Quote 6

"She had all her life long been accustomed to harbor thoughts and emotions which never voiced themselves. They had never taken the form of struggles. They belonged to her and were her own, and she entertained the conviction that she had a right to them and that they concerned no one but herself."

Mrs. Pontellier was finding the power of having hidden feelings and now knows that it's no one's concern what she has inside. As I was growing up, I was learning the same thing. A child isn't afraid of speaking there mind, yet a child's feelings are hurt immediately. In the course of growing up, one learns to not care what other people think and this builds a core. This core helps to strengthen and construct a safe mind when bad comments approach. Everyone in the world gets a comment no one wants to hear. The authors intent was to show the reader that the character Mrs. Pontellier went from a defenseless type of woman to a woman full of courage and determination. The courage she found within herself only to fulfill desires and needs she had been desperately seeking. Chopin's tone in this quote is mixture of reminiscing yet contentment. Mrs. Pontellier reminisces on her old way of living but then she is extremely content with her life.