English 48B
3/5/2009
Kate Chopin
"The fish was scorched. Mr. Pontellier would not touch it. Edna said she did not mind a little scorched taste."
This scene is when Leonce and Edna are eating
dinner together. Edna has been spending time with her friends, such as Robert and Reisz, and has not seen her husband or children much. She is described as not being a good mother, and consuming her time with people that are not her family, the people she is supposed to be spending her time with. Edna cooked them dinner, and it is one of the only times in the story they are described as being alone together. This rare moment is accompanied by the fact that their dinner is burnt, which is the fault of Edna. This is significant because it appears as if Edna is abandoning her "wife" duties, and not putting in any effort to the dinner. The rare occasion where her husband and her actually spend "quality" time together, eating dinner together, she puts little effort into making it a pleasant one. She could have easily made is a nice dinner, but for Leonce, she did not feel like it was worth it. This scene is not only important to show that she is slowly progressing out of her femininity, but also to show that she doesn't even care. He obviously doesn't like the dinner, and instead of apologizing or listening to him, she merely dismisses his comment by saying that she is not bothered by the burnt fish.
This quote stuck to me for a couple of metaphorical reasons as well. First of all, fish, obviously creatures of the sea, which is a dominant part of the story. Edna learns to swim for the first time, with Robert, and feels free. The fish, and the fact that they are eating it, could be foreshadowing for the fact when Robert abandons her, she in a sense, feels as if she is "eating" or losing her freedom she learned from him. The sea is also significant in the fact that that is where she ends her own life. She feels that like the fish, she has been burned, by society not accepting her, and by Robert not returning her love that she has for him. The burnt fish can also symbolize the acts that Edna has been participating in. She has been unfaithful to Leonce, by falling in love with Robert, and by having an affair with Alcee Arobin. While these acts do free her in a sense, for she feels liberated (which like I stated before, the fish and the sea represent), they are also burnt actions. These behaviors she participates in also hurt people, such as Leonce. They are still immoral, or "burnt" acts, in that they negatively effect others. However, Edna does not care about the effects of others, which is the significance of her not minding the fish tasting burnt. She means to say that while she knows that she should be doing it, she is thinking of herself, and doesn't care about the effects it has on other people in her life.
This scene is when Leonce and Edna are eating
dinner together. Edna has been spending time with her friends, such as Robert and Reisz, and has not seen her husband or children much. She is described as not being a good mother, and consuming her time with people that are not her family, the people she is supposed to be spending her time with. Edna cooked them dinner, and it is one of the only times in the story they are described as being alone together. This rare moment is accompanied by the fact that their dinner is burnt, which is the fault of Edna. This is significant because it appears as if Edna is abandoning her "wife" duties, and not putting in any effort to the dinner. The rare occasion where her husband and her actually spend "quality" time together, eating dinner together, she puts little effort into making it a pleasant one. She could have easily made is a nice dinner, but for Leonce, she did not feel like it was worth it. This scene is not only important to show that she is slowly progressing out of her femininity, but also to show that she doesn't even care. He obviously doesn't like the dinner, and instead of apologizing or listening to him, she merely dismisses his comment by saying that she is not bothered by the burnt fish.This quote stuck to me for a couple of metaphorical reasons as well. First of all, fish, obviously creatures of the sea, which is a dominant part of the story. Edna learns to swim for the first time, with Robert, and feels free. The fish, and the fact that they are eating it, could be foreshadowing for the fact when Robert abandons her, she in a sense, feels as if she is "eating" or losing her freedom she learned from him. The sea is also significant in the fact that that is where she ends her own life. She feels that like the fish, she has been burned, by society not accepting her, and by Robert not returning her love that she has for him. The burnt fish can also symbolize the acts that Edna has been participating in. She has been unfaithful to Leonce, by falling in love with Robert, and by having an affair with Alcee Arobin. While these acts do free her in a sense, for she feels liberated (which like I stated before, the fish and the sea represent), they are also burnt actions. These behaviors she participates in also hurt people, such as Leonce. They are still immoral, or "burnt" acts, in that they negatively effect others. However, Edna does not care about the effects of others, which is the significance of her not minding the fish tasting burnt. She means to say that while she knows that she should be doing it, she is thinking of herself, and doesn't care about the effects it has on other people in her life.
20/20 That's a great point you made about Edna "getting burned"!
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