The Awakening · Chapter
XXXV explained
Edna awakens with renewed hope and conviction that Robert loves her, dismissing her previous despondency.
What happens
Edna awakens with renewed hope and conviction that Robert loves her, dismissing her previous despondency. She receives letters from her son Raoul, her husband Léonce, and Alcée Arobin, responding to each with varying degrees of engagement. She works on her art and sees a picture dealer. Robert does not visit for several days, causing her disappointment. She avoids seeking him out and instead goes for a drive with Arobin, who becomes increasingly drawn to her latent sensuality. The chapter ends with Edna feeling neither despondency nor hope.
Themes in this chapter
Female Awakening and Self-Discovery
Edna's renewed hope and conviction about her passion for Robert, her abandonment of reality, and her indifference to consequences highlight her ongoing awakening to her own desires and individuality.
Sexuality and Desire
Arobin's detection of Edna's 'latent sensuality' and the unfolding of her sensual nature under his attention underscore the theme of emerging sexual desire.
Characters to notice
- Edna Pontellier
Awakens with hope and conviction about Robert's love; receives and responds to letters; works on her art; avoids seeking Robert; drives with Arobin; experiences a shift in emotional state.
- Robert Lebrun
Does not visit Edna for several days, causing her keen disappointment; Edna imagines his daily activities.
- Léonce Pontellier
Sends a letter to Edna about his return and plans for a journey abroad, which she answers with friendly evasiveness.
- Alcée Arobin
Sends a note of devotion to Edna; takes her for a drive; becomes increasingly drawn to her sensuality.
- Raoul
Sends a printed scrawl to Edna expressing love and asking for bonbons.
Key passages
“The morning was full of sunlight and hope. Edna could see before her no denial—only the promise of excessive joy.”
Edna wakes up feeling optimistic and certain that nothing will stand in the way of her happiness.
Sets the tone for Edna's emotional state at the start of the chapter.
“She answered her husband with friendly evasiveness—not with any fixed design to mislead him, only because all sense of reality had gone out of her life; she had abandoned herself to Fate, and awaited the consequences with indifference.”
Edna responds to her husband's letter vaguely and without intention to deceive, simply because she no longer feels connected to reality and is resigned to whatever happens.
Highlights Edna's detachment from her former life and her passive acceptance of fate.
“He had detected the latent sensuality, which unfolded under his delicate sense of her nature’s requirements like a torpid, torrid, sensitive blossom.”
Arobin perceived Edna's hidden sensuality, which began to emerge under his careful attention, like a slow, passionate, and delicate flower opening.
Illustrates Arobin's perception of Edna's evolving sexuality.