Who are you? That is the question that faced Edna Pontellier, the protagonist in The Awakening, by Kate Chopin. The novel is set in 1899, a time when the Industrial Revolution and the feminist movement were begging to emerge yet were still overshadowed by the prevailing attitudes of the nineteenth century. Mme. Pontellier is a dynamic character and throughout the novel she learns more about what she desires and what she is capable of perusing. Mlle. Reisz and Mme. Ratignolle prove to be ideal role models for two very different lifestyles. Mlle. Reisz leads a life of rebellion against the social norms of her time, while Mme. Ratignolle values submission and all other aspects of refined Creole culture in 1890's. Mme. Pontellier could not adhere strictly to either of these role models and inevitably chooses death over life.

Mlle. Reisz is an unconventional and unpopular older woman who serves...