Analyzing Edna Pontellier with a Negative Viewpoint

The critical essay I read, authored by Hugh J. Dawson, is centered around the thesis that Edna Pontellier is the main reason why a reader is unable to enjoy The Awakening by Kate Chopin. Through my own reading of the novel and the examination of this critical essay, I thoroughly agree with this statement.

Edna Pontellier is stuck in an adolescent mindset for the entirety of her life. A reader can argue that due to her exposure to the way in which her father oppressed her mother for being a woman had a heavy impact on the way in which Edna views herself as needing independence as a woman, but one must also blame Edna for the decisions she has chosen to make with her own mind. Edna is notoriously selfish and extraneous. She supposedly does not care for the extravagant possessions her husband purchases for their household, but she has no qualms with buying her own house or hosting a very expensive dinner party. Her stubbornness is exemplified throughout the entirety of the novel. She decided on her own future before she even left her parents' household. She selected her husband by herself, despite his being a dozen years her senior, an act of rebellion that she did not weigh the consequences of before finalizing the decision. Edna was not forced into an arranged marriage; she chose a man of a different culture and lifestyle because she felt that she did not want to continue the 'Presbyterian' lifestyle, and was adamant to convert to the milder 'Catholic' lifestyle. In turn, Edna feels herself to be too 'unique' to conform to the Creole culture, therefore subject to treatment as an outsider by the more motherly Creole individuals, who have no qualms with living up to the societal expectations. 

Edna is definitely a victim to her own insecurity and obsession with vanity. Because of this, she is restricted to living in the persona of a lifelong adolescent, acting in childish manners as a means of trying to feel equal to the other adults. In effect, these end up hurting Edna's reputation even more than if she had relented with acting cordial with her acquaintances. The most frustrating part of Edna for me is her adverseness to being a mother. There is no evidence provided in the novel that she did not want to be a mother when she became pregnant with her sons. Chopin leads us to believe Edna would rather die for herself than live for her children, which I have been conditioned to believe is beyond selfish. To restate the quote, "I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself" (Chopin 113.) This attitude contradicts what others are asking of her; not once are the children or her husband directly asking her to give up her identity for them. They just want her to show that she cares for them. But Edna seems to always want to rid herself of the cares she willfully committed herself to, but decides are no longer of her concern. This, I think, is what instills all of the guilt she has, especially around her infatuation for Robert. Edna goes to absurd lengths to achieve his attention, which enlarges the estimate of the passion between the two. Robert understands that she should be more devoted to her family rather than wanting to engage in infidelity, and I believe that both consciously and subconsciously Edna understands this, too, but cannot bring herself to admit that she is in the wrong.

Dawson is very persuasive with his argument. He provides many parenthetical references which support his thesis. He also uses word choice to stir up the reader's opinion, which helps sway the reader to agree with his thoughts. I personally did not need much persuasion to agree with his standpoint, because despite arguments in favor of Edna Pontellier, I believe she was the cause of her own problems. Due to her obstinacy and overall moody behavior, I felt that I could not thoroughly enjoy reading The Awakening. Other than Edna's character, I felt that the novel was very well written and covered an important issue in society during the time period.

Reflection on "The Yellow Wallpaper"

This short story is without a doubt the most chilling short story I've ever read. I do admire the way that the author, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, wrote the horrifying twist at the end of the story, but it is that same shocking twist that makes the short story so alarming.

Early on in the short story, based on our previous classroom conversations regarding feminism, I believed that the speaker was seeing a woman behind the barred wallpaper because she subconsciously felt that women were oppressed during this time period. To discover that she eventually ended up being the woman behind the bars was shocking, but made absolute sense. Connecting details from the story, the speaker is trapped in a room with barred windows, and treated like a child by her own husband. Where is her husband actually disappearing to when he is gone all day? Why is the woman treated so unfairly? Truthfully, much medical advice from earlier time periods ended up being ridiculously inefficient compared to the advanced medical attention we as individuals receive today, but I feel as if her husband fully understands what is going on. Isn't it fairly easy to see the signs of depression blaring from an individual? A main warning sign for me would be the woman's distaste for her own child.

Let's also acknowledge the significance of the wallpaper itself. First of all, there's the connection of the heads that have been strangled trying to escape. What is the author trying to say? If women try to put up a fight and escape the imprisonments deemed suitable for them, they end up being unable to survive? What does this say about society during this era? When the speaker described the yellow hue of the wallpaper, I instantly made a connection to the medical condition of jaundice. Essentially, the way the woman is treated is growing on her like a sort of cancer; you can't really see it, but it's just as malignant and consistently breaks her down.

