"She perceived that her will had blazed up, stubborn and resistant. She could not at that moment have done other than denied and resisted. She wondered if her husband had ever spoken to her like that before, and if she had submitted to his command. Of course she had; she remembered that she had. But she could not realize why or how she should have yielded, feeling as she then did."
Chapter 11 pg. 42
This passage is important to the primary theme of the novel because it illustrates how Edna is beginning to think on her own. For the first time Edna doesn’t habitually comply with what Leonce wants. Edna feels strange because she is not accustomed to doing what she wants. It feels weird to her to act against her husband’s command, and she wonders why she hasn’t done this before. Edna also presents an academic side to her character in this passage. She is critically reflecting as to why she submitted so easily to Leonce’s authority in the past. She can’t understand why she hasn’t always been acting the way she just did. She starts to feel distanced from her old self as she can’t understand what lead her to change her thinking. This passage adds to the theme of Edna’s awakening because she is finally starting to think independently and do what she wants.
I selected this passage because it demonstrates how Edna is becoming a new person. She feels distanced from her old self and can’t understand many of the decisions she’s previously made. Additionally, I chose this passage because it confirms that Edna’s first swim was indeed a baptism. This passage is almost immediately following her first swim. She is already acting differently and more independently. From this point on, I believe Edna will be a much more independent and free thinking person. As a result, I think she will grow impatient and frustrated with the values of her community and will feel even more an outcast.
Chapter 11 pg. 42
This passage is important to the primary theme of the novel because it illustrates how Edna is beginning to think on her own. For the first time Edna doesn’t habitually comply with what Leonce wants. Edna feels strange because she is not accustomed to doing what she wants. It feels weird to her to act against her husband’s command, and she wonders why she hasn’t done this before. Edna also presents an academic side to her character in this passage. She is critically reflecting as to why she submitted so easily to Leonce’s authority in the past. She can’t understand why she hasn’t always been acting the way she just did. She starts to feel distanced from her old self as she can’t understand what lead her to change her thinking. This passage adds to the theme of Edna’s awakening because she is finally starting to think independently and do what she wants.
I selected this passage because it demonstrates how Edna is becoming a new person. She feels distanced from her old self and can’t understand many of the decisions she’s previously made. Additionally, I chose this passage because it confirms that Edna’s first swim was indeed a baptism. This passage is almost immediately following her first swim. She is already acting differently and more independently. From this point on, I believe Edna will be a much more independent and free thinking person. As a result, I think she will grow impatient and frustrated with the values of her community and will feel even more an outcast.