Edna locates her friend’s address only with difficulty and “her desire to see Mademoiselle Reisz had increased tenfold since these unlooked-for obstacles had arisen to thwart it.” Her response to the temporary unattainability of her friend is another expression of Edna’s propensity for desiring the unobtainable, the forbidden—a lifelong feature exaggerated by her newly flourishing rebellious soul. She has a contrarian’s spirit, desiring that which is denied for perhaps no more reason than the denial. This aspect of her character casts doubt on the sincerity of the infatuations she has experienced throughout her life, including her current obsession with Robert.
Note that Madame Lebrun’s house appears prison-like, dominated by iron bars that “were a relic of the old régime . . . no one had ever thought of dislodging them.” The bars symbolize social constraints on women that may not be necessary or appropriate but remain in place out of custom and lack of conscious examination. Edna is looking to take the bars off her life and forge her own path.
Victor, ever the rebel, recognizes the new development in her character, remarking to his mother that the “city atmosphere has improved her. Some way she doesn’t seem like the same woman.” Indeed she finds herself indulging Victor in his wild, slightly off-color stories of his adventures in the city, “remembering too late that she should have been dignified and reserved.” Victor is as charismatic as his brother, successful in engaging Edna’s lust for life, as his appearance at Edna’s party in Chapter XXX attests.
