The Story of a Parrot In a Novel

What does the parrot say? What does it mean? How might these comments foreshadow what will occur in the novel? The parrot says, “Allez-vous en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi! That’s all right!” in French, which means “Go away! Go away! For heaven’s sake!” in English. This may foreshadow what will happen to the characters because one character may leave or ask another character to go away. I predict that Mr. Pontellier will ask Mrs. Pontellier to go away, or vice versa, because there are clearly tensions within their marriage.

Also, the parrot is speaking French, which offers context about the setting in Louisiana. Describe Leonce Pontellier. Specifically describe his reaction to the parrot, how he speaks to his wife, and his reaction to Mrs. Pontellier’s question about dinner.

Leonce Pontellier is described as a 40-year old man with a medium build, a beard, and glasses. He is an unremarkable man who likes to smoke cigars and read the newspaper.

He dislikes the parrot, and speaks to his wife in a way that infantilizes her and makes it seem as though he is an authoritative figure. He orders his wife around and is aloof about his surroundings. When she asks him if he wants to come back to dinner, he shrugs his shoulders in a way that indicates he doesn’t really care. I believe that he is not too concerned about his family, and would rather be with his friends.

The Farival twins play a duet from Zampa. What are the major plot lines of that opera? Zampa is a French opera that was written in 1831.

Get quality help now

Writer Lyla

Verified

Proficient in: Novels

5 (876)

“ Have been using her for a while and please believe when I tell you, she never fail. Thanks Writer Lyla you are indeed awesome ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

The major plot lines of this opera are that Zampa, a young count who ran off to become a pirate, leaves behind his lover, Alice. Alice dies of a broken heart, and a statue of Alice is erected in her memory. Zampa escapes from prison and falls in love with another woman named Camille. When he plans to marry Camille, the statue of Alice threatens him. After some violent events, Zampa is finally alone with Camille, but just as he plans to embrace her, the statue of Alice appears and drags Zampa down to hell.  Describe the Pontellier children.

The Pontellier children are described as “sturdy little fellows of four and five”. They have a quadroon (slave) nurse who looks after them. They want to follow Mr. Pontellier when they see him leaving, presumably because he is never around. He kisses them and promises to bring them back bonbons and peanuts. What is the role of the ‘quadroon’? The word “quadroon” refers to a person who is one-quarter black by descent. The quadroon is a slave (?), who looks after the Pontellier children. The presence of the nurse in this story inserts the theme of race relations and also reflects the fact that the Pontelliers are wealthy white Southerners at a time when racism was a widely accepted practice. Who is Robert Lebrun? What is his part in this story?

Robert Lebrun is Madame Lebrun’s son. Madame Lebrun is a wealthy woman who owns most of the property. Robert is close with Mrs. Pontellier and her children. He seems to be a better friend and companion to Mrs. Pontellier than her own husband (foreshadowing), and states that he would prefer to stay with her and talk to her. Mr. Pontellier seems a little annoyed with him. Describe Edna Pontellier. What does she look like? Where is she from? Where does she live now? Edna Pontellier is a woman who is described as “handsome, but not beautiful”. She has an engaging manner and has a captivating face. It can also be inferred that she is unsure about her own emotions and is a little detached from reality. She is from Kentucky, where she lived on the countryside. She now lives in Louisiana (the Grand Isle) with her husband and children. Where is this story taking place?

This story is taking place in the Grand Isle, in Louisiana. Some important settings are Madame Lebrun’s house and the beach. It is occurring during the 1800s, which meant that slavery was legal and there were strict gender roles in society. What is Robert Lebrun like? What are his plans for the future? Do you think he will ever follow through with his plans? Why, why not? Robert Lebrun is a young and enthusiastic man who loves talking about himself. Robert currently works at a mercantile house in New Orleans as a clerk and correspondent, and speaks English, Spanish, and French. He is twenty-six years old, and he has a dream of living in Mexico. He believes that fortune awaits him there. I do not think that Robert will be able to get to Mexico, because he seems young and idealistic and he has already been trying to go there for a number of years, but he has not succeeded.

Describe Edna and Robert’s relationship. Edna and Robert’s relationship is extremely close. He frequently flirts with her, and it seems like she is very comfortable with him. He is kind to her children as well, and fulfills a parental role that neither her nor her husband do. Robert also reassures Edna and she feels comfortable confiding in him. How does Leonce feel when he returns home? When Leonce returns home, he is in “excellent humor and in high spirits”. He is very excited to tell Edna about the news and gossip of the day, and shows her the money that she won. He is a little annoyed that his wife does not seem to really care. He also forgot to bring home the bonbons and peanuts that he promised the children, which is somewhat ironic because he judges Edna for not being a good mother yet he neglects his own children. How does he feel about Edna’s mothering skills? Leonce is dissatisfied with Edna’s mothering skills. He is definitely not a believer in equal parenting; he believes that it is a mother’s place to look after her children, while a man must make a living.

He thinks that Edna is distant and neglectful of her children, and he argues with Edna because he believes that one of their sons has a fever, while Edna disagrees. Why does Edna cry? Edna cries because she is overwhelmed by emotion and does not know how to truly express herself. She feels “an indescribable oppression, which…fills her whole being with a vague anguish”. She does not entirely understand why she is crying, but knows that she is suffering through a strange and indescribable mood that she has never felt before. How do others feel about Leonce? Others like and respect Leonce. One of the reasons for this is that he always brings people presents from his business trips. “Ladies, men, children, even nurses were always on hand to say good-by to him”, indicating that they want to express their affection for him. (Chopin 7). For example, when Edna shares the box of patés and bonbons with her friends, they all remark that he is the best husband in the world.