He is an egomaniac.
Robert on the other hand, has devoted himself to Edna. However, this is not the first time he has done this, this is explained on page 25, "Since the age of fifteen, which was eleven years before, Robert each summer at Grand Isle had constituted himself the devoted attendant of some fair dame or damsel." Everyone else on Grand Isle never took Robert's actions seriously, however Edna did. Also in chapter 10 on page 45, Edna realizes that she would rather be with Robert than with Leonce. She realizes this while walking with Leonce of all times. Robert is more respectable than Leonce is, when Edna sends for Robert on page 53, Robert happily complies. This really shows that Robert is a much better person than Leonce is.
Tyler, you really strengthened your blog with so many good examples you took from the book. It really supported your claims. You made a lot of very good points about both Leonce and Robert, and backed up your ideas with excerpts from the story. Leonce really did love his possessions, but he did not love Edna as a husband should. He simply saw Edna as a possession, and he loved her as one would love his house or car. This is probably why Robert seemed more desirable to Edna instead of her husband. She was one of few that ever actually took Robert seriously, and that must have took Robert off guard. But still, he adored Edna, and would do anything to see her happy.
DeleteTyler, now that you mentioned that the book was published in 1899, I realize that the characteristics of Leonce were probably most common in that time period. People back then did not know how to grow a healthy relationship with someone. Robert was a character that did know however. He cared for Edna more than himself, and even left the country to keep her safe so that his feelings would not grow stronger for Edna. Even Edna knows that she loves Robert more than Leonce. It takes true courage to leave the country to keep the welfare of other safe, rather than thinking of yourself like Leonce did.
DeleteLeonce and Robert are extremely different in the story “The Awakening.” First I will talk about Leonce. He seems to me that he is very controlling. He loves to be in control of everything that his family does. Leonce would always get extremely angry with Edna if he did something that he did not know about. Edna would be very sad when Leonce would yell at her, and she would often cry a lot. It says on page 18, “She could not have told why she was crying. Such experiences as the foregoing were not uncommon in her married life.” To heal these emotional wounds, she would often think of the freeness of the sea. Whenever she did this, her mood reflected it as she would sometimes be very happy-go-lucky about everything that she does. Leonce loves to be in control, so Edna needs something in her life to make her feel better. This is how the sea shows extreme symbolism in this story. We found out how much that Edna loves the sea at the end of the story. One of the things the Leonce is concerned about is whether or not other people will know who his family is and think very fondly of them. He does not like how Edna does not pay attention to the children at all. Leonce is a very strict character in the novel concerned only for himself and not his wife and family.
ReplyDeleteRobert is not the same at all. He acts as a gentleman to Edna. Edna loves being around Robert, but when Leonce leaves, she realizes that she also misses Leonce a little bit too. Robert is such a gentleman that even though he was in love with Edna, he respected the fact that she was married. He thought that it was wrong to have a relationship with someone who was already married. Robert moved to Mexico on business, but it was probably one way of avoiding Edna so his feelings for her would not become stronger. Robert really seemed like a true gentleman in the story. He cared for the status and well-being of other people more than himself. He proved that he would leave the country and move to Mexico because he cared for Edna so much that he wanted her to have a happy relationship with Leonce.
Andrew, I think that Leonce is mostly concerned with appearances, as you suggested, but I don't doubt he does care for Edna and his boys. He does, afterall, seek the advice of a doctor about Edna. I'd like to hope that his intentions were really to understand Edna rather than to change her.
DeleteAs for Robert, I agree with you that he's a gentleman! He respects Edna's marriage... which is perhaps something Edna should begin to do. I think it was selfish of Edna to continue to drag Robert through a painful situation when he so obviously didn't want to cause a rift in her and Leonce's marriage.
Andrew, I agree with most of your views in this blog. Leonce tries to take control of every situation he was involved in, especially the familial situations. Robert was more of a gentleman and would pay more attention to the thoughts of Edna and give her an opportunity to make her own decisions. However, I do not find that the men are completely opposites. I think that their true intentions were each to be a loving man for Edna and keep her happy. Leonce still had the decency to try to get some help for his situation with his wife. He tries to keep family the priority whenever they do argue. Also, Robert is not always the perfect gentleman, as we see with all of the other girls on Grand Isle whom he had relationships with.
