Point of View

The majority of The Awakening is written from Edna's point of view. However, there are occasional exceptions, such as Mr. Pontellier's visit to Dr. Mandelet and Madame Ratignolle's conversation in which she warns Robert to leave Edna alone. In these instances, Edna is not present at all, and the point of view switches from character to character. After Mr. Pontellier leaves Dr. Mandelet, for example, readers see the doctor's thoughts with no other observers present. This happens again after Dr. Mandelet leaves the Pontellier mansion and worries that Edna could be involved with another man. Although the book uses a third person perspective throughout, the unseen narrator sometimes refers to ideas that none of the characters are thinking about at that moment. As Edna approaches the water at the end of The Awakening, the narrator clarifies that Edna is not presently thinking about all of the...