Expectations have always been put onto women; however, one of the most prominent roles that women are expected to fulfill is “mother.” Women are always expected to put the needs of their children and husband before their own. However, these expectations are not put onto men. Throughout the years, it has been shown that men are expected to go to work and provide for the family financially, while women are expected to stay home with the children and take care of them physically and mentally.
Within Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, Mr. Pontellier is the perfect example of a man (husband) who puts unrealistic expectations upon his wife. In chapter three, Mr. Pontellier decides he’s going to go out, and comes back late at night. He comes into the room, and Mrs. Pontellier is fast asleep, which she has every right to be since it’s 11 o’clock at night. However, Mr. Pontellier disagrees with this: “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 interest in things which concerned him, and valued so little his conversation”(Chopin 11). Reading Mr. Pontellier’s inner response to his wife trying to sleep goes to show that he does not care about her needs at all.
“If it was not a mother’s place to look after children, whose on earth was it?”
Chopin 12
He believes that even if she is half asleep, she should jump up and listen to what he has to say, because that is her “duty” as his wife. Throughout the rest of the chapter, Mr. Pontellier continues to do what he pleases, such as smoking a cigarette, while telling Mrs. Pontellier (who is still half asleep) that she needs to go check on their child who might have a fever. It is apparent that he believes a woman is meant to take care of everyone else, and a man is meant to take care of himself.
Kate Chopin’s The Awakening goes to show that women are never expected to have their own needs, and if they do, they must always set them aside.
Leave a Reply