The Awakening - Views of the men

The section of our reading from this text that struck me the hardest was the final chapter when Mr. Pontellier goes to visit the doctor. The doctor says that in dealing with women "it would require an inspired psychologist to deal with them successfully." The men of that time saw women acting out of their traditional roles, i.e. the new woman, as almost a sickness needing to be dealt with. The men were free to do as they wished, when they wished without regard for anyone else. At the beginning of the book (pg. 4) Mr. Pontellier leaves to go play billiards and when Edna asks if he will return for dinner he just shrugs. However, when they return to the city and Edna stops participating in her Reception day and leaves the house at all times of day, Mr. Pontellier seeks out the doctor to diagnose this strange behavior. In the end the doctor says to just ignore it and eventually the behavior will go away. This view of the women as "moody and whimsical" would have made it hard for new women to be taken seriously even with their new found independent mind set.