Preview

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

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
82 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
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.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    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
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Awakening is a novel written by Kate Chopin first published in 1899. The novel centers around the character Edna Pontellier, a twenty-eight year-old woman married to a man she never loved. Edna struggles throughout the novel to be either the perfect Creole woman or to be true to herself. She reaches her breaking point at the end of the novel and takes her own life by drowning herself in the sea.…

    • 72 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    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
  • Better Essays

    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
  • Better Essays

    The essay of "The Storm", written by Kate Chopin, illustrates a story of one woman and one man drawn to each other by lust. Situated together by a storm, Calixta, the woman in this essay and "very married woman" has no choice but to let in an old friend and once loved companion out of the pouring rain. As a result, old flames spark a maybe-new relationship between the two. This essay is an alternative twist to many other stories dealing with unfaithfulness and infidelity, given that men are more prone to being accused of committing adultery with regard to women. This essay shows, no matter what the variables are "when the cat 's away the mice will play".…

    • 1132 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Storm Institution

    • 441 Words
    • 2 Pages

    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
  • Good Essays

    In Kate Chopin’s short story The Storm, the main character is Calixta. Calixta is the wife of Bobinot and the mother of Bibi. When the storm hits, Alcee, one of Calixta’s ex lovers, stops by to get out of the bad weather. As the story develops they reignite some of their old passion for one another but quickly realize after the storm is gone they must part ways. Calixta is a hard working wife and mother and she does her best to keep her house clean and her family happy.…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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
  • Good Essays

    “The Story of an Hour” is a two page short story written by Kate Chopin (born February 8, 1851 died August 22, 1904) (Larsson Donald, and Erskine Thomas 1), but despite its small size, it is filled with conflicting emotions and symbolism. The amount of well-hidden symbolism can make it very confusing, but it also gives the story an unlimited amount of meaning. At first glance, many may not realize that the sky is a symbol, or understand a kind “of joy that kills” (Chopin 128), and cannot comprehend the mental state someone must be in to fell “free” (129) from hearing of death of her spouse.…

    • 2338 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The complex history of two individuals in “The Storm” reveals a shocking of lust for one another that leads to sexual encounter. The simple sexual aspect of the two are forbidden with both currently married. The date range of the…

    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    plot. The story would not be so interesting if it weren't for the last line of the…

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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
  • Good Essays

    The Storm

    • 364 Words
    • 2 Pages

    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
  • Better Essays

    Kate Chopin "The Storm"

    • 1035 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The passionate love affair depicted in Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” could be seen has quite tame when compared to the romantic novels of today, but a sexual interlude and affair of a married woman would have been very brazen when it was written in 1898. Chopin’s short story challenged societies expectations and beliefs when it came to women, sex, and marriage. