The characters attract the reader's attention through common bases of understanding, situation or personality. Playing the main role, the protagonists possess the distinctive characteristics of a complex character. In The Awakening, Kate Chopin develops the appearance of the protagonist through a direct and dramatic description, his personality through his reactions and his role through his relationship to the theme. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an original essayEdna Pontellier's first physical description occurs when her husband's comments about her sunburn lead her to look at her hands “strong and shapely” (7). It's only after she rolls her grass sleeves up above her wrist that she remembers the rings she took off, one of which is her wedding ring. Her “lively and bright” eyes closely match her thick, wavy, yellowish-brown hair (9). Looking attentively at an object, she often gets lost in a “maze of inner contemplation” (9). Unlike the “flawless Madonna,” Madame Ratignolle, Edna's physique leans toward the gentle beauty of “balance and movement” (27). By intertwining the physical appearance of the twenty-eight-year-old protagonist with the development of her personality, Chopin further establishes the character's role. Interactions with other characters reveal the unique tendencies of Mrs. Pontellier's personality. The first conflict the reader witnesses between Mrs. Pontellier and her husband presents a strong disparity with her infatuation with Robert. Her “little interest” in her husband’s concerns and her disregard for his conversation allows the reader to glimpse her disloyal heart, married to her husband but captivated by another man (12). “Tacit and well understood,” her devotion to her husband contrasts with faithful wives who adore their husbands (14). When her husband informs her that their son is burning with fever, Mrs. Pontellier nonchalantly retorts that she is "very sure" that Raoul is not suffering from any illness (13). Her inability to see “the utility of thinking ahead” leads her to wait until the “last minute” to prepare dinner (39). Gathering her children “passionately” but sometimes forgetting them, Edna’s paradoxical nature attempts to embrace both love and neglect. Her whimsical temperament prompts her to undress, start dressing, and “change her mind” again (73). The essence of Ms. Pontellier's personality reinforces the theme that freedom of choice does not negate responsibility. As she begins to do and feel “what she wants,” she completely denies her marital and maternal duties (95). Learning to swim in the ocean gives her an exaggerated sense of power over the functioning of her “body and soul,” making her “bold and reckless” (47). She deliberately neglects her children and ignores her husband, but refuses to deal with the inevitable repercussions. Her distorted view of her newfound freedom leads her to view the past as an ineffective instructor who offers her “no lessons” that she will heed (76). Perhaps if she had tried to “penetrate” the future and stopped using the next day to “think about everything,” she would have foreseen the end of her relationship with Robert before abandoning her family (185). Keep in mind: this is just a sample. .Get a personalized essay now from our expert writers.Get a personalized essayKate Chopin introduces Ms. Pontellier to the reader's sense of sight through detailed descriptions of her figure. The direct characterization of the narrator incorporated with the dramatic presentation of the actions reveals the personality of Edna's character. Its..