Journal #26 Kate Chopin

Shirly Ong
English 48B
28 February, 2008
Journal #26 Kate Chopin

Quote:
“The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth”
“A bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water.”

Summary:
The first quote appears in Chapter XXXVII. This is what Edna’s friend, Mademoiselle Reisz, said when they depart that day.
The second one appears in the last chapter of the story. Edna was walking on the beach before her suicide. The bird mentioned in this quote is the only living thing she could see.

Response:
There is a very strong connection between these two quotes.
In the first quote, I think Mademoiselle Reisz is advising and warning Edna about her acts against the traditions and social expectations. She wants to remind Edna that she must have a “strong wing” if she wants to act unexpectedly against the culture. Or else, she would be “bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth”. In short, the bird that Mademoiselle Reisz mentioned refers to Edna. To me, a “strong wing” means a sturdy spirit. Wings are crucial to birds while souls are crucial to human. A sturdy soul is important to Edna because her acts could hardly be accepted by the society. She has to be strong enough to face failure and the resulting prejudice on her. Moreover, bird is a symbol for freedom. As long as birds are not caged and have wings, there are rarely limitations of places they can go. These explain why Mademoiselle Reisz uses a metaphor of bird.
The second quote illustrates bird that Edna saw at the end of the story. The bird is alone and hurt. After struggling and fluttering in the air, it fell to the water. This bird is a weakling, as described by Mademoiselle Reisz. To me, this bird serves to remind readers about Mademoiselle Reisz’s advice to Edna earlier in the story. As a whole, “bird” represents Edna, who is deeply hurt and grieved when Robert left her and when there was no way for her to return to Mr. Pontellier and her children. She was “bruised” while seeking for freedom. Finally, she ended her life in water, like what happened to the bird she saw.From these two quotes, I can see that Kate Chopin’s story is very well structured. I appreciate the metaphors of birds in the story much. I think birds have play