Much has been written about Kate Chopin's defiant women, however, very little has been written about Chopin's defiant men (Brown). Some of these characters have experiences that parallel those of the women. Just as a woman in an intimate moment with a man awakens to an inner self buried beneath a culturally sanctioned social one, so does a man. Just as women defy social expectations for women in the Creole culture, so do men that defy culture's masculine norm. Chopin introduces a range of Creole male types, men who are very conservative in their social and political views, and others who see themselves as socially progressive. Three such characters in The Awakening are Leonce Pontellier, Alcee and Robert Lebrun.
             "Leonce is convinced that fulfilling monetary needs excuses the paucity of time he spends with the children, never presuming that some needs cannot be monetarily satisfied (Brown, 72). Brown describes Leonce as having self-pity due to his empowererment. With the privileges of wealth and social standing comes self-debasement. He is so caught up in his own ideals that he fails to see his reaction to his wife, and children. He is caught in turmoil between society and having no other way out and does not spend time with his family while at the summer cottage. Having never cultivated intimacy with his children and wife, Leonce would rather be with "the boys", having fun, doing his own thing, leaving all the everyday responsibilities to his wife, or hired help.
             Leonce is out of his element when not doing business. While at home he expects his wife to be attentive to his every word, treating him more like a prospective business partner than her husband. He does not accept Edna's lack of attention, and gets at her the only way he can, through her children. Leonce has a chance to vent his discouragement toward his wife. "He thought it very discouraging that his wife, the sole object o...