Perspectives on Love in the Awakening Although Kate Chopin wrote her novel, The Awakening, in the late 19th century, her vision of things like love, romance, and relationships is extraordinarily modern. Through Mr. Pontellier, Edna Pontellier, and Robert Lebrun, Chopin presents his views on love versus “romantic love.” Chopin uses Pontellier's marriage to predict the modern view of love and the relationship between Edna and Robert to represent the concept of romantic love. These relationships are Chopin's keen perception of the attitude towards love and romance almost a century later. In the novel, Mr. Pontellier and Edna appear to have a very superficial relationship. They realize each other's needs, but neither feels obligated to give more than necessary to their marriage. For example, early in the story Mr. Pontellier decides to go to a club called Klein's. When Edna asks him if he'll be back in time for dinner, he just shrugs and they both realize he probably won't be coming to dinner. They understand each other well enough to accept it as part of their marriage, but they make no effort to improve their relationship, nor do they appear to want to improve it. Communication, which is a vital part of a healthy relationship, is of little importance to them. They simply accept their marriage as part of life, almost like a duty. Their marriage seems like a product of convenience and social standards, not love and passion. This type of relationship tends to lead to the objectification of either the man or the woman, if not both, within a marriage. In this case, Mr. Pontellier regards his wife as his possession. On page 44, Mr. Pontellier tells his wife that... halfway through the paper......one of these infatuations dies, the true emotions between the couple are sometimes called into question. Robert realized that their relationship would not be able to move beyond the romantic love stage to become true love. If romantic love is approached with maturity and understanding, however, it need not be unfortunate. While romantic love can sometimes seem frivolous but exciting, the love found in today's marriages can be just the opposite. Sometimes it's part of the routine. A spouse can get caught up in the duties of their marriage and forget that true love should also be invigorating. Daily habits, such as working, cooking, cleaning, paying bills, can become boring, taking the focus away from the love found in the marriage, leaving the impression that the problem is within the marriage, not oneself. It's easy to forget that love is a two-way street.