Amy’s Comments (group member since Feb 04, 2022)

Amy’s comments from the AP Literature and Composition (SHHS) group.

During the absence of her family, Edna Potelliers internal conflicts slowly drift to the surface, and manage to affect her outside besides just her inside. Her internal conflicts suddenly become external, as Edna is now lost, confused, and simply scared in her isolated home. She spirals as she now has to openly confront her thoughts, desires, and misery, with nothing to longer hide behind. Because of this, Edna is desperatly seeking catharsis, which is why she acts out, smashing a glass vase for example. Edna Potelllier is confronted with her thoughts during the absence of her family, and she can no longer hide from them, making her unhinged and confused

Lauren wrote: "Madame Ratignolle is a character that enjoys what life wants her to be. She furthers the plot by providing Edna with an example of what society wants a woman to be like. Madame Ratignolle is a very..."

I agree with this. As I stated, Madame Ratignolle has the power to create conflict in the story with the characteristics and principles that she embodies. Because she is the direct opposite of what Edna wants for herself, Adele might even be considered an antagonist in some sense

CJ wrote: "Leonce's position as a husband plays a large part in the development of the plot in the way that he enforces a motherly role on Edna. He's traditional and will take no part in taking care of his ki..."
I agree that the feminist perspective is very pronounced in the novella. Because the plot is based off of Edna's internal struggles, feminism can also be considered another one of the main things that progressed the story.

1. What are the driving conflicts of the novella?
2. Choose a character--how is that character impacting the overall plot?

One of the main driving conflicts in the novella is the waging war between Edna's desires and feelings, versus her thoughts and acceptance of societal expectations. The man vs self conflict represents the battle of wills between Edna's Id and Ego, as her Ego attempts to rationalize her behavior and get her to conform to the expectations placed upon her as a mother, and the Id being relentless in making her misery in that position known. Edna was never fulfilled in her position as a caretaker and mother, and with this knowledge, she attempts to quench her desire to be free of it. She attempts to be the perfect mother, but finds her attempts unsuccessful. This internal struggle torments Edna. The presence of Adele Ratignolle in this story, directly representing what Edna is supposed to be, may also provide another source of conflict in the story. It is yet undecided whether or not Adele will be problematic in the story, due to Edna's own insecurities. So far, Adele has proven to be the perfect housewife, and this may cause tension in the plot as Edna's internal battle escalates. Edna was comparing herself to Adele even in the earlier chapters, as she wondered why she hadn't considered the childrens' clothing for the winter, but Adele did. This leaves room for resentment.