DeleteAndy, you got many of the ideas for both men in the story exact. The only thing I do not completely agree with is the way Leonce is depicted. He is not as possessive over Edna as Edna thinks. If he was so possessive, he would have come close to killing Robert for being so close to his wife. Also, if he cared so much about appearance, he would have made Robert stay away, as he would not want to be associated with a scandal. Leonce is opposite of Robert, well done on that point. He is respectful of women where Robert is not.
DeleteGood job on the blog this week!
As Edna’s list of affairs grows longer it’s time to take a step back and evaluate the men in her life. Beginning with Leonce, we see a traditional male of the era. From the very beginning of the book we hear Leonce refer to his wife as a “valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage.” (pg. 12). This quote expresses how Leonce thinks of Edna as a possession, which is displayed many other times throughout the book. Leonce is very concerned with how things appear, including his wife. He doesn’t wish to have anyone think that his family is abnormal. From the beginning we see that Leonce cares for his wife, but perhaps not with the depth that others do. He does not beat his wife, but he does tend to verbally correct her in a way that makes her feel inferior. Leonce seems more concerned about appearances than his marriage.
ReplyDeleteEdna’s first affair begins with Robert. Robert is a character that has been devoted to many women on Grand Isle, but has chosen Edna for this summer. He follows her around like a puppy and they both seem to enjoy each other’s company. Robert’s affection first shows for Edna when Adele asks him to leave Edna alone because she may take his flirtations seriously. Robert replies, “Why shouldn’t she?” (pg. 37) which suggests that he has begun to care for Edna. Out of the two, Robert seems like the one who loves Edna the most. I would call him a traditional man as well. He has certain habits that make him contemporary, but his moral values keep him traditional. When Robert leaves Edna for the last time leaves a note saying, “I love you. Good-by—because I love you.” (pg. 155). With this letter Robert shows that Robert does not wish to shame Edna by stealing her away from Leonce, even though she wishes to go.
Both of these men seem to care for Edna, but they are both tied down by the traditional views of the time period. I wish we could discuss Edna’s third victim—I mean man, but that’s a whole different blog.
Maddie, I think you opened your blog very well this weekend. We Edna is with about three different guys during the corse of this book. Leonce and Robert and the two main ones however. As reading the blogs this weekend I think most of us agree that Leonce is a typical man of the times. He treats her like she is owned. I can see why Edna does not wan to be with him. I wouldn't want someone to treat me that way. When you love someone it should not be all about appearances. Like you brought up Leonce does this to Edna. Robert is not a man of the times. He is a player and has been with many girls. Edna is different though. Robert and Edna like each other company like you said. I like how you compared Robert to a puppy. I agree with you that both care for her. They just show it in different ways. I think you had a good blog this week Maddie!
DeleteMaddie I found your entire blog very ammusing to read. When you referred to the men as victims, I couldn't help but laugh! But that seems exactly like what they are- men who kept getting caught inside drama of a woman who cannot seem to make up her mind. We know that Leonce is a controlling man, but he only wants his family to appear like they are completely functional and an ideal family in society. Sometimes he takes actions to far, but it is all for good intention. Robert also cares for the family, but gets caught up in the reality that the realtionship is really an affair and realizes what could happen. Every action that the men take seem to be strange, but I believe that every action was truly out of love for Edna. Good Job!
DeleteIn the Awakening, a major part of the drama that goes on involves Edna’s feelings, lack of feelings, and desires. When any female heroine of a story has mixed emotions and desires such as Edna, we see how much it affects the males of the story. In Edna’s case, this mainly involves her husband Leonce and Robert. The two characters are in there own ways desirable, but for Edna, she is unhappy with what she has and dreams what there could be.
ReplyDeleteStarting with Leonce, he is the type of husband that any other woman of that time period wishes she could be with; any other woman besides Edna. Well, for Edna, these other women do not see Leonce as she does, she does not see herself lucky to be with him but rather, she longs for a different life. We see this in chapter 3 on page 19 when the other ladies visit Edna when Leonce sends gifts, “all declared that Mr. Pontellier was the best husband in the world.” In general though, Leonce was the stereotypical husband of the time; he was a busy, successful business man, that outsiders saw as loving and generous for the fact he was always away on business and sent Edna and her boys gifts in attempt to compensate for him not being there. This showed that he treated them more like clients rather than his family. When he was home, however, he felt that he needed to be in control. He would never dare do a job that could be classified as “woman’s work”, but yet he still criticized Edna for not doing what felt was a sufficient job. To Leonce, everything was about business and appearance; his wife was just his property, and the appearance of himself and his property meant everything to him.
Robert, on the other hand, was more of a contemporary man for his time. Only 23, each summer, he would follow around one woman or another. None of these women had every taken his intentions as sincere, that is, until he became close to Edna. The summer they spent together had been an awakening for Edna, which is why Robert says (chapter14 page 62), “All but the hundred years when you were sleeping.” Robert truly loves Edna, which is why he leaves in the end. She is married, and he loves her too much to ruin her name. It is the type of love which Robert is willing to do anything, or be anything, or Edna, even if that means leaving. That why in chapter 38 on page 155, “But he had scrawled on a piece of paper that lay in the lamplight; ‘I love you. Good-by –because I love you.’”
Good job on the blog this week. You captured many of the main points on both Leonce and Robert. The only thing I disagree with is how Leonce is portrayed. He is shown as an all possessive almost "evil" monster. I think Leonce cares about Edna much more than she realizes. Edna is expected to just take care of the children, and then she is left to do what she wants with a bit of freedom. Leonce even goes to the doctor at one point to ask about Edna. He would only do this if he actually cared about her. If he viewed her as property, he would just have gone to Edna and say "what is your problem? straighten up or you will regret it." As Leonce does nothing of the sort, I think that he is much more respectable than Edna seems to realize.
DeleteMaria, I like some of the things you pointed out in your blog. I do think that Leonce was honestly trying to care for his family, but his conformities to society stopped him from being the father and husband I think he could have been. As for Robert, he gained a gold star in my book when he left Edna because he did it for all the right reasons!
DeleteGood job on your blog this week, Maria. I like how you point out that Leonce is always away and he treats his family like clients. This could be why Edna has distanced herself from them and doesn't know how to express how she feels towards her husband. Robert was pretty much her escape from that life.
DeleteOut of Leonce and Robert, I think that Leonce is the traditional man. Leonce is a hard worker, and he cares for what is his. He supports his family, children, and wife. He faces an even harder time taking care of his family because Edna is erratic in the way she cares for the children. Leonce is a successful businessman, and is respected in his community. At one point, on page 19, it was said that "Mr. Pontellier was the best husband in the world." This is a great example on how he was treated and respected.
ReplyDeleteRobert on the other hand, is the contemporary man. He travels around from woman to woman, and does not seem to care at all. He refuses to pursue a relationship after he has preyed on that woman throughout the summer. He really does not care. That is why most of the women never take him seriously, and most will avoid him if given the chance. Robert has a reputation of being an immoral person. The most redeeming quality about Robert is how he is responsible enough to leave Edna. He does this because, even though he has feelings for her, he respects the fact that she has a husband.
The most respectful of the two men would be Leonce. Even though he may appear harsh at the start, that is because Edna ignores her dutys as his wife, and the mother of the children. Even when the story hints that he is careless, when he left the candle on, it would have been disrespectful to just blow it out and leave Edna standing there in the dark. That would be truly careless, and disrespectful. The only point where Robert is respectful is when he leaves Edna. Other than that, Robert has made a habit of using women for his own pleasure. He goes around from one to another treating them as his possession. He needs a women for him to be secure, and that shows a weakness in his personality.
Overall, I think Leonce is the better man. He is respectful of women, and just wants Edna to fulfill her duties as a mother, whether she likes it or not, Edna needs to be responsible for her children.
Jess, I agree with you completely and you made some good points! I like your first quote. I think he really was a good husband and father, he just didn't know how to respond to Edna at times. I also like when you said "he needs a woman for him to be secure." I never really thought about it like that. He always just used girls and when he found himself falling in love with Edna, he didn't know what to do. I am surprised he actually left her.
DeleteJess, I love your blog this week. You seem to always have similar views as I do and you wrote this blog well. I agree with you stating that Leonce is a better man than a lot of the other men in the book. Everyone is awfully selfish and Leonce just wants what is best for Edna and his children. Robert was in the relationship with Edna for his own pleasure and was not loving of Edna once she actually fell for him, which is ridiculous.
DeleteI think that Leonce represents the typical male during that time period. At the beginning of the book, he seems a little harsh. I think that he really does care about his wife and his kids though. He is always working to support his family, which is what the men of that time most often did. I feel bad for Leonce in a way. He seemed to have anger issues at times, but it would be so hard to have a wife that doesn't care about her family. On page 25, I think we can really see how frustrated he gets sometimes. He drinks a lot and then gets mad at Edna. He really tried to respect his wife, but i feel that it was hard for him because she did not share her emotions. I liked Leonce better because, even though he had his downsides, he was a devoted family man.
ReplyDeleteRobert symbolizes the contemporary male of the time. He is not taken seriously because of his past relationships. He moves around from girl to girl and does not really care about any of them. On page 25, it is decribed that Robert always has a new woman with him, either young or widowed. When Edna is unhappy with her current life and is unsure of what she really wants, Robert is always there for her.When he found himself falling in love with Edna, he left her because she had a husband. It was hard to pick which male I liked better. They both have pros and cons to them. At first, I kind of thought Robert was the bad guy that was tearing apart a marriage, but they were really in love. This is not something most guys would do back then.
Larissa, I agree with your first introduction paragraph stating that Leonce was much like every other man in that time period. He supported Edna and his children financially and tried to do what he could for them. I'm not quite sure how I feel about Robert because he shouldn't have kept on going for Edna from the beginning because he knew she was married. He only became distant once she fell for him and almost left Leonce for him. I believe Leonce is the true man in the book, doing what was best for Edna and their family.
DeleteLarissa, I see what you mean about Leonce truly caring about his family. While he does, at times, seem to care only about appearances, he is genuinely concerned when she begins acting depressed when Robert leaves. He even calls on a doctor to check on her health. However, I don't believe that Robert is actually a bad guy, just one that never really wanted a serious relationship until he had a type of real relationship with Edna. I would say that Leonce is more the bad guy because he stands in the way of Edna finding her true self, mostly for the aspect of appearances.
DeleteEdna faces a struggle between her duties and desires throughout the entire novel. She has a hard time deciding between what is right to do according to appearance and what is right to do according to her heart. The main struggle featured in this category in the Awakening would have to be the two main men in Edna's life: Leonce and Robert.
ReplyDeleteLeonce is Edna's husband. Right away we find the couple in a familial setting, talking about the children. However, the situation drastically turns when we find Leonce yelling at Edna for not caring about the family. Here, we find that Robert is a controlling man who likes to hear himself and thinks his way of doing things is the only way possible. Yet we also see Leonce in a state of dilemma. He is unaware of the problems that are occurring right in front of him. He does not always realize that what he says to his wife is pushing her away further into the arms of another man. Leonce deeply cares for his wife and wants them to be living the best life imaginable together with their children. He falls into the category with the men of this time who have problems with their families and provide gifts to receive forgiveness instead of addressing the problems. Page 19 describes a situation where Leonce goes away after an argument and sends Edna precious gifts to earn her forgiveness instead of a true apology. He cares for her, but shows it in odd ways. I respect Leonce for being a one-woman guy, and never giving up on the family.
Robert is a little more obvious when it comes to his feelings for Edna. He is the type who would take her out and enjoys spending alone time with her while spending the summer in Grand Isle. Robert notices Edna and begins to spend more and more time with her as the summer continues on. Even with warning to leave Edna alone, he refuses to give up on her because his feelings get stronger. I think that Robert begins to realize what he is doing to the family and makes a final decision to go to Mexico to give Edna time to think about what she is doing and how things would change. He comes back to tell her he loved her the whole time, which shows how classy he was to have her make her decision.
I find that both the men loved Edna while showing their affection in different ways. Leonce placed Edna on a social pedestal and wanted the entire relationship to appear to be perfect. Robert was able to encourage Edna to be free and express herself in any ways possible.
Edna had a love for two men in the book, "The Awakening." Leonce, her husband, and Robert, a man known to use women. Leonce had supported Edna every step of the way of her tough decision of staying with him or leaving for Robert. Even though he would criticize her for being a poor mother, she almost needed to here it and he was the one person who would know whether she was or was not.
ReplyDeleteRobert was known to go around and flirt with all women. Edna fell victim to his flirtation and began to fall in love with him. Page 25 even states that he finds a new woman every summer on Grand Isle to try to fall in love with. After Edna fell fir him, Robert had gone to Mexico for business and never wrote to her, later stating he didn't have anything interesting to say. For me, anyone in love can talk about anything. From the beginning, I was annoyed by Robert. Even when Mademoiselle Reisz told him to back off, he didn't. On page 149, Robert finally declares his love for Edna. To me, I am not quite sure if I took this literally. It may have just been one of those fake "I love you" statements to reel her in.
Leonce was a man who didn't come around much in the beginning, only stating how Edna was a poor mother. He was a devoted husband, and only wanted Edna to be happy, as well as keep his children safe and healthy. For this time period, I believe he was a decent husband. In this era, women were expected to take care of household duties while the husband went off to work and made the money. I noticed many people said he was rude in stating how he didn't care about hurting Edna's feeling but also take into consideration we don't know about their marriage before this was written. Maybe he was tired of her never noticing the children or taking care of them properly.
I personally feel as though Leonce is the better, if not only, true man in the novel written by Kate Chopin, "The Awakening."
Nicole, I wouldn't really say that Leonce supported Edna through her decision. It was more that he didn't actually know that there was a decision to be made. He saw that she was struggling with her role as wife and mother, but S you see with the realization of the doctor, Leonce isn't aware that these troubles are caused by another man in his wife's life.Also, Robert's deceleration of his love may not have been entirely sincere, but it is more sincere than he has most likely ever been with a woman.
DeleteNicole, I agree with what you had to say about your first quote. I picked out the exact same quote because I think that it seemed to fit the theme well. Robert was always the guy to get all the girls and start a new fling every summer. That summer though, he seemed to settle down and he fell head over heels over Edna. I like that you brought up the subject of him going to Mexico and he never wrote to her. He should have at least let her know that he missed her. I loved what you had to say about Leonce. I also thought that he was a great husband and people don't give him enough credit for that. He cared for his children and he really wanted to help Edna though this difficult time for her. I thought that you did a great job of explaining the topic this week.
ReplyDeleteThe story mainly focuses on our protagonist, Edna, but one catchs glimpses of her relationships with the men in her life throughout the story. Robert and Leonce are two of her main romantic relationships in this story, along with Alcee. They are very different people from one another, and she only truly believes that she loves Robert.
ReplyDeleteLeonce is her husband in is story. In the beginning, it is seen that he isn't really overtly attached to her in the way that one would expect a husband to be, but he does great her similarly to other husbands of his time. He thinks of her as a sort of pet, an object to be controlled through sorts of manipulation, ranging from presents to coercion. However, he is much more accepting of her new lifestyle than her father. While he does think of her as a pet, he sees that she is struggling with her common life and brings in a doctor to make sure that she is ok. When the doctor asks if it could be insanity, Leonce says that he "checked her lineage" making her sound like a racehorse that needed its pedigree checked. He is the traditional style man of his time.
Robert is a contemporary man of that time. He is highly flirtatious in the beginning, but moves into true infatuation with only Edna as the story progresses. After they decide upon moving their relationship forward, he must leave to continue his business career in Mexico. She continues to pine for him the entire time that he is gone, and when he returns , he does not seem interested in her. However, it is later seen that his reasoning behind this is that he doesn't want to dishonor a married woman by having an affair with her, which shows that he does have a traditional side which causes his need for chivalry. Also, he is traditional in the way that he thinks of her as a sort of possession of Leonce which he would be stealing. In the end, he leaves her in order to keep her safe from the judgement that would be caused by their affair.