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Question

Difficulty: MediumSocial and Historical Milieu

Read the following passage from Kate Chopin’s 1899 novel *The Awakening* carefully before choosing the best answer.

On Tuesday afternoon Edna Pontellier dressed herself in a handsome reception gown and sat in the drawing-room to receive callers. It was her customary day for receiving. Many of her friends and acquaintances had called during the afternoon. She had received them in her usual quiet, gracious way.

Leonce Pontellier did not appear for dinner until late. He had been detained at his office. During the meal, he looked about him with a dissatisfied air. The dinner was not to his liking, and he did not hesitate to say so. He complained of the soup, which he declared was tasteless, and the fish, which he asserted was dry.

'It seems to me, Edna,' he said, laying down his fork, 'that you are neglecting your household duties. The house is not run as it should be. A woman’s first duty is to her home, to see that her husband and children are comfortable, and that her household is managed with order and economy. You seem to think of nothing but your own amusement.'

Edna did not reply. She felt a swelling in her throat, but she controlled herself. She had heard these complaints before, but they seemed to have a new and more bitter meaning for her now.

'And another thing,' Leonce continued, 'I notice you did not observe your reception day last week. Several people spoke to me about it. It is extremely important, Edna, that we keep up these social relations. They are necessary for my business, for our position in society. You cannot afford to ignore them.'

'I did not feel like receiving,' Edna said, in a low voice.

'Feel like it!' Leonce exclaimed. 'It is not a question of feeling; it is a question of duty. We have certain obligations to society, and we must fulfill them. I expect you to attend to these matters in the future. I cannot have my wife neglecting her social responsibilities.'

After dinner, Mr. Pontellier went to his club, as was his custom. Edna went out onto the gallery. The night was warm and still, but she felt a cold chill of isolation.

In the passage, Leonce’s reaction to Edna’s neglect of her 'reception day' highlights which of the following aspects of their social and historical milieu?

  1. A
    Leonce's harsh response, which represents an atypical and unusually cruel manifestation of domestic tyranny rather than the common marital and social expectations of his contemporary society.
  2. B
    The author's endorsement of Leonce's belief that strict domestic order and social conformity are necessary for a family's moral stability.
  3. C
    The specific chronological order of the evening's events, wherein Leonce eats dinner, criticizes his wife, and subsequently departs for his club.
  4. The expectation that a wife's domestic management and social performance should actively support her husband's public standing and business relations.Answer
  5. E
    The physical layout of the Pontelliers' home, which is described in a way that shows how physical barriers prevented spouses from communicating.

Answer

The expectation that a wife's domestic management and social performance should actively support her husband's public standing and business relations.
The correct answer is the option stating that a wife's domestic management and social performance should support her husband's public standing. Leonce explicitly connects Edna's neglect of her 'reception day' to his business interests and their social position, reflecting the nineteenth-century expectation that a middle-class wife's primary role was to perform social and domestic duties that reinforced her husband's status.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the husband's explicit reasoning for why Edna must observe her reception day and keep up her domestic management.
Leonce connects these activities to his business interests and their position in society.
To locate the specific textual details that define the expectations of their social milieu.
2
Analyze Edna's reaction and Leonce's response to her explanation that she did not 'feel' like receiving guests.
Leonce dismisses her personal feelings, asserting that it is a matter of 'duty' and 'social responsibilities' rather than personal inclination.
To contrast the character's internal desires with the rigid external demands of the historical setting.
3
Synthesize these observations to identify how the conflict reflects the broader late-nineteenth-century societal expectations for middle-class married women.
The correct option must state that a wife's role was to perform social and domestic tasks that served to uphold her husband's professional and social status.
To connect the specific domestic conflict to the overarching thematic concerns of the social and historical milieu.

Key Concept

Social and Historical Milieu
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Topics

Social and Historical Milieu

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