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in an illusion. She could not stand to live as a caged bird. She realized that society would not change and that she would be forced to live in lonely suffering for the rest of he life.

Edna's despair and despondency partially stemmed from a lack of place. She did not feel that she belonged in the aristocratic society of New Orleans. "Mrs. Pontellier, though she married a Creole, was not thoroughly at home in the society of Creoles" (474). Edna was not from the city. Her home was a plantation in Kentucky. The Creole's customs and mannerisms were somewhat foreign to her. She was not used to the openness of Creole conversation, or of their affinity for physical and spoken expressions of affection. She did not share in the common acceptance of the Creoles' conception of women's roles. Women had three main roles in Creole society. They were to support their husbands in their chosen roles, they were to be the household's domestic manager, and they were to be mothers.

When Edna commenced living life for herself, instead of for her family and social appearances, she began to slacken in her devotion to her husband, Leonce. She could not even feign interest in his gossip and stories that he brought home late one night from the men's club. Leonce woke her from a deep sleep and expected her to be riveted by his tales. He did not understand her lack of enthusiasm. "He thought it very discouraging that his wife, who was the sole object of his existence, evinced so little interest in things which concerned him and valued so little his conversation" (471). The cultural expectations of Creole society deemed that a woman was to be totally devoted to her husband. Adele Ratignolle was always riveted by her husband's conversation. In displaying her disinterest, Edna was clearly failing in her duties as a wife and distinctly distancing herself from the ideal woman that Adele represented.

Before Edna awoke from her contented, familial illusion, she was a consummate housewife. The Pontellier home was a dazzling testimony to her ability. However, after she shrugged off the personae of the unwitting hearth angel, she began to desert her household chores. In particular, she abandoned her regular reception day. On reception day a Creole woman was expected to stay at home and receive callers. The chore would last all day. It was an important social obligation that no one ignored, because it was vital to a husband's business. Tuesday was Edna's reception day. It was a chance to make

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