Part 1 of Essay
It would be easy to say that Edna Pontellier emulates both Madame Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz, however, throughout the novel, it is evident that Edna steps out beyond this assumption and asserts herself as another person altogether. This is obvious in the defining features of each of the women. Madame Ratignolle, f ....

Part 2 of Essay
.... her,” we see that Edna thinks independently of outside interference. When she “was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her” she does just that—she realizes the world within her, not without her. That is to say, she does this entire “awakening” on her own. She does not directly receive any outside influence. Edna Pontellier, as a whole, is a woman completely differen ....