Chapter IX Practice Quiz — The Awakening
by Kate Chopin — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter IX
How is the hall at Grand Isle decorated for the Saturday evening party?
Every lamp is turned up as high as possible, and someone has fashioned graceful festoons from orange and lemon branches between the wall lamps, set against white muslin curtains.
Why have an unusual number of husbands and fathers come to Grand Isle this weekend?
They have come down to stay over Sunday and are being entertained by their families with help from Madame Lebrun.
What are the Farival twins always wearing, and why?
They are always clad in blue and white, the Virgin’s colors, because they were dedicated to the Blessed Virgin at their baptism.
What does the parrot shriek during the Farival twins’ piano performance?
The parrot shrieks "Allez vous-en! Sapristi!" ("Go away! Good grief!"), and Chopin notes it is the only being candid enough to admit it has heard these performances before.
Why can’t Madame Ratignolle dance at the party?
She is pregnant, so she volunteers to play the piano for the other dancers instead.
Why does Madame Ratignolle say she keeps up her music?
She says she and her husband consider it a means of brightening the home and making it attractive—a domestic, conventional motivation.
Why won’t the Farival twins dance at the party?
They refuse to separate from each other, and neither will dance while the other is whirling in the arms of a man. They do not think to dance together.
Who supervised the making of the ice-cream, and what was the verdict?
Victor Lebrun supervised two women making it behind the kitchen. Guests pronounced it a success while suggesting it needed less vanilla, more sugar, harder freezing, or less salt.
With whom does Edna dance during the party?
She dances twice with her husband, once with Robert, and once with Monsieur Ratignolle, who is described as thin and tall, swaying like a reed in the wind.
Where does Edna sit after dancing, and what does she see?
She sits on the low window-sill of the gallery, where she can see both the hall and the Gulf. The moon is rising, casting a mystic shimmer across the water.
How is Mademoiselle Reisz physically described?
She is a disagreeable, no longer young woman with a small weazened face and body, glowing eyes, no taste in dress, wearing rusty black lace with artificial violets pinned to her hair.
What is Mademoiselle Reisz’s temperament and social standing?
She has quarreled with almost everyone owing to a self-assertive temper and a disposition to trample upon the rights of others.
What does Mademoiselle Reisz ask Robert to do before she plays?
She asks him to find out what Mrs. Pontellier would like to hear, sitting perfectly still at the piano until she receives an answer.
What mental image has Edna privately titled "Solitude"?
A naked man standing beside a desolate rock on the seashore, looking with hopeless resignation toward a distant bird winging its flight away from him.
How does Edna typically respond to music before hearing Mademoiselle Reisz?
Music evokes mental pictures for her—a man on a desolate shore, a dainty woman in an Empire gown, children at play, a lady stroking a cat.
How does Edna’s response to Mademoiselle Reisz’s music differ from her usual response?
Instead of conjuring mental images, the passions themselves are aroused within her soul, swaying and lashing it. She trembles, chokes, and is blinded by tears.
What does Chopin mean by saying Edna’s "being was tempered to take an impress of the abiding truth"?
Edna has reached a stage of emotional readiness where she can absorb genuine artistic truth rather than converting music into pleasant but superficial mental images.
What does Mademoiselle Reisz say to Edna after her performance?
She pats Edna on the shoulder and says, "You are the only one worth playing for. Those others? Bah!" recognizing Edna’s capacity for genuine emotional response.
How do the other guests react to Mademoiselle Reisz’s performance?
They are enthusiastic, exclaiming "What passion! What an artist!" and praising her Chopin playing, though Reisz dismisses their appreciation.
What is suggested at the end of Chapter IX?
Someone, perhaps Robert, suggests a bath (swim) at that mystic hour under the mystic moon, setting up the pivotal swimming scene.
What role does the juxtaposition of performances serve in Chapter IX?
It contrasts conventional social entertainment (twins, recitations, skirt dance, waltzes) with Mademoiselle Reisz’s authentic artistry, highlighting the difference between conformity and genuine self-expression.
How does the parrot in Chapter IX connect to the novel’s opening?
Like the caged parrot in Chapter I, it symbolizes uncensored honesty and confinement. It is the only creature candid enough to protest the repetitive performances.
What physical metaphor does Chopin use to describe the effect of music on Edna?
The passions sway and lash Edna’s soul "as the waves daily beat upon her splendid body," merging the power of music with the recurring sea imagery.