awakening- study guide/ quiz

Question 1

significance of the title of the novel

Answer 1

literally means edna’s revelation or epiphany as she discovers who she really is

Question 2

ways that leonce is a good husband

Answer 2

• provides
• treats family with kindness
• well respected man in community

Question 3

ways that leonce is a bad husband

Answer 3

• expects to have a perfect, submissive wife

- never home, always on business or at men’s lounge

Question 4

novel’s setting

Answer 4

begins at the lebrun cottages on grand isle beach then goes to new orleans, lousiana and then ends at grand isle.

• late 1800’s
• year cycle

Question 5

how is edna different from adele

Answer 5

• adele is creole
• adele is perfect example of mother women
• edna is catholic

Question 6

garment imagery (5)

Answer 6

• adele always covered her skin, gloves
• edna loosens her clothes at madame antoine’s house
• threw out her bathing suit and stood free at the end of the novel
• edna did not wear her usually tuesday attire one evening
• when robert left, edna could be described as a faded garment

Question 7

significance of doctor mandalet

Answer 7

represents a witty figure that could have been the key to edna’s troubles yet he was not sought for advice by edna

Question 8

who is victor

Answer 8

madame lebrun’s youngest and favorite son, robert’s little brother

Question 9

when edna gets small house, how does leonce cover it up

Answer 9

instructs architect to do renovations on big house, puts a notice in the paper that they are planning to travel abroad

Question 10

madamoiselle reisz’s music v.s. adele’s

Answer 10

adele- family, entertain children, hold social gathering

reisz’- passion, classical, desire

Question 11

how is doctor mandalet likable

Answer 11

old, admiring. tries to help edna’s situation by reaching out to her softly. instead of her others who demand her to do stuff.

Question 12

how is alcee arobin least likable

Answer 12

he is a womanizer

-knows that edna is confused and uses that to satisfy his wants

Question 13

two ways that edna defies social conventions

Answer 13

goes out on tuesday when she is supposed to be receiving guests
does not want to attend janet’s wedding

Question 14

bird images in novel (3)

Answer 14

bird at end going down- suicide

• reisz says that you must be strong enough to fly over laws of tradition
• bird and parrot trapped in cage at the beginning

Question 15

how does edna earn money

Answer 15

• selling paintings
• money from horse races
• mother’s inheritance

Question 16

how many children does enda have

Answer 16

2, boys

Question 17

the novel was written over 100 years ago, why does that matter

Answer 17

social conventions of women have changed. women’s rights are now a thing. back then it wasn’t
the contrast in society of today v.s. then

Question 18

major conflict of novel

Answer 18

woman v.s. society

edna is trying to find her inner self but has to defy all the rules of society to reach that

Question 19

is edna a typical heroine

Answer 19

no

• not male
• she does not help others, she is defying all laws of tradition so she get what she wants.

Question 20

how do you know that adele is a mother women

Answer 20

knitting winter clothes for kids during summer vacation

Question 21

what do bon-bons represent

Answer 21

pay-off for lack of affiliation

Question 22

how does edna feel about the sea

Answer 22

its gentle seductive embrace. like the kentucky fields

Question 23

how does beads represent the woman in black

Answer 23

symbol of ideal conventional woman without a man

Question 24

two things that leonce reprimands edna for

Answer 24

she got burnt beyond recognition

did not recognize rauol was sick

Question 25

what does efface mean

Answer 25

erase

Question 26

who kissed cold glass

Answer 26

edna

Question 27

what was behind the cold glass

Answer 27

the tragedian

Question 28

how old is edna

leonce

Answer 28

28

40

Question 29

“they need looking after, like any other class of persons that you employ” who is speaker and they

Answer 29

speaker- leonce

they- cooks

Question 30

“There was with her a feeling of having descended in the ____ scale,with a corresponding sense of having risen in the _____”

Answer 30

social

spiritual

Question 31

the garden cafe that enda meets robert

Answer 31

catiches garden cafe

Question 32

how do you know that divorce is not common

Answer 32

robert is demented to believe that edna could be with him since she is married

Question 33

“I know I would understand, and I tell you, there are not many who would-not many, my dear”

Answer 33

doctor to edna

Question 34

what does edna’s suicide represent

Answer 34

• victory, santiago’s marlin skeleton doesn’t look victorious but it is.
• nobody would understand her

Question 35

“You know I only live when I’m near you”

Answer 35

alcee arobin