Marie Antoinette Did Not Deserve That, France.

So when I first read The Awakening I was not really super into it because I don't tend to like characters that are presented without flaws or appear to be upheld toma high standard by everyone else. In previous literature, this was the case in The Power of One, in which I found Peekay's constant praise annoying. In The Awakening however, Edna Pontellier has flaws that extend beyond the basic formation of her character. Her flaw is her society, as fatal as Acheilles' Heel and even more debilitating on both emotional and physical levels. After class discussion of the novel and analyzing the work itself, I now have a very strong respect for Edna Pontellier and Kate Chopin. I think that this nature of judging women for being too perfect, or "promiscuous", or "ugly" is a nurtured critical perspective people are often taught to have when encountering anybody. In Edna's society, she cannot do anything because she is a women and therefore must uphold all qualities and chacteristics of the feminine lifestyle. In our society, we tell women they will be tested on intelligence and judged by beauty. When I look at women in today's media who are forced to live under certain archetypes created for them by the media, I think of Taylor Swift being criticized for obsessing over love and boys, remarks in social media condemning the way in which Rihanna presents herself, or Secretary of State Hilary Clinton having to maintain the image of a powerful women. People don't want to talk about Taylor Swift writing a song about her family, or they use the same scornful words to criticize Rihanna wearing sweatpants, or how nobody is asking Hilary Clinton the same questions they are asking Martha Stewart. Edna was expected to behave a certain way to appear perfect to the outside world. The role she played was not a role she wanted to play, so she "exited stage right". The expectation of women is still unchanged in that society expects them to behave exactly as we wish. When they don't, we criticize. When they do, we criticize. This week, for International Women's Day, I came across a quote "In some countries it is more dangerous to be a women than to be a soldier." When you compare the freedom of a women in 1890 to a women in 2015, the difference is striking. However, Edna still exists in every women that is told she cannot dress a certain way, say a specific thing, or learn a certain skill.