Question

Read each of the excerpts from The Awakening.

Answer 1

Let's just make a small correction before answering the question. The name in brackets should be "Robert" and not "Roger".

Answer:

These two scenes from chapter 5 contribute to the novel's plot development because:

B) They contribute to the rising action by demonstrating the different behaviors Robert uses with Madame Ratignolle and Mrs. Pontellier.

Explanation:

Mrs. Edna Pontellier is the main character in Kate Chopin's novel "The Awakening". The two excerpts we are analyzing here are part of the plot's rising action, that is, the moment in the story where conflicts begin to develop, creating the tension that will lead to the climax. In this case, the conflicts come through Robert's behavior toward Edna and Madame Ratignolle. Edna does not know what to make of it. Is he truly in love with her? Is he just being playful, as he usually is toward other women?

To summarize the story briefly, Edna goes through a series of awakenings that make her realize she is unhappy fulfilling the roles of wife and mother. Robert, who eventually becomes her lover, helps her attend to her own needs. Edna ends up isolated, since society has a hard time accepting her new, independent self.