It's a Man's World

 Mr. Pontellier is a businessman, he has a beautiful wife and two adorable kids.  He is the man of the house and the least he can expect from his wife is to take care of their children and be aware of their well being at all times, this is why he is furious to get home and find his wife asleep when one on of the kids “has a fever”.  Chopin writes, “Mr. Pontellier was too well acquainted with fever symptoms to be mistaken”(Pg70 Kindle edition). Even though his wife assured him that their son was all right. Mr. Pontellier felt superior enough over her to doubt her observations of the children. He later reproaches,” he reproaches his wife with her inattention, her habitual neglect of the children”(Pg 70). Even though his wife is correct and the boy has no fever at all, he feels as though she doesn’t care enough about their kids and probably believes her a slacker because of it since it is her only function in the household. Also, Mr. Pontellier is of the opinion that “If it was not a mothers place to look after her children, whose on Earth was it?”(Pg 70) he believes that it his wife’s duty and no one else’s, including him, to care for the children because that is a woman’s only occupation. He makes his wife feel bad about the marriage, by making her cry, she feels as though she is being underestimated because of her ways to raise the children, and he treates her as though she didn’t care for them as much as she should even though she does it on her own way.

 Nevertheless he keeps up the appearances of a great husband, he is only reprimanding her on her personal duties, while he himself is doing his part in the marriage.  He leaves to work and sends baskets with gifts for her and the kids, but this just isn’t enough for her anymore. This is the beginning of the process through which she will begin to find her place in the world, as an individual not just as somebody’s wife.