Chapter 17 of Kate Chopin’s The Awakening really shows how little Edna’s opinions matter. Edna told her husband that she left the house for a little bit and he asked her for a “suitable excuse” (Chopin 130) and when she didn’t have an excuse to his standards she received a lecture. Mr. Pontellier looked over the people she missed and told her how she should respond to them. The responses to the women were all based on what power the men had. For example, Edna has to respond in a very positive manner to Mrs. Belthrop because her husband is rich. Mr. Pontellier made a big deal of Edna missing all these women and it would be her fault for any missed opportunities. Then he leaves after he doesn’t like the dinner and gives her a vague response to where he’s going after making such a big deal about where Edna was all day. This shows how controlling he is over her and how he treats Edna like she’s some bird in a cage while he’s free to do whatever he wants. I liked the following scene where Edna is on her own and throws her wedding ring on the ground and tries to crush it. Even though she eventually puts it back on her finger, it symbolizes how unhappy she is in her marriage and with her husband. This line in the following chapter: “she felt no interest in anything about her” (Chopin 138) is also very telling of how Edna really feels about both her marriage and her children. She’s really starting to see herself and how she feels trapped in her life.
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