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Which archetypal character does Edna represent in this passage?

Edna Pontellier could not have told why, wishing to go to the beach with Robert, she should in the first place have declined, and in the second place have followed in obedience to one of the two contradictory impulses which impelled her. A certain light was beginning to dawn dimly within her,—the light which, showing the way, forbids it.

(from The Awakening by Kate Chopin)

faithful servant

sinner

princess

struggling spirit

Verified Answer :


Awakening In Kate Chopin's novel The Awakening, Edna Pontellier is forced to strive to fit in with everyone and everything around her. [ Born and raised in Kentucky, Edna is used to the Southern society, but when she marries Leonce Pontellier, a Catholic and a Creole, and moves to Louisiana with him, her surroundings change a great deal. This makes her feel extremely uncomfortable and confused

michell96

The correct answer is D. Struggling spirit

Explanation:

An archetypal character is a type of character that represents common patterns of human behavior and nature and is used as a universal symbol. Because of this, archetype characters are characters commonly found in literary works that describe the personality and behavior of people that can similarly be found in different cultures around the world. Examples of archetypical characters include the hero, the innocent person, the orphan and the rebel.

In the case of the excerpt presented from "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin the narrator describes the way in which the character Edna Pontellier had begun to have contradictory thoughts and impulses as she wishes to go to the beach but declines to go and by doing this she still had followed her impulses which is also contradictory.

This shows Edna is not sure about how to behave and it is struggling between her impulses and desires and the behaviors that are expected from her. Because of this, this character mainly represents the "struggling spirit" as the character is struggling to determine what is right or wrong, additionally, this is a common feature of human nature as it is quite common for humans to have difficulties to be free or to know the way they should behave, therefore this is also an archetypical character in literature. Thus, in the excerpt presented the character Edna Pontellier represents the archetypical character "struggling spirit".

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