Chapter XXXIV — Summary

Plot Summary

Chapter XXXIV of The Awakening finds Edna Pontellier hosting Robert Lebrun for an intimate dinner at her small cottage, the "pigeon house." The dining room is so tiny that Edna's mahogany table would scarcely fit. Over an ordinary meal—supplemented by a few purchased delicacies—old Celestine hobbles in and out, chatting patois with Robert, whom she has known since boyhood. The conversation remains carefully surface-level: Robert describes his time in Mexico, and Edna shares local news from his absence.

The Tobacco Pouch and Edna's Jealousy

After dinner, Robert steps out for cigarette papers and returns to find coffee served in the parlor. As he rolls a cigarette, Edna notices that his old rubber tobacco pouch has been replaced by a lavish embroidered silk one—clearly a woman's handiwork. She presses him: Where did he get it? A girl in Vera Cruz, he admits. Edna pushes further, asking about Mexican women, their beauty, whether he visited this particular woman's house. Robert deflects with an elegant simile—"There are some people who leave impressions not so lasting as the imprint of an oar upon the water"—and thrusts the pouch back in his pocket to close the subject. His evasiveness only deepens Edna's jealousy and frustration, as she refuses to let the matter rest.

Arobin's Arrival and Robert's Departure

Alcée Arobin drops by with a message that Mrs. Merriman's card party has been postponed due to a child's illness. He recognizes Robert, and the two men exchange pleasantries. Arobin teases about the "stunning girls" in Mexico and their gift-giving habits, which prompts Edna to jab at Robert again—"You were less fortunate than Robert, then." The awkward triangulation proves too much for Robert, who excuses himself abruptly, shaking hands and pointedly asking Edna to convey his regards to Mr. Pontellier—a formality that reasserts the social boundary he is unwilling to cross.

Reverie and Longing

Once Robert departs, Arobin lingers. Edna declines the postponed party, writes a note of regret, and asks to be left alone. Arobin professes his devotion—"I only live when I am near you"—and kisses her hand before leaving. Edna barely registers his affection; her eyes hold only "a dreamy, absent look." Left in solitude, she replays every instant with Robert since their encounter at Mademoiselle Reisz's apartment. His words and looks were "few and meager" for her "hungry heart." A "transcendently seductive vision" of the Mexican girl rises before her, and she writhes with jealous pain. Paradoxically, Robert seemed nearer to her when he was still far away in Mexico than he does now, standing in her parlor. The chapter closes on Edna's aching recognition that physical proximity has not delivered the emotional intimacy she craves.