The ultÃmate couples showdown! Coming directly from New Orleans after a summer in Grand Isle we have our rivals. In this corner we have Mr. Leonce Pontelier and Mrs. Edna Pontelier, two opposites under the same roof that have been having trouble because of Mrs. Ponteliers recent behavior. On the other side of the ring we have Mr. Ratignolle and Mrs. Adele Ratignolle, the typical married couple of the times that wouldn’t want change and are content with the way things are. Who will make it and who will break it?
Our first round involves the two ladies. We have Mrs. Pontelier who after her summer at Grand Isle has changed the way she acts and has actually been thought crazy by her own husband. Brought up to be an excellent wife she begins to ignore her duties and is the opposite of her friend. Mrs. Ratignolle on the other hand is a woman who is completely devoted to being the perfect wife. She seems to take pleasure in housework and immensely appreciative of her husband. Instead of being out and about doing as she pleases like Mrs. Pontelier, Mrs. Ratignolle spends her days at home looking for lost handkerchiefs and spending time with her children. Both women have hobbies but Mrs. Pontelier sometimes pays more attention to her painting instead of her own children, while Mrs. Ratignolle always puts her other duties before her own. A point to Mrs. Ratignolle for being a good wife and two points to Mrs. Pontelier for actually wanting to change the typical standards of what woman should do. Those are the people that are remembered.
Time for round two! We are joined in the ring by the woman’s significant others. Since these two gentlemen have a lot in common we are going to skip their individual battle, things are more spicy when the relationships battle. Let us begin with the Ponteliers. Here is a couple that was fine before Mrs. Pontelier had her awakening. Now her husband questions the way she runs the household and she doesn’t have a care in the world what he thinks. Mrs. Pontelier doesn’t make it all about her husband she is trying to branch out as an individual and explore herself as a woman. This is hard to achieve when her husband is always bringing her down by making her seem weak. So couple’s dynamics are a big no no with this pair as well as it emphasizes Mr. Ponteliers close mind towards his wife being different to what society expects. The Ratignolles are a completely different story. They have perfect couple dynamics because they are the typical married couple of the time. There is one difference; they appreciate each other a lot. Sure, maybe Mrs. Ratignolle shows appreciation more since she is the woman but they get along. At the dinner table they enjoy each other’s company and can actually hold a conversation with each other. The Ratignolles get a point for being troopers and no points to the Ponteliers because of Mr. Ponteliers close minded expectations of his wife.
Coming to the end of this showdown, I believe we should award the best fighter, Mrs. Pontelier. She gets an award for the simple reason that rather than stick to this domestic sphere she has been enclosed in, she wants to branch out and truly be who she is. She is defying what has always been the same and in my book, these are the people that are remembered. Her view on the life of the Ratignolles explains it all:
“The little glimpse of domestic harmony which had been offered her, gave her no regret, no longing. It was not a condition of life which fitted her and she could see in it but an appalling and hopeless ennui. She was moved by a kind of commiseration for Madame Ratignolle, - a pity for that colorless existence which never uplifted its processor, beyond the region of blind contentment, in which no moment of anguish ever visited her soul, in which she would never have the taste of life’s delirium.”(Chapter XVIII, PG 109)
This quote demonstrates how Mrs. Pontelier wants to actually live life to the fullest and not be brought down because of what is expected of her as a woman. By not wanting this life she is taking a huge step in her quest to become more than just a housewife. Many woman of the time probably envied this picturesque image of marriage showed by the Ratignolles but Mrs. Pontelier has a point, if everything is perfect, you won’t feel anything wether it be good or bad. You will just be going through life not really savoring life and that is why Mrs. Pontelier pities Mrs. Ratignolle, she is content with not feeling anything.
This is a close call. Let the public decide between the couple that is ok with not tasteing “lifes delirium” or the purely business type couple that is slowly crumbling because of a want to taste this delirium.
*Ennui: Boredom, Tediousness
*Commiseration: Pity, Sympathy
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