Edna struggles with a number of Creole attitudes and cultural norms. In the Creole culture, the men are dominant and women are viewed as possessions to be prized and displayed like trophies. The women were expected to birth multiple children, be perfect mothers, and be skilled in social graces. All of these things reflected well on the husband. Edna feels constrained by these roles, and does not have the talents that she sees in her female Creole companions. Her husband is a classic Creole man - he spends little time with the family, valuing them only as property to be displayed to other men. Instead he spends his time in the pursuit of entertainment. At one point in the novel, he scolds Edna for allowing herself to get a sunburn. He is bothered by this because he believes that she has damaged his property. Edna also struggles to adjust to the open and meaningless flirtations that she observes in the Creole society. She is unable to flippantly flirt, and as her emotions get involved, she winds up in an affair.
No comments:
Post a Comment