The protagonist attends a party and hears emotional piano music from Mademoiselle Reisz, a woman who becomes detached from society to follow her passion for music. This inspires the young woman to follow her own dreams. Reisz, in turn, guides Edna by assisting her pursuit for true love while warning her of the conflicts that this path brings. Reisz aids Edna with her worries by permitting her to read the letters from Robert Lebrun, the man who awakens Edna with their forbidden love before moving to Mexico. This helps Edna to continue her journey in her awakening, as the narrator states, “Edna was sobbing, just as she had wept one midnight at Grand Isle when strange, new voices awoke in her” (Chapter 21). Another key point is when Reisz alerts Edna of the forthcoming struggles she will face. The musician assures Edna of the consequences to the path of liberty, testifying that, “The artist must possess the courageous soul, the soul that dares and defies” (Chapter
The protagonist attends a party and hears emotional piano music from Mademoiselle Reisz, a woman who becomes detached from society to follow her passion for music. This inspires the young woman to follow her own dreams. Reisz, in turn, guides Edna by assisting her pursuit for true love while warning her of the conflicts that this path brings. Reisz aids Edna with her worries by permitting her to read the letters from Robert Lebrun, the man who awakens Edna with their forbidden love before moving to Mexico. This helps Edna to continue her journey in her awakening, as the narrator states, “Edna was sobbing, just as she had wept one midnight at Grand Isle when strange, new voices awoke in her” (Chapter 21). Another key point is when Reisz alerts Edna of the forthcoming struggles she will face. The musician assures Edna of the consequences to the path of liberty, testifying that, “The artist must possess the courageous soul, the soul that dares and defies” (Chapter