Preview

Love And Passion In Kate Chopin's Short Story 'The Storm'

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1185 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Love And Passion In Kate Chopin's Short Story 'The Storm'
The concept of love and passion can be considered an immeasurable emotion within the interconnections of a relationship. The author, Kate Chopin demonstrates in her short story "The Storm”, the symbolization for the role that passion plays in a romantic human relationship. Looking at the parallels, the writer uses her main characters and imagery to engage the readers with descriptions of the coming storm and the building of tension between two characters specifically; Calixta and Alcee Laballiere. It is there that the author composes a case, which is the ideology of passion operating outside the moral confines of the social order within love and marriage. The symbolic nature of the storm can be discussed along with the ambiance that is found at the beginning of the story while foreshadowing many important moments of forewarning that serve to amplify the impact of the storm as a figurative design. The very nature of a storm is to replenish while dissipating with no destruction it's way, as oppose to its violent and opposite reaction of disruption and chaos. In “The Storm” Chopin’s foreboding description of the weather lends a false sense of worry to the reader in which Bobinot and his son Bibi, the lead character's husband and son are in the midst of encountering what looks to be a massive troublesome rainstorm. "Bobinot, who was …show more content…
However, due to the ambiguous passion of Calixta and Alcee the reader is conflicted in wanting to know is this a first-time affair or has this been a long lingering love that has been kept in dark shadows. Chopin allows her reader to feel there is an allowance to release the inner desires of passion in order to experience the outcome can occur. The allegory of "The Storm" sheds light in possibly leading the reader to wonder will their act of passion and intimacy lead to destruction just as the actual storm will do so in
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Local Color in Chopin's "The Storm"
    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Local Color in Chopin's "The Storm"

    In Kate Chopin’s “The Storm,” we see a multitude of literary themes. The most important among those is her use of local color. This short story was written in the late nineteenth century at a time when women were to be seen, not heard. Chopin had a different outlook on life and it showed in her writing. Though some believe it may not have been her intention to use local color in her stories, she does. We see local color in the setting she chooses, the descriptive colors she uses, the plot of the story, and also though the narrator’s eyes.…

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Analysis Of Kate Chopin's Short Story 'The Storm'
    • 82 Words
    • 1 Page

    Analysis Of Kate Chopin's Short Story 'The Storm'

    The short story “The Storm,” is about a woman who attempts to conform to society’s norm of marriage, but discovers a different way to satisfy her sexual needs which in the end results in happiness and fulfillment. Chopin brilliantly revolves the story around a storm, hence the title. Literally, a storm means a disturbance of the normal condition of the atmosphere, manifested by an unusual force, which is exactly what she depicts throughout the story with the affair between Calixta and Alcee.…

    • 82 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Comparison Of Social Norms In The Hands By Sherwood Anderson And The Storm
    • 1420 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Comparison Of Social Norms In The Hands By Sherwood Anderson And The Storm

    The setting of the house during the storm develops an environment of solitude without guilt normally caused by social norms. The removal of social norms and the complete isolation of the setting allow Calixta to fully express her sexuality. Since “the rain was coming down in sheets and obscuring the view of far-off cabins,” Calixta and Alcee were completely isolated from the rest of society(Chopin). The setting during the storm “is remarkable...for the freedom it asserts in the face of the suffocating conventionality of the 1890’s”(Bender 158). The momentary setting with the storm creates a world within the world where no restrictions exist and where Calixta is free to express her sexuality. The intensity of this setting does not scare Calixta. The purpose of the setting is to show a contrast between surroundings with restrictive norms versus the absence of these norms. Ultimately the house during the storm gives Calixta freedom of expression. A similar situation occurs in Wing Biddlebaum’s life as a…

    • 1420 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Similar Women in Kate Chopin's "The Storm" and "Desiree's Baby" Essay Example
    • 1558 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Similar Women in Kate Chopin's "The Storm" and "Desiree's Baby" Essay Example

    It’s almost as if we can see Calixta in our minds from reading this passage (17). Chopin’s main female roles in “The Storm” and “Desiree’s Baby” share their love for their children and their love for someone they care for, but Calixta does not seem to care for her husband while Desiree is very devoted to her spouse.…