Analyzing Ethan Frome Through the Diversity of Life in Small Towns

Nancy J. Dutton, the author of the critical essay I studied, believes Ethan Frome analyzes the division between the poor and wealthy classes of small New England towns. I agree with the author's statement. The usage of societal mannerisms, familial obligations, the restrictions of poverty, and how the natural environment affects individuals' behavior is a necessary way of expressing Edith Wharton's own desperation within her own oppressive marriage.

In general, old New England towns are considered to be very quaint forms of civilization, filled with individuals who wish the best for the whole of their community. This is evident in the scene from the novella where Ethan Frome purchases glue from one of the general stores, and the woman running the store makes a good-natured comment of concern regarding his wife, Zenobia. If the community did not place so much emphasis on being courteous of other civilians' ongoing events, perhaps Ethan would not have felt so obligated to be aware of his self-restraint. I feel that part of Ethan's tragic flaw was the emphasis he placed on putting others before himself. He was stressed by the responsibility he had for both the well-being of Zeena and Mattie, and I believe that whenever his thoughts strayed to be in his favor rather than for the favor of others' benefit, Ethan felt weighed down by a heavy conscience. From previous literature, I believe that New England towns put an emphasis on religious values, so although religious institutions were never really mentioned in the novella, I believe there was still an underlying driving force of religion guiding Ethan Frome, which is why he was so hesitant when thoughts of temptation and passion entered his mind. In essence, I feel that Ethan Frome knew he had obligations to the two women because they were both family, as well as because of his marital connection (Zeena) and affectionate feelings (Mattie.)

A large part of New England culture centered around the architecture of the house. In the novella, Wharton wrote about the importance of the "L," and how it was considered the center of the New England farm due to the way the adjunct connected the main house to the wood-shed and cow-barn through the means of storerooms and a tool-house. Within the critical essay, the author noted that as New England farms prospered, the families added a larger front house at right angles to it and outbuildings connecting it to the barn. Rural inhabitants place a high value on the landscape surrounding their home and the centrality of the "L" to comfort in family life. Wharton as a whole believed that architecture greatly impacted family life, and felt that the setting of the house can either make or break an individual's happiness and personal success. Through reading Ethan Frome, it is easy to determine that due to the barren surroundings, Ethan Frome felt trapped and unhappy with his life. If he had taken the opportunity to leave Starkfield, perhaps he might have prospered and achieved his full potential. However, his lack of monetary means left him to not only be tied to his family farm, but to also be unable to have the critical "L" addition to his farm. In this way, he felt very oppressed and began to wither as an individual. It is also important to note the effect that the winter weather had on the town of Starkfield. The author of this essay noted that Seasonal Affective Disorder was most likely one of the most difficult stresses Ethan Frome had to deal with. The winter heavily impacted the decisions Ethan made; whether it was the spontaneous marriage to Zeena because he did not want to be alone in the winter, the passion he had for the refreshing youth of Mattie, or the attempted suicide. Maybe after examining all of the issues presented within the novella, winter ends up being the villainous force that led to the deterioration and ultimate unhappiness of Ethan Frome.

In my opinion, the author presented her argument extremely well. She connected both real life examples and quotations from the original novella to back up her analysis of the novella Ethan Frome. By putting emphasis on the division between the poor and wealthy classes of small New England towns, Wharton essentially wrote about how oppression based on one's own actions or uncontrollable elements leads to the success or failure of individuals.

Reflection on Sonnet One Hundred and Thirty

When examining this sonnet within class, a lot of people said they would be insulted if they were the subject Shakespeare had written this sonnet for. However, I believe that there is a genuine meaning behind this sonnet. If an individual prizes their worth all on their appearance, it's a truly insecure person that would find this poem to be degrading. Perhaps Shakespeare's comparisons can seem harsh to some readers, but I find that this sonnet has underlying meaning. 

Essentially, Shakespeare is saying that in the terms of beauty defined by the society at the time, the subject of the poem would not be considered "beautiful" by the judgmental people. However, I believe that what Shakespeare is trying to highlight is that the subject is beautiful in their own way. Is everything based on appearance? If the subject is the dark lady, is her music not beautiful? Just because her skin is not so fair and her hair isn't the ideal color, does that make her unsuitable? Due to the critical lens of society, anyone who would find this particular subject to be appealing would be in a rare form. But Shakespeare is a man who can be assumed to examine subjects thoroughly, learning about their true personalities and ways of living. Perchance it is for the reasons that cannot be visible to the naked eye that Shakespeare indefinitely feels love for the subject.

