Summary
The Doctor's Visit
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Léonce Pontellier visits his family doctor, seeking advice about his wife's increasingly strange behavior. He complains that Edna has abandoned her social duties, neglects housekeeping, and talks about women's rights at breakfast. Most troubling to him, she refuses to attend her sister's wedding, calling it 'one of the most lamentable spectacles on earth.' The doctor, wise but limited by his era's understanding of women, advises Léonce to leave Edna alone and let this 'passing whim' run its course. He offers to visit the Pontelliers for dinner to observe Edna himself. When Léonce mentions an upcoming business trip to New York, the doctor suggests taking Edna only if she wants to go, emphasizing patience above all. The chapter reveals how men of this era view women's emotional and intellectual lives as mysterious and temporary inconveniences rather than legitimate personal growth. The doctor's well-meaning but patronizing advice reflects society's inability to recognize a woman's awakening consciousness as anything more than a mood that will pass. His final unspoken question about whether there's 'any man in the case' shows how quickly society assumes a woman's discontent must stem from romantic entanglement rather than genuine self-discovery. This conversation sets up the tension between Edna's internal transformation and the external world's determination to contain it.
Coming Up in Chapter 23
The doctor prepares to observe Edna firsthand, but will his visit reveal more than he bargained for? Meanwhile, Edna continues her journey of self-discovery, unaware that she's being watched and analyzed.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
One morning on his way into town Mr. Pontellier stopped at the house of his old friend and family physician, Doctor Mandelet. The Doctor was a semi-retired physician, resting, as the saying is, upon his laurels. He bore a reputation for wisdom rather than skill—leaving the active practice of medicine to his assistants and younger contemporaries—and was much sought for in matters of consultation. A few families, united to him by bonds of friendship, he still attended when they required the services of a physician. The Pontelliers were among these. Mr. Pontellier found the Doctor reading at the open window of his study. His house stood rather far back from the street, in the center of a delightful garden, so that it was quiet and peaceful at the old gentleman’s study window. He was a great reader. He stared up disapprovingly over his eye-glasses as Mr. Pontellier entered, wondering who had the temerity to disturb him at that hour of the morning. “Ah, Pontellier! Not sick, I hope. Come and have a seat. What news do you bring this morning?” He was quite portly, with a profusion of gray hair, and small blue eyes which age had robbed of much of their brightness but none of their penetration. “Oh! I’m never sick, Doctor. You know that I come of tough fiber—of that old Creole race of Pontelliers that dry up and finally blow away. I came to consult—no, not precisely to consult—to talk to you about Edna. I don’t know what ails her.” “Madame Pontellier not well,” marveled the Doctor. “Why, I saw her—I think it was a week ago—walking along Canal Street, the picture of health, it seemed to me.” “Yes, yes; she seems quite well,” said Mr. Pontellier, leaning forward and whirling his stick between his two hands; “but she doesn’t act well. She’s odd, she’s not like herself. I can’t make her out, and I thought perhaps you’d help me.” “How does she act?” inquired the Doctor. “Well, it isn’t easy to explain,” said Mr. Pontellier, throwing himself back in his chair. “She lets the housekeeping go to the dickens.” “Well, well; women are not all alike, my dear Pontellier. We’ve got to consider—” “I know that; I told you I couldn’t explain. Her whole attitude—toward me and everybody and everything—has changed. You know I have a quick temper, but I don’t want to quarrel or be rude to a woman, especially my wife; yet I’m driven to it, and feel like ten thousand devils after I’ve made a fool of myself. She’s making it devilishly uncomfortable for me,” he went on nervously. “She’s got some sort of notion in her head concerning the eternal rights of women; and—you understand—we meet in the morning at the breakfast table.” The old gentleman lifted his shaggy eyebrows, protruded his thick nether lip, and tapped the arms of his chair with his cushioned fingertips. “What have you been doing to her, Pontellier?” “Doing! _Parbleu!_” “Has she,” asked the Doctor, with...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Dismissive Diagnosis
When someone challenges the status quo through changed behavior, the system labels it as a temporary problem rather than legitimate growth.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when legitimate concerns are reframed as temporary problems that will resolve if ignored.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when someone responds to your concerns with 'you're just going through a phase' or 'this will pass'—and ask yourself if they're avoiding addressing the actual issue you raised.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Creole society
The upper-class French-descended community in New Orleans with strict social rules and expectations. Women were expected to be devoted wives and mothers above all else, with little room for individual desires or ambitions.
Modern Usage:
Like tight-knit communities today where everyone knows your business and judges you for stepping outside traditional roles.
Social duties
The expected activities wealthy women had to perform - hosting parties, making social calls, managing household staff. These weren't optional but required to maintain family status and business connections.
Modern Usage:
Similar to how we're expected to attend work events, family gatherings, or community functions even when we don't want to.
Family physician
A doctor who treated entire families for generations and often gave advice on personal matters beyond medical issues. They held positions of trust and authority in the community.
Modern Usage:
Like a therapist, family doctor, and trusted advisor rolled into one - someone you turn to when life gets complicated.
Women's nervous conditions
How doctors in the 1800s explained any woman's emotional distress, independence, or unusual behavior. They saw women as naturally unstable and believed most problems would pass if ignored.
Modern Usage:
Similar to when people dismiss women's concerns as 'just being emotional' or 'going through a phase' instead of taking them seriously.
Consultation
When men discussed women's behavior with other men to decide what to do about it. Women rarely got a voice in these conversations about their own lives.
