"The Awakening" by Kate Chopin Quiz

Answer: Kentucky

Early in the novel, it was established that Edna, "though she had married a Creole, was not thoroughly at home in the society of Creoles". It was during one of her talks with Madame Ratignolle that she described a scene from her childhood which she was reminded of upon looking out at the sea.

She described a summer day where she was crossing a large meadow "that seemed as big as the ocean". At one point, her husband even referred to her as coming from "sound old Presbyterian Kentucky stock".

Answer: Grand Isle

Grand Isle was a vacation spot for the wealthy families from New Orleans. It was on the Gulf of Mexico, and the families rented cottages there. They would go up to the main house to have meals together with the other vacationing families. Additionally, each family had a bath-house on the beach for them to use when they went swimming. The place was run by Madame Lebrun.

Answer: piano

During the summer stay at Grand Isle, all of the vacationers and their families were having an evening of music, dancing, and recitations. Some of the children performed for the adults, and then Madame Ratignolle offered to play music so that everyone could dance. After dancing some, Edna sat on the porch outside the hall. Robert asked her if she would like to hear Mademoiselle Reisz play the piano, and he went to get her so that she could play something for Edna. As soon as Mademoiselle Reisz began to play, Edna began to react to the music and "the very first chords which Mademoiselle Reisz struck upon the piano sent a keen tremor down Mrs. Pontellier's spinal column". This song awoke passions inside Edna and by the time Mademoiselle Reisz was finished playing, Edna was crying so hard that she couldn't respond to Mademoiselle Reisz when she asked Edna if she had liked the music.

Mademoiselle Reisz was a talented musician. She kept a piano in her apartment and would play it for Edna when she visited her in New Orleans. She would also give piano lessons to people.

Answer: Mexico

Robert had talked with his mother about Mexico before making the decision to go there. He had some acquaintances there, one of which was a man named Montel, who was fond of his mother. Montel had sent word that he would be in Vera Cruz if Robert still had intentions of joining him. One day, Edna arrived to the dining hall to find people talking about Robert's departure, which seemed sudden to them. Edna was a bit upset that Robert had never mentioned it to her given that they had become so close.

While Robert was in Mexico, he did not write to her. Edna only learned of any news concerning him when she would visit Mademoiselle Reisz. His letters to Mademoiselle Reisz would ask how Edna was doing or would include thoughts of her. After returning from Mexico, Robert confessed to Edna that his love for her was what caused him to go to Mexico since she was already married.

Answer: Her sister's wedding

After returning to New Orleans from Grand Isle, Edna began acting differently and not caring so much about formalities and societal conventions. She abandoned such things as her usual Tuesday afternoon reception day, and she would take a walk around the city by herself. The first time she did it, her husband was upset that she had not left a reasonable excuse and insisted that she send notes to the people who had called on her.

She decided that she didn't want to attend her sister's wedding, and she even told her husband that "a wedding is one of the most lamentable spectacles on earth". Her decision to not attend the wedding caused an argument with her father during his visit. The Colonel (her father) said she lacked filial kindness and respect and also thought that her sisters would never speak to her again. He also told Edna's husband that he was too lenient with her.

Answer: His friend, Doctor Mandelet

Dr. Mandelet was a friend of the family as well as their physician. Mr. Pontellier paid him a visit one day and spoke to him about Edna's behavior. The doctor told him to humor her and said that it was most likely a passing whim of hers. After Mr. Pontellier left, he thought to himself that there could be another man in the picture.

After he went to dinner with them, he felt more confident in his suspicions. During a conversation that he had with Edna toward the end of the novel, it seemed that he was aware of her situation and told her not to blame herself.

He seemed to be one of the few characters to become aware of her feelings.

Answer: The horse track

While her father was visiting, Edna accompanied him to the race track and they talked of their afternoon while at the dinner table that evening. According to her father, "they had met some very charming people", which included Mrs. Mortimer Merriman, Mrs. James Highcamp, and Alcée Arobin.

Afterward, Arobin began to admire her and wanted to get to know her more. He spent a lot of time with Mrs. Highcamp and had her invite Edna to accompany them to the Jockey Club. The two of them then began to spend more time with each other and developed a close relationship. Since Edna grew up around horses, she had a really good eye for them and actually won a considerable amount of money from the horse races.

Answer: The 'pigeon house'

Ellen was one of the servants that worked for the Pontelliers. She nicknamed Edna's new house the 'pigeon house' because of how small it was and she felt like it resembled a pigeon house. The house was a small four-room house that was just around the corner from the Pontelliers' house on Esplanade Street. When Edna told Mademoiselle Reisz about her decision to rent the 'pigeon house', she said that she was tired of looking after her house on Esplanade Street because it was too much trouble and it had never felt like home to her.

Edna's husband was not happy about her decision to abandon their house on Esplanade Street. He initially said that he would not allow it; however, he remembered how her mood had been and what the doctor had said. He ordered renovations done to the house and had it announced in the newspaper that they would be renovating the house for a while and planned to take a trip abroad in the summer. This helped him to save face and avoid any scandal that could affect his business.

Answer: Sang "Ah! si tu savais!"

"Ah! si tu savais / Ce que tes yeux me disent" ("Oh! if you knew / What your eyes say to me") were the first two lines of the song. Victor sang the first line and Edna yelled at him to stop because she didn't want him to sing it. He didn't take her seriously and proceeded to sing the first two lines, causing her to get up and place her hand over his mouth.

This changed the mood of the dinner party and the guests began to leave. This song had special meaning to Edna because it was a song that Robert sang while the two of them were on the sea together in a pirogue.

It brought up memories of him, and this dinner party took place while he was away in Mexico and she missed him.

Answer: The cawing of seagulls

After going to be with Madame Ratignolle during her childbirth, Edna returned to her home to find Robert gone and a goodbye note left on the table. She stayed up all night thinking over things. The next day she showed up at Grand Isle, to the surprise of Victor and Mariequita. She decided to take a swim, even though Mariequita and Victor both said it would be too cold.

Edna swam out to sea without looking back and she thought of the meadow that she would cross as a small child. She thought of the different people in her life, like her husband and her children. She also recalled the note left by Robert, which said, "Good-by--because, I love you". As she ran out of strength and had a brief moment of panic, she began to experience different sounds. She heard "her father's voice and her sister Margaret's. She heard the barking of an old dog that was chained to the sycamore tree. The spurs of the cavalry officer clanged as he walked across the porch. There was the hum of bees, and the musky odor of pinks filled the air". All of these sounds were reminiscent of her childhood in Kentucky.