Reflection on Sonnet One Hundred and Twenty-nine

Sonnet One Hundred and Twenty-nine is more of a rant than anything else. Throughout the piece, Shakespeare's thoughts keep changing, evident in the use of altered tenses, such as the utilization of had, having, and have within one sentence. The reader cannot deny that the previous sonnets have all included varying sentence count and structure, making it very strange that this sonnet contains only two sentences for all of the lines used. The notion that the first sentence is just an extremely continuous sentence is just further proof that Shakespeare has a lot to say about passion. 

This is the first dark lady sonnet that we explored within the classroom. I find it interesting that Shakespeare alternates between negative, positive, and negative feelings about his (or the speaker's, for we cannot assume the speaker is definitely Shakespeare) passion for the subject (who also could potentially be someone different than the dark lady.) Perhaps this is meant to show how passion toys with an individual's mind, clouding thoughts and emotions.

Reflection on Sonnet One Hundred and Sixteen

I feel that this sonnet is a rebuttal to a debate between the speaker and the subject of this sonnet. I feel that this sonnet has somewhat of a mocking tone buried beneath Shakespeare's own true interpretation of love.

Due to the former conclusions about the young man in question, Mr. W.H., I believe he is a very stubborn, spoiled individual. I'm sure that this same young man would deny any change in his viewpoints, and would often scoff at Shakespeare's ideologies. Shakespeare seems to develop this throughout the sonnet, using many forms of alter and bend to let the readers conclude that the relationship between the speaker and the subject is forever changing, due to emotions and varying viewpoints. 

I also found that although the sonnet centers around themes of mortality and immortality, as well as how love really has no definite boundaries, the sonnet overall is very negative. I was able to find eight negative words, as well as a triple negative in the ending line, 

"I never writ, nor no man ever loved."

I believe it is these elements that set Sonnet One Hundred and Sixteen so far apart from the other sonnets previously studied. 

Reflection on Sonnet Ninety-nine

There is a lot going on within this sonnet. One of the first things to examine is that this sonnet would technically not be a traditional sonnet, seeing as the sonnet is comprised of fifteen lines instead of fourteen. However, it can be still be considered a sonnet due to the fact that the first line (or fifteenth, depending on one's literary lens) is more of an introduction than a true part of the sonnet, rather a meaningless prologue. 

The center focus of this poem is that flowers take beauty away from humans, who originally created beauty in the world. I find it selfish to promote the ideology that humans create all of the beauty that other aspects of nature originate from. In this particular sonnet, Shakespeare writes that the flowers are stealing beauty from the breath, complexion, veins, and hair of his love. This sonnet overall expresses a certain passion for appearance.But is appearance really everything, in the scheme of life?

Reflection on Sonnet Eighty-seven

It is within this sonnet that I found the possibility of Mr. W.H. being from a noble, wealthy family to be most definite. Of course, the fact that the intended subject is most likely the young man was established within the first sonnet examined, but I personally found this sonnet to be the sonnet in which the credibility of the young man being very wealthy to be assured. There are so many financial terms sprinkled throughout the piece, including possessing, estimate, charter, bonds, riches, gift, patent, worth, gav'st, gift, and king.

Shakespeare also puts a lot of effort into having the speaker glorify the subject. The speaker virtually acknowledges that he is not by any means as rich or as interesting as the subject, and therefore is not good enough to be deserving of the subject's love. It is through this sonnet that the speaker is starting to say a good-bye to the young man, a means of providing closure for the young man's obvious rejection of Shakespeare's praise through the sonnets. Perhaps it is these hard feelings that bring the darker subjects into the sonnets following Sonnet Eighty-seven.

Reflection on Sonnet Fifty-five

Sonnet Fifty-five was interesting. I liked how the sonnet revolved around the sense of embodiment, making the subject move from being an object to having true substance. The whole reflection on how poetry literally lasts (or can last) forever, while most man-made objects eventually crumble under the strain of nature is thought-provoking. Do we really take the time to determine how our human creativity will be affected by nature?

