The awakening

Chapters 1-3
A green and yellow parrot sings in the background in French and a little Spanish, giving the Lebrun cottages outside New Orleans in the small community of Grande Isle a relaxing atmosphere. Mr. Pontellier looks over the old newspaper with frustration at his present rural, non-business environment.

"Mr. Pontellier wore eye-glasses. He was a man of forty, of medium height and rather slender build; he stooped a little. His hair was brown and straight, parted on one side. His beard was neatly and closely trimmed." Chapter 1, pg. 2

Mr. Pontellier looks around at his surroundings. He sees Madame Lebrun running around giving orders to her servants, people going to Sunday church, and his well-groomed young sons of ages four and five. He looks to the sunlight on the beach and sees his wife, Mrs. Pontellier, and young Robert Lebrun. He cannot understand why they have chosen to bathe at such an hour with the heat and looks at his wife from afar "as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage" Chapter 1, pg. 3. Edna and Robert joke about her rings, leaving her husband confused and frustrated. He cannot understand why Robert would rather stay and chat with Edna than do anything else. He leaves, perhaps to play billiards at the local hotel, Klein's. His two sons obediently follow him.

Topic Tracking: Water/Beach 1
Topic Tracking: Feminism, Femininity and Independence 1

Mrs. Pontellier (Edna) and Robert continue to talk about everything from the locals who attend Cheniere (church) to his intent to go to Mexico to find his fortune. Edna's eyes are described as bright and quick, with the intense coloring of yellowish-brown, which matches her hair. Her eyebrows are slightly darker than her hair, giving her a handsome, rather than beautiful, appearance. Robert, on the other hand, is a clean-shaven young man with the countenance of a bohemian - without a care in the world. He smokes cigarettes because he