    • 1558 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Calixta's Affair In 'The Storm'
    • 700 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Calixta's Affair In 'The Storm'

    In any marriage, it is important for the wife to feel secured, loved, and to receive sexual gratification to maintain a strong commitment to her husband. Unfortunately, in Kate Chopin's "The Storm," Calixta does not receive all of these things from her husband Bobinot. Calixta's husband Bobinot lacks a sense of power and control in their marriage and also leaves her feeling sexually frustrated. Calixta's encounter with Alcee Laballiere also reminds her of her dull marriage and the passion her and Alcee has once shared. Because of the unfulfillment of her marriage to Bobinot, Calixta is driven to commit adultery with Alcee.…

    • 700 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Comparing Kate Chopin's The Storm And The Awakening
    • 1827 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Comparing Kate Chopin's The Storm And The Awakening

    Immoral. Sensual. Daring. These words reverberated into a woman’s world while society forcibly stamped their disapproval and rejected the Kate Chopin outright. Unconventional, intelligent, and gracious, she matched society with her quick Irish wit and charmed anyone who knew her. Not satisfied with the women’s role in society, she provocatively stirred emotions, thoughts, and ideas in her writings. Two such classic examples are “The Storm” and The Awakening. The idea for a woman to have sexual desires, human connections, and forthright adultery shocked and revolted the society she lived. This unconventional, innovative poet did not deter away her own personal thoughts and feelings from her judgmental peers. She relied on and stayed…

    • 1827 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Multiple Emotions In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour
    • 203 Words
    • 1 Page

    Multiple Emotions In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

    In Kate Chopin's “The Story of an Hour”, Mrs. Mallord experiences multiple emotions. After hearing of her husband's death, Mrs. Mallord goes through different stages of grieving. She experiences grief, relief, and remorse. The first emotion she experiences is grief. “ She wept with sudden abandonment in her sister’s arms” is an example of her sorrow ( Chopin 223). The next emotion she feels is relief. After being married to Mr. Mallord for so long she is relieved to be a free women. She whispers “free, free, free” repeatedly to herself in her bedroom ( 224). She also states “ Free! Body and soul, free” showing her relief of finally being an independent woman(224). After feeling joy of being a free woman, she starts to feel remorse. Mrs. Mallord…

    • 203 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Passion In Chopin's The Awakening
    • 360 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Passion In Chopin's The Awakening

    Man often pairs logical rationale with the underlying emotional basis for his decisions, but emotion ceases to exist when it no longer parallels the rationale. At the beginning, Monsieur Aubigny’s passion for Désirée awakens with the ferocity of all “that drives headlong over all obstacles.” Chopin compares its tenacity to an avalanche and a prairie fire, giving the impression of strength and omnipotence, and Monsieur Aubigny uses this passion to justify his quick courtship and marriage to Désirée. However, just as the fire and the avalanche, his passion weakens with every obstacle. Upon his realization that Désirée gave birth to an African-American child, his passion immediately freezes. He loses his humanity, indifferent to Désirée’s pleas…

    • 360 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Who Is Kate Chopin's Essay 'The Storm'
    • 1132 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Who Is Kate Chopin's Essay 'The Storm'

    Chopin 's essay begins with Calixta 's better-half and husband Boinot and there four-year-old son Bibi, away at a local grocery store retrieving a few items. Noticing a few somber clouds filed with a tempest intention, Boinot and Bibi are strained to stay out of the rain and insist on taking cover at the grocery store. This storm is ultimately the cause and reason for Calixta 's infidelity. The storm is Calixta 's way to keep husband and son away while she is secretly having an affair. There 's no way on earth that Calixta could have planed any of this out. It just so happened, that everything fell right into place. Even Sylvie, Calixta 's maid and helper happen to be away while the affair was going on.…

    • 1132 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Storm Institution
    • 441 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Storm Institution

    In The Storm, lovemaking is illustrated as free and enjoyable. For Calixta, who is unhappy with her husband Bobinôt, adultery with Alcée is more satisfying than any intercourse with her husband; it is with Alcée that “her firm, elastic flesh knew for the first time its birthright” (Chopin,559-60). Lovemaking with Alcée was “like a white flame which……

