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  • Essay / The concept of the love triangle and its effects on Edna's choices in Robert Lee Mahon's article on The Awakening by Kate Chopin

    Beyond the Love Triangle: Trios in The Awakening is an article about Kate Chopin's The Awakening written by Robert Lee Mahon. In this article, Mahon presents a new concept that had many major effects on Edna's choices, including her choice to drown herself to death. Mahon points out that Kate Chopin constantly illustrates Edna's position between two extremes and is always in a triangle. This article could be very helpful to readers because it will show the difficulties that Edna went through throughout her life by being placed in an extreme position. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Mahon begins his article by describing the purpose of his essay, which is to illustrate that the catastrophe that results in Edna's awakening and death is a result of her being caught between two extremes. The author successfully presents his concept by providing examples that support his argument, one example he mentions is Edna's birth order. She is in the middle of her two sisters, the eldest, “who is described as matronly and dignified” and the younger, illustrated as “a sort of vixen”. (229). Another extreme that Edna was stuck between, according to the author, is a two-woman triangle. She is stuck between two women, Adèle Ratignolle, a traditional and “typical” woman, portrayed as a perfect mother and wife. And Miss Reisz who is far from being “traditional and acceptable”. (230). Society expects Edna to be either an angel or a devil. A traditional and typical mother like Adèle or an independent woman like Madame Reisz. Besides, she was stuck in many other triangles, her two children, Robert and Mr. Pontellier and Iberville, New York and New Orleans. All the triangles mentioned by the author demonstrate the dilemma in which Edna Pontellier finds herself and illustrate her indecisive power. This article, written by Mahon, successfully addressed the objective of the essay, introducing the concept of the triangle. The concept of the triangle, which was presented to us by Mahon, is very useful in understanding the real reasons for Edna's different choices. As for weaknesses, the article lacks transition words and transitional phrases, for example the author does not move easily from one idea to another. In summary, Beyond the Love Triangle: Trios in The Awakening presents a new concept that has been thoroughly explained by the author. Edna's situation, caught between two extremes, contributed to her tragedy. This article, even though it was written in 1998, might still help potential readers interested in knowing the real reasons that led to the end of Edna Pontellier..