In the context of the late nineteenth century, it is easy to view Mrs. Pontellier as a woman with great limitations. She is not particularly interested in her children or her husband, and essentially, has no appreciation for the things which a woman’s world should revolve around. This may cause her to be interpreted as ignorant, aloof, or perhaps even intellectually lacking. Mr. Pontellier certainly views her this way. He makes numerous attempts to subtly point out to his wife what he believes she should be concerned with, all the while assuming that her head is empty rather than consumed with inward contemplation. This is precisely what occurred very early in the novel, when he returns home from a late night of gambling to his sleeping family, and accuses his wife of being careless enough to fail to recognize that her young child is ill. He attributes this to “her habitual neglect of the children” (Chopin 7). However, when this passage is carefully examined, it is evident that Raoul is not sick at all, and that Mr. Pontellier fabricated his illness to create an opportunity to bring Edna’s attention back to where he believes it should be. He has no regard for the fact that Edna is sleeping at the time, just as he never has any regard for the things that Edna cares or thinks about. It is crucial to understand that Leonce is only one of many barriers in her life which restricts her access to personal fulfillment. At the same time, he is the embodiment of these restrictions--the perfect symbol for every barrier posed to her personal liberty. Like the society in which she lives, he is completely ignorant to the depth of her complexity, and pushes her to be something she is not.
Not only does he consistently nudge her in the direction of domesticity and compliance, but he also interprets her resistance to these things as a something wrong with her. Both Mr. Pontellier and the society in which Edna lives view a woman as a narrow-minded individual with narrow interests, capabilities, and needs, and a very narrow purpose to fill. Anything outside of this expected path is not different or unique --it is simply wrong. As his wife becomes less compliant, and less interested in their home and children, Leonce’s first instinct is to consult a medical doctor, citing that “she doesn’t act well”. The idea that Edna might not be an idyllic domestic goddess who is always polite and accommodating leads him to believe that something “ails her” (87).
Edna is obviously not in a marriage where her husband knows or understands her. She cannot be who she truly is with him, nor does she truly love him. There is, however, one person who she does honestly love. She tells Robert “I love you, only you; no one but you” (146). It would be logical to assume that Edna could have lived a happy life with Robert, a life where she could have been fulfilled and had someone who understood her. This is unfortunately not the case. Even if she had by some miracle gotten a divorce from Mr. Pontellier, Robert’s dream was to marry her and to obtain her from her former husband like some “possession of Mr. Pontellier’s to dispose of or not” (145). Edna is in somewhat of a lose-lose situation. The only person in the world who she loves is asking for her to comply with the societal norms which are suffocating her soul.
Clearly, society is going to dictate the life which Edna lives. Unfortunately for Edna, she is not a “mother-woman” who would enjoy or be suited for the life which happens to be dictated. Her life is always going to be one of conformity. She will never be allowed to live as her true self. Therefore, the circumstances have already murdered the true Edna.
