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"Edna grew faint when she read the words. She went and sat on the sofa.Then she stretched herself out there, never uttering a sound. She did not sleep. She did not go to bed" ( Chopin 172).
Le Symbol Du Sleep
"She slept but a few hours. They were troubled and feverish hours, disturbed with dreams that were intangible, that eluded her, leaving only an impression upon her half-awakened senses of something unattainable" (Chopin 79).
"The years that are gone seem like dreams- if one might go on sleeping and dreaming- but to wake up and find- oh! well! perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one's life" (Chopin 171).
"She ran her fingers through her loosened hair for a while. She looked at her round arms as she held them straight up and rubbed them one after the other, observing closely, as if it were something she saw for the first time, the fine, firm quality and texture of her flesh. She clasped her hands easily above her head, and it was thus she fell asleep" (Chopin 84)
The sleep symbol comes up throughout the novel and is significant when characterizing Edna's behavior.
- Arobin: men like him come and go
- Léonce: means nothing to her; never loved him
- Children: loves them but, she still would not sacrifice herself for them
- Robert: desired him the most and nothing could ever fill the void
Edna has just had a rather small argument with Léonce, which has contributed to Edna's restless sleep. An ironic form of imagery is presented here with the words "intangible" and "unattainable", implying that Edna's dreams have become so fubar, their true form cannot be grasped.
Edna had left church because she was not feeling well; Robert had taken her to Madame Antoine's cottage. This moment is one of the first times that she actually is comfortable and free. The visual imagery in this passage brings emphasis to Edna's desire to free herself from the oppression that society has put upon her. Every time she awakens she rediscovers and reopens herself.
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"A feeling of oppression and drowsiness overcame Edna during the service. Her head began to ache, and the lights on the altar swayed before her eyes" (Chopin 82).
"Mrs. Pontellier was by that time thoroughly awake. She began to cry a little, and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her peignor" (Chopin 48).
"She lit a candle and went up to her room. Alcée Arobin was absolutely nothing to her. Yet his presence, his manners, the warmth of his glances, and above all the touch of his lips upon her hand had acted like a narcotic upon her. She slept a languorous sleep, interwoven with vanishing dreams" (Chopin 132)
"She was overcome with sleep, and answered him with little half utterances. He thought it very discouraging that his wife, who was the sole object of his existence, evinced so little his conversation" (Chopin 47-48).
In this chapter, Edna went to the church with Robert and while she was in the church, she began to feel faint because usually, a church is a sanctum for those who want to repent for their sins. However, Edna knows about all the bad things she has done but she doesn't like keeping in touch with her emotions.
Rather than focusing on sleep itself, this quote emphasises Edna's lack of sleep. Here, Mrs. Pontellier contemplates her marriage to Léonce. Edna's lament for the state of her marriage becomes evident through the auditory imagery of her beginning to "cry a little."
In this part of the chapter, Edna's husband just came home and wanted to tell Edna about his day. However, instead of showing any attention, she just wanted to sleep which demonstrates how she doesn't value her husband as highly as she should and sleep is the only way she could take a break from having to listen to her husband.
In this chapter, Alcée had just shown Edna affection by kissing her hand. As a result, Edna, ironically had felt that she had betrayed Robert. The diction in this passage such as "languorous" and "vanishing" created a mood of uncertainty because Edna feels like a traitor but yet she sleeps. After each time Edna falls asleep she awakens a new part of herself, she slowly begins to unravel.