Because she rarely thinks about the consequences of her actions on others, Edna Pontellier resembles a child. Nothing illustrates her childishness more powerfully than the scenes with her own sons, in which she betrays her irresponsibility and self-centeredness. However, Edna is far from the only one who fails to act as a loving and attentive parent: Chopin repeatedly shows us men and women who make little effort to understand their children. By including Edna in this list of bad parents, Chopin suggests that childishness is pandemic and therefore makes it difficult for us to fully condemn his protagonist. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Several of Chopin's characters compare Edna's behavior to the carefreeness and unpredictability of a child. “In a way, you seem like a child to me,” said Madame Ratignolle. “You seem to act without some of the thought that is necessary in this life.” This statement – ​​which does not provoke a response from Edna – is a criticism of our protagonist's habit of accepting nocturnal visits from a man who is not her husband. Later, Dr. Mandelet refers to Edna as "my dear child" and tells her that she has not realized the realities of adult life, particularly the need for self-sacrifice and concern for others. Edna herself admits that her behavior is childish after experiencing paranoid and jealous feelings towards the Mexican woman who made Robert a new pouch. In each case, Edna acts according to her own desires without showing empathy for others and is therefore characterized as a child. The label seems more accurate whenever Edna interacts with her own children, as she never shows interest in what they think and feel. . A painful first passage describes Edna telling a story; she hopes to calm Etienne and Raoul before they go to bed. Instead, her story excites the children, makes them more talkative and alert, and they are ultimately perplexed when Edna interrupts herself mid-sentence, half-heartedly promises to finish the next day, and leaves to worry about leaving Robert's imminent return to Mexico. Later, Edna betrays her childishness again when she tells Raoul and Etienne about the new apartment she bought near the Pontellier house. Raoul and Etienne ask sensible questions to find out if there will be room for the whole family in this apartment, and Edna whispers that "the fairies" will take care of all the logistical problems. Edna's willingness to drop her children off with Léonce's mother for indefinite periods of time suggests that she is more concerned with her own entertainment than with her maternal responsibilities. But in this courageous and disturbing novel, Edna's childish behavior is not unique. With the exception of the Ratignolles, Chopin's parental characters never show empathy towards their sons and daughters. Léonce, for example, spends most of his time doing business away from his family and occasionally sends boxes of candy as a souvenir of his apparent fatherly love. Madame Lebrun complains about Victor's lack of purpose and bad manners when, as Chopin notes, the aging woman is at least partly responsible for favoring and spoiling Victor throughout his youth. The Colonel argues with Edna instead of trying to find out her reasons for skipping her sister's wedding, then gives up and advises his son-in-law to hit and yell at Edna more frequently. Léonce's mother ignores the obvious flaws in the Pontellier marriage so she can spend more time with her