I also contemplated the original text of the poem with that version of the sonnet through modern text. In the original, Shakespeare italicizes Statues and Mars. Does that give both words more meaning? It is easy to infer that Mars is relating to the Roman god (which is surprising, since English literature really didn't reference to Roman gods during the time period,) but why would statues be capitalized and italicized? 

The greatest thing to recognize is the many forms of "life" included throughout the sonnet. The words include outlive, living, oblivious (which is thought to be somewhat of a pun,) and live. There is definite emphasis on the value of the listener throughout this piece. 

Reflection on Sonnet Eighteen

Sonnet Eighteen is one of Shakespeare's most famous sonnets. The content of the sonnet most assuredly seems to be beautiful, but there are many peculiarities throughout this piece. 

First of all, it seems very strange how the structure of the sonnet is set up; indeed the sonnet follows the fourteen-line rule, as well as the ending couplet, but the focus of the sonnet changes from a simple subject to that of a complex ideology. The sonnet certainly has many examples of elision (dropping a letter from a specific word to release a syllable, while still retaining the meaning,) which adds to the tone of the piece. 

The listener of the sonnet (whom we could assume to be the mysteriously charming Mr. W.H.,) would be absolutely insane if they were to not acknowledge Shakespeare's love for them. Perhaps it is not so much a love of true meaning, than that of a mix of adoration, obsession, and passion, but it is a form of love all the same. I wonder what the subject's reactionary response was? Were they flattered, or did they feel strange?

Reflection on Sonnet Twelve

This sonnet has a definite rhythm, whether read out loud or internalized through the reader. The constant pattern is almost like the incessant tide pulling in and drawing back out to sea, a smooth and fluid movement that has a definite beat. This is extremely evident in the opening line:

"When I do count the clock that tells the time,"

A large portion of this sonnet reflects on how the seasons relate to periods of one's life. Shakespeare establishes spring as children, summer as youth, autumn as middle age, and winter as old age. The seasons obviously correlate with life in these stages, because it is comparing human life to the life cycle of plants. It is this way in which Shakespeare tries to convince the listener (who we believe to be the young man, Mr. W.H.,) to enjoy the seasons of his life, but not in ways which make his life for naught. All of the sonnets aforementioned also had to deal with advocating continuing the family lineage, but I feel that it is these comparisons to the seasons that have been most effective. Both the aging of humans and the cycles of plant life are apparent and visible, which makes the sonnet so much more powerful.

Reflection on Sonnet Two

Sonnet Two is one of my favorite sonnets that we explored in class. The imagery is so powerful, creating instant visions within the reader's head. For example, some of my favorite lines were:

"When forty winters shall besiege thy brow, And dig deep trenches in thy beauty's field,"

"Will be a tottered weed of small worth held:"

Both of the above lines created a clear picture within my mind's eye. I think one of the most enjoyable aspects of Shakespeare is his beautiful usage and appreciation of the English language. The ways in which Shakespeare manipulates words for syllabication and cleverly using double meanings of words are incredible. Until learning about sonnets throughout these lessons, I did not realize that Shakespeare wrote in such a restricted style of writing. Having to count out syllables and keeping the iambic pentameter (the heartbeat or ticking clock of the sonnet) surely had Shakespeare's work cut out for him. However, it is obvious that Shakespeare found ways to bend around the rules a bit and create sonnets that still are enjoyed to this day.

Reflection on Sonnet One

Shakespeare is very direct throughout the entirety of this sonnet. The speaker is addressing the listener to go forth and proliferate, acknowledging that the listener is beautiful and that the general population always wants more of what is beautiful, so the listener would be doing a justice for the public and himself by having children. It is this sonnet in which we first explore the relationship between Mr. W.H. and Shakespeare, acknowledging that there is some sort of emotional connection between the two individuals, regardless of whether or not the relationship is formed based on Shakespeare's income provided by the family.

It is assumed that Mr. W.H. was a young man who was part of a noble family, a family which hired Shakespeare as a writer to come into the household and dedicate poetry to Mr. W.H. as both a form of entertainment and to encourage the young man to settle down, find a wife, and having children as a means of carrying the family name and prosperity. This is only one of the many conclusions made within the literary world, however this is the theory which we discussed throughout class.

The aspect of Sonnet One that I most admire is how bold Shakespeare is within his poetry. He is telling the young man how selfish he is to not want to procreate. This direct accusal and praise toward the young man leads the reader to believe that Shakespeare finds the young man to be desirable.