Option 2

- “Walk Around the Lake” by Lost in the Trees: The music goes between intense dramatic melodies to calm tones and it reminds me of the constant ebb and flow of Edna’s life.  The following lines from the song remind me of the peace Edna finds from both painting and of the water, “I paint a lake/Sometimes all it takes is a walk around the lake to ease your mind.” This song belongs in to the scene in chapter 10 when Edna lies in the hammock till the wee hours of the morning after a late night swim, “Edna began to feel like one who awakens gradually out of a dream, a delicious, grotesque, impossible dream, to feel again the realities pressing into her soul” (Chopin 31). Although her “walk around the lake” or late night swim did not ease her mind necessarily, it brought her some clarity.
http://www.lyricsmania.com/walk_around_the_lake_lyrics_lost_in_the_trees.html

- “Breathe of Life” by Florence and the Machine: This song reminds me so much of Enda’s last encounter with Robert, full of passion, uncertainty, hope, and the absolute need to feel life flowing through her veins again. The lyrics remind me of her struggle of fighting the constrains of her marriage to be with Robert as a free woman in chapter 36.  I suggest reading these lyrics because not just one line or stanza relates to the story, but almost the whole song, http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/florencethemachine/breathoflife.html. An excerpt of Robert’s dialogue in this chapter fits well with these lyrics: “Because you were not free; you were Leonce Pontelliar’s wife. I couldn’t help loving you if you were ten times his wife” (Chopin 102).

- “Only if for a Night” by Florence and the Machine: This song reminds me of the almost fairytale retreat Robert and Edna had at Cheniere. On page 36 of chapter 8, Edna was falling asleep, Robert’s voice one of the last things she heard as she drifted off into a deep sleep. When she awoke “her eyes were bright and wide awake and her face glowed” (Chopin 36), which connected to the almost surreal theme of the song. The lyrics “and the only solution was to stand and fight/And my body was bruised and I was set alight/But you came over me like some holy rite/And although I was burning, you're the only light/Only if for a night” remind me Edna fighting the societal norms and constrains of her marriage by escaping to this island with Robert, their desire for each other becoming more evident as the distance between them and Grand Isle increased—even if only for an evening.

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/florencethemachine/onlyifforanight.html

- “What the Water Gave Me” by Florence and the Machine: This song to me should be playing during the final chapter (chapter 39) when Edna goes to the Gulf and ends up committing suicide. Her watery death connected to lyrics to the song, in my opinion: “So lay me down/Let the only sound/Be the overflow/Pockets full of stones,” “Cause she’s a cruel mistress/And a bargain must be made/But oh, my love, don’t forget me/When I let the water take me.” Previously in the novel, Edna described the water as seductive and maybe the “bargain” was her life for true freedom or a last defiance? The motivation and planning (or impulsiveness) of her suicide is not entirely clear to me. One of her last thoughts was of Robert (Chopin 109) and her infatuation/love of Robert combined her with need for attention connects to the lines “oh, my love, don’t forget me/when I let the water take me.”

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/florencethemachine/whatthewatergaveme.html

- “Never Let Me Go” by Florence and the Machine: This is another song that would fit really well to Edna’s last swim in the Gulf and suicide in chapter 39. The lyrics fit so perfectly with her peaceful mindset as she slipped away to death and our discussion in class of how Chopin was raised Catholic, so the suicide of a character in her book is shocking: “And it's peaceful in the deep/Cathedral where you cannot breathe/No need to pray, no need to speak/Now I am under all/ And it's breaking over me/A thousand miles down to the sea bed/Found the place to rest my head.” Also, that reminds me how Edna always wanted to swim far out and she was not praying or speaking in her last moments, just in deep thought. Also the lyrics “And the arms of the ocean are carrying me/And all this devotion was rushing out of me/In the crushes of heaven for a sinner like me/But the arms of the ocean delivered me” call forth Edna’s struggle with her mistakes but need for new adventures and internal quarrels with her own morals. Lastly, I think it’s important to pay close attention to these lyrics because I feel like it’s almost an explanation from Edna herself of her suicide, “Though the pressure's hard to take/It's the only way I can escape/It seems a heavy choice to make/And now I am under all/And it's over/And I'm going under/But I'm not giving up/I'm just giving in.” One of her last thoughts was “… it was too late; the shore was far behind her, and her strength was gone,” (Chopin 109). The pressures of society were too much but maybe was wasn’t giving up, but caving into her reality of never being able to live the life she desired and making one last defiant act?

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/florencethemachine/neverletmego.html

 

- “Bedroom Hymns” and “Cosmic Love” by Florence and the Machine would also make great selections! This particular artist just has dramatic melodies, a haunting voice, and intense, layered lyrics that remind me so much of Edna’s life and character.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0EVEXX9kpk