Edna Pontellier was never cutout for the mundane, lackluster life of a mother-woman, of whose hours are spent day in and day out living a routine without a visible end in the far, distant future. However, her exchanging of vows with Léonce Pontellier, a ceremony that is referred to as “purely an accident,” (18) figuratively chains her to a life of which no free-spirited woman such as herself should be forced to live. The past has been set, and her present consists of two children and a husband who looks at her “as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage” (4) simply for getting too much sun. Throughout her life, Edna continually shows signs of understanding the idea of her true “self” and her place within…show more content… Her style of dress is even described as different from the traditionalist wardrobes of most women: “She had absolutely no taste in dress, and wore a batch of rusty black lace with a bunch of artificial violets pinned to the side of her hair” (25). While most women of her age had a stable husband, gracious children, and possibly even a few grandchildren to look after, Mademoiselle Reisz spent her days dedicating her life to the one person who understood her best: herself. With a burning passion for gracing the keys of a piano with her overtly talented fingers, playing an array of melodies meant to stir the emotions of those around her became a remarkably significant role in her life. Compared to Mademoiselle Reisz, Edna Pontellier’s fundamental awareness of her infinite self – of her soul’s connection to anything and everything within this world – is merely a finish line to be crossed, but she must travel along the twisting roads to get there first. Mademoiselle Reisz is described as a “disagreeable little woman who quarreled with almost everyone,” (25) and it is all due to her “self-assertive” (25) temperament of which most woman would never take to. Although, being bold is barely a negative character trait for someone who is not blind to the connotation of their existence. Mademoiselle Reisz is…show more content… Earlier in the evening, at a time before Edna knew what was to become of the night, Madame Ratignolle eloquently played the piano as the people around dance along. The music from Adele Ratignolle is played with a practiced hand, kept in the clear-cut time of a waltz; she has clear talent, but her music is nothing compared to that of Mademoiselle Reisz. While Madame Ratignolle “was keeping up her music on account of the children” and “considered it a means of brightening the home and making it attractive” (24), it is clear that Mademoiselle Reisz plays mainly for herself. Though on this transformational night, she plays for Edna as well. It is a rather rare and strange experience when music can move one so deeply that he or she can physically feel the movement of their soul within them. Edna Pontellier had most likely never encountered this type of meaningful incident before listening to Mademoiselle Reisz play, for her bewildered reaction that ensues from hearing the notes float in the air and feeling the chords wash over her is too strong to be a recurring experience. She had certainly heard music played before in a way that moved her, for “Musical strains, well-rendered, had a way of evoking pictures in her mind,” (25) but none had ever left her as speechless as the flow of each and every note coming from the movement
