In Response to The Adeles

Lulu posted and interesting blog here which compares Adele the famous and extremely talented singer to Adele Ratignolle from Kate Chopin's The Awakening. Lulu makes reference to descriptions of Mrs. Ratignolle from page 26, where the character is first introduced. She describes Mrs. Ratignolle as "another much weaker Adele" but I have to disagree. In this passage that introduces Adele Ratignolle I don't find any signs of weakness.
Mrs. Ratignolle seems to be quite confident in fact, the way she "was very fond of Mrs. Pontellier, and often she tok her sewing and went over to sit with her in the afternoons" shows that she was not shy. When Mrs. Ratignolle wanted to do something, she did it. Similarly, when sitting with Mrs. Pontellier on her porch, it was Mrs. Ragtignolle who "had possession of the rocker," despite the fact that it was Mrs. Pontellier's porch. This puts her in a position of power, not weakness and submission.
Mrs. Ratignolle is described by the author as beautiful, devoted to her husband and family. This is not to say that she is  a weak character. I believe that it is unfair to judge her as weak by comparing her to Adele the singer because their circumstances are much too different. The singer lives in our modern world that has already been through feminist movements. The character lives in a setting where her world is her family. The fact that she is content and devoted and does not lash out at society by no means makes her weak, it is apparent through close reading of the text that her personality is not one of submission. Perhaps Adele Ratignolle is not the most brave or daring of characters, but I certainly see no weakness in her.