Chapter XXXI Practice Quiz — The Awakening
by Kate Chopin — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Chapter XXXI
Who remains with Edna after the dinner party guests leave?
Alcée Arobin stays behind after the other guests depart.
What must Edna and Arobin do before leaving the Pontellier mansion?
They must close and lock the house—extinguishing lights, shutting windows, and securing doors—since the servants have already been dismissed.
What does Arobin offer Edna as they leave the mansion?
A spray of jessamine blossoms, which she refuses.
Who locks the front door and carries the key?
Arobin locks the door and carries the key for Edna, assuming a caretaker role typically held by a husband.
What striking visual detail does Edna notice during the walk to the pigeon house?
She looks down and sees the black line of Arobin's leg moving close to her against the yellow shimmer of her gown.
What sounds are heard during Edna and Arobin's midnight walk?
A railway whistle in the distance and midnight bells ringing.
Do Edna and Arobin encounter anyone on their walk?
No, they meet no one during their short walk.
What is the pigeon house like when Edna arrives?
It is a small house behind a locked gate with a shallow, somewhat neglected parterre. Inside, Edna has arranged books, a lounge, fresh matting, rugs, and tasteful pictures.
What surprise awaits Edna inside the pigeon house?
The room is filled with flowers that Arobin had sent and had Celestine distribute during Edna's absence.
How does Edna describe her emotional state after the dinner?
She says she feels "wound up to a certain pitch—too tight—and something inside of me had snapped."
What three words does Edna use to describe how she feels at the pigeon house?
Tired, chilled, and miserable.
How does Arobin comfort Edna?
He smooths her hair with his "soft, magnetic hand" and brushes it upward from the nape of her neck.
What effect does Arobin's touch have on Edna?
It conveys a certain physical comfort; she could have fallen quietly asleep if he had continued.
What does Arobin tell Edna about the dinner party?
He says it was "delightful" but that it has "worn you out," and that she might have dispensed with it.
How does the chapter end?
Arobin's caresses escalate, and "he did not say good night until she had become supple to his gentle, seductive entreaties"—a euphemism for their sexual intimacy.
What does the pigeon house symbolize in this chapter?
It represents Edna's bid for independence, but its name (a cage for birds) and its proximity to her old home suggest freedom remains incomplete.
What do Arobin's flowers in the pigeon house symbolize?
They represent his claim on Edna's new space—his presence infiltrates her sanctuary before she arrives, complicating her independence.
What is the symbolic significance of the jessamine Edna refuses?
Her refusal of the romantic gesture shows she instinctively resists sentimental attachment to Arobin, even while accepting his physical companionship.
How does Chopin use the railway whistle and midnight bells?
They serve as symbols of transition, marking the passage from Edna's old life to her new one at the stroke of midnight.
What literary technique does Chopin use to describe the chapter's final intimate scene?
Euphemism—the phrase "supple to his gentle, seductive entreaties" implies sexual intimacy without explicit description.
How does Arobin's role in this chapter contrast with Robert Lebrun's role in the novel?
Arobin represents purely physical desire and comfort, while Robert represents Edna's emotional and spiritual longing—two dimensions of her awakening that never merge.
What is the "parterre" outside the pigeon house?
A formal ornamental garden area that has been somewhat neglected, reflecting the modest and slightly unkempt nature of Edna's new home.
Why is it significant that Edna feels miserable rather than triumphant after her move?
Chopin subverts expectations of a liberation narrative by showing that self-assertion is emotionally exhausting, and freedom brings ambivalence rather than pure joy.