Chapters 16-28 had me significantly more enthused than the earlier chapters had. I believe the stories complete overhaul of Edna’s naming demonstrates the stark change in her character which is elaborated further in these chapters. She is no longer Mrs. Pontillier; she is Edna. Yet her failed attempt at destroying her wedding ring conveys one of the larger questions that still remains unanswered: what will come of Edna and Mr. Pontillier’s marriage? If both the Edna and the story itself consider her to be effectively unmarried, what does that make the very real legal marriage, paired with gendered social obligations, that bind Edna to Mr. Pontillier? While the marriage does not seem to stifle Edna’s ability to explore this new chapter and mode of living, there appear to be hints of Mr. Pontillier’s encroaching grip on Edna’s life. A prime example is the doctor, who he tries to make suspicious of Edna and her behavior. A man of Mr. Pontillier’s status and wealth could easily have Edna thrown into an asylum or diagnosed with all the conditions ascribed to women in previous generations to maintain patriarchal domination and control. Surprisingly though, the doctor is a little less than interested at Mr. Pontillier’s request and concerns, though I am still not entirely relieved since it has been made clear that Mr. Pontillier is ready to resort to the authority of his modern medicine to affect a normalizing brutality upon Edna.
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