Literature Circle Section Questions

Literature Circle Section Questions The Awakening

All questions should be answered using complete sentences.

Chapter I-XIII 1. Describe Mr. and Mrs. Pontellier.

2. What does the following quotation tell you about Mr. Pontellier’s attitude toward his wife? He looked “at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage.”

3. What is a “mother-woman”? Why does Mr. Pontellier not consider Edna Pontellier to be one?

4. What change is occurring within Edna Pontellier in chapter VI?

5. What is Edna’s response to the music of Mademoiselle Reisz? How is this related to the change that is happening in her?

6. What realization does Edna make at the beginning of Chapter X?

7. How is Edna’s “change” continued in chapter XI? What is she rebelling against?

8. What does Edna do at Madame Antoine’s house? How is this related to Edna’s “change”?

Chapter XIV-XXVI 1. What is the significance of this quote from Chapter XIV: “[Edna] tried to discover wherein this summer had been different from any and every other summer of her life. She could only realize that she herself—her present self—was in some way different from the other self. That she was seeing with different eyes and making the acquaintance of new conditions in herself that colored and changed her environment, she did not yet suspect.”

2. Where does Robert decide to go? When will he leave? How does Edna react to this news?

3. Why is Edna becoming depressed?

4. How does Edna change at the beginning of Chapter XIX? How does her husband react to this change?

5. Why do you think Robert has been writing to others and not to Edna?

6. Why does Mr. Pontellier go to the doctor? What is the doctor’s advice? What does the doctor think the real issue is?

7. Who does Edna spend time with in Chapter XXV? What happens between the two of them? What is Edna’s reaction to this event? Chapter XXVII-XXXIX

1. Why do you think Edna has decided to move out of her house?

2. What is Edna’s relationship with Arobin?

3. At the beginning of the novel, Edna is referred to as Mrs. Pontellier, then she’s referred to as Edna Pontellier, and now she’s only referred to as Edna. Why do you think this is?

4. Who does Edna see at Mademoiselle Reisz’s house? How is the reunion different than she imagined?

5. How is the second reunion different from the first?

6. Robert leaves Edna a note saying, “I love you. Good-by—because I love you.” What does he mean by this?

7. What does Edna do at the end of the novel? What happens that is not mentioned?