    • 441 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Storm By Kate Chopin Literary Analysis
    • 672 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Storm By Kate Chopin Literary Analysis

    In Kate Chopin’s “The Storm,” both the plot and the setting of the story help support each other. Chopin was gifted in her use of the setting to strengthen the plot symbolically; in doing so she created a powerful atmosphere. The atmosphere created by Chopin’s style of writing gave “The Strom” a sense of excitement that raised the temperature of the reader’s blood and kept them turning the page for more.…

    • 672 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rip Van Winkle Research Paper
    • 1682 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Rip Van Winkle Research Paper

    The character Calixta is bound by the conventions of society, and is afraid to pursue Alcee, the man she loves. It is unacceptable in the society of her day for a woman to pursue a man, and so Calixta loses Alcee to Clarisse who behaves unconventionally and declares her love to Alcee. Calixta must settle for Bobinot who is in love with her. Besides showing how the reality of society's conventions affects the lives of the characters, the story also explores another reality. At the end Chopin writes that Alcee has forgotten Calixta whom he whispered words of love to at the ball. She is like a myth, and Clarisse who is in front of him becomes the only one who is real to him. This is a reflection on the impact of actual reality, physical presence, as opposed to memory, or fantasy. Alcee ends up with Clarisse, not because he does not love Calixta, but because Clarisse is real, in front of him and declaring her…

    • 1682 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Storm By Susan Chopin Literary Analysis
    • 898 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Storm By Susan Chopin Literary Analysis

    In the 1980’s, women had distinctive roles in society, especially within their marriage. One contrast of gender roles within a marriage at that time was that men cheated and women were supposed to be ignorant to the cheating or accept it as though it were a fact of life. Calixta and Bobinot’s distinctive roles within their marriage seemed to be switched. As the storm was building, Calixta “felt no uneasiness” (81) about Bobinot and Bibi’s return from the store even though there was a storm coming. One perceives this as representing men’s attitude about their family when they were away from their family. Men had no desire to be reminded of the family that they were away from. Contrastingly, Bobinot and Bibi are concerned about Calixta and how she is going to fair during the storm. Bobinot “sat stolidly” (81) thinking about Calixta while waiting for the storm to pass. Chopin’s use of diction highlights the idea that women were considered thoughtless and stupid individuals. Also, once the storm was over, Bobinot “was the embodiment of serious solicitude” (83) because he was nervous about what the “over-scrupulous” (83) Calixta would say. This illustrates an expectation of perfection that was placed on women no matter the circumstances. Once Calixta seemed to be more concerned with their arrival than their appearance, Bobinot and Bibi were able to “relax and enjoy themselves” (84). Many could…

    • 898 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Storm
    • 364 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Storm

    In Kate Chopin's “The Storm” we are presented with a story about an affair. This act of adultery took place between two individuals whom had already been involved romantically in the past. Calixta and Alcee, both who are presently married, were reunited and forced together after many years by the titular storm. Whilst Calixta is at home with her old fling Alcee, her husband Bobinot and son Bibi are out in the storm, and not knowing their whereabouts is making Calixta very worried; putting her in a vulnerable place. Alcee attempting to comfort her brings up old memories, memories that rekindled a suppressed passion from their youth. In the story, Alcee mentions that he was always unable to follow through with his desires for Calixta in the past, but now it was different. They engaged in sex, shortly after the storm ends and they both go on about their day. Everything is normal and unchanged when Bobinot and Bibi return home, the actions that Calixta committed didn’t weight heavily in her conscious.…

    • 364 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Roles Of Men And Women In The Gilded Age
    • 1163 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Roles Of Men And Women In The Gilded Age

    Alcee ask him if he can come in the house for shelter till the storm passes. While the storm is passing Alcee and Calixta begin to have having feelings for each other and had sex. After the storm passes Alcee leaves the house with a smile, and then her husband and his son Bibi came back home thinking that Calixta will be mad since they are filled with mud but she didn’t care because she was just filled with joy to see them again. There are two types of storms happening in the story, the first storm is describe as dark cloud, winds, rain, and lighting, and then there is the other storm that we can’t see which is the storm of passion, pleasure, and love.…

    • 1163 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics