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Chopin mainly uses straightforward, matter-of-fact prose in order to capture life as it is, without ornament. In describing Edna in Chapter 2, Chopin writes, “Mrs. Pontellier's eyes were quick and bright; they were a yellowish brown, about the color of her hair.” This description gives the reader a brief sketch of Edna, allowing them to instantly picture her. In addition, Chopin uses untranslated French dialogue, accurately portraying Creole culture. For example, when Adèle warns Robert to stop flirting with Edna in Chapter 7, Robert exclaims, “Voila que Madame Ratignolle est jalouse,” to which Adèle gives an English response. This bilingual conversation gives the reader the impression that they have caught a glimpse of real Creole life. However, the language describing both Edna’s mood and her encounters with the sea becomes more poetic. Chopin describes the oppression Edna feels after being upbraided by her husband as “like a shadow, like a mist passing across her soul's summer day.” In Chapter 16, Chopin writes, “The voice of the sea is seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander in abysses of solitude.” The string of gerunds like “whispering” and “clamoring” have a musical lilt to them, mimicking the sound of the gulf, and the misty weather imagery links Edna’s sadness to her natural surroundings. This stylistic change emphasizes the sea’s tie to the existential and philosophical aspects of Edna’s dilemma.