Modern Usage:
Like when family members talk about you behind your back to figure out how to 'handle' your choices instead of talking to you directly.
Passing whim
How men dismissed women's desires for change or independence as temporary moods that would naturally fade. They refused to see these feelings as legitimate or permanent.
Modern Usage:
When people assume your new goals or lifestyle changes are just a phase you'll get over, especially if they threaten the status quo.
Characters in This Chapter
Léonce Pontellier
Concerned but controlling husband
He's genuinely worried about Edna but completely unable to understand that her changes might be positive growth. He sees her independence as a problem to be fixed rather than a person to be understood.
Modern Equivalent:
The husband who thinks his wife needs therapy when she starts wanting her own life
Doctor Mandelet
Well-meaning but limited advisor
He's wiser than most men of his time and genuinely cares about the Pontelliers, but his advice is still based on the assumption that women's discontent is temporary and mysterious. He represents the best intentions within a flawed system.
Modern Equivalent:
The older relative who gives relationship advice based on how things worked in their day
Edna Pontellier
Absent but central figure
Even though she doesn't appear in this chapter, her transformation drives the entire conversation. Her refusal to conform is so shocking it requires a medical consultation.
Modern Equivalent:
The woman whose life changes have everyone talking and trying to figure out what's 'wrong' with her
Key Quotes & Analysis
"She's got some sort of notion in her head concerning the eternal rights of women"
Context: Léonce complains to the doctor about Edna's breakfast conversation topics
This shows how threatening even talking about women's rights was to men. Léonce dismisses serious ideas about equality as mere 'notions' - not real thoughts worth considering.
In Today's Words:
She's gotten all these feminist ideas in her head
"The most lamentable spectacle on earth"
Context: Edna's description of weddings when refusing to attend her sister's ceremony
Edna now sees marriage as a tragic performance rather than a celebration. This represents her complete shift from accepting traditional roles to questioning them fundamentally.
In Today's Words:
Weddings are just sad shows where women give up their freedom
"Let your wife alone for a while. Don't bother her, and don't let her bother you"
Context: The doctor's advice for handling Edna's behavior
This reveals how men viewed women's emotional lives as temporary inconveniences. The doctor's solution is avoidance rather than understanding, treating Edna like a storm to weather rather than a person to engage with.
In Today's Words:
Just ignore her until she gets over it and stops being difficult
"Woman, my dear friend, is a very peculiar and delicate organism"
Context: Explaining women's nature to Léonce
The doctor reduces all women to mysterious, fragile creatures who can't be understood through normal logic. This patronizing view prevents him from recognizing Edna's awakening as legitimate personal growth.
In Today's Words:
Women are just complicated and you'll never really understand them
Thematic Threads
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Léonce expects Edna to fulfill her role as society hostess and dutiful wife, seeing her refusal as illness rather than choice
Development
Escalating from earlier hints of Edna's resistance to open defiance of social duties
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when family members react with concern rather than curiosity when you change long-held patterns
Identity
In This Chapter
Edna's emerging sense of self is viewed by men as a medical condition to be managed rather than personal growth to be respected
Development
Building on her earlier moments of self-discovery, now seen through others' dismissive eyes
In Your Life:
You might see this when your personal growth makes others uncomfortable and they suggest you're 'not yourself'
Class
In This Chapter
The doctor and Léonce discuss Edna as if she's property whose value has decreased, focusing on her social performance rather than her wellbeing
Development
Reinforcing the transactional view of marriage and women's roles established earlier
In Your Life:
You might experience this when others judge your worth by how well you perform expected roles rather than who you're becoming
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
The relationship between Léonce and Edna is mediated through a third party rather than direct communication
Development
Shows the complete breakdown of genuine connection hinted at throughout the story
In Your Life:
You might recognize this pattern when conflicts get discussed with everyone except the person involved
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Edna's psychological and spiritual development is reframed as a temporary aberration that will correct itself with time
Development
The external world's response to the internal transformation we've been witnessing
In Your Life:
You might see this when others treat your genuine changes as phases you'll grow out of rather than growth you're growing into
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What specific behaviors of Edna's does Léonce complain about to the doctor, and why do these particular changes bother him so much?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does the doctor advise Léonce to 'let this whim pass' rather than take Edna's concerns seriously? What does this reveal about how society views women's complaints?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see this pattern of dismissing someone's legitimate concerns as 'just a phase' in workplaces, healthcare, or family dynamics today?
application • medium - 4
If you were experiencing genuine personal growth that others kept dismissing as temporary, what strategies would you use to stay grounded in your own truth?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about the difference between someone being genuinely troubled versus someone challenging systems that no longer serve them?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Decode the Dismissal Pattern
Think of a time when someone dismissed your concerns or changes as 'just a phase' or suggested you were overreacting. Write down what you were actually experiencing versus how others interpreted it. Then identify the real reason your growth or concerns threatened them. What were they trying to protect or maintain by dismissing you?
Consider:
- •Notice whether your concerns challenged existing power structures or comfortable routines
- •Consider what the dismissive person had to gain by keeping things the same
- •Look for patterns in who gets taken seriously versus who gets dismissed in your circles
Journaling Prompt
Write about a current situation where you feel your legitimate concerns are being dismissed. What would it look like to document your experiences and seek perspectives from people who take you seriously?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 23: Finding Life in Unexpected Places
What lies ahead teaches us new relationships can awaken dormant parts of ourselves, and shows us the difference between performing femininity and authentic connection. These patterns appear in literature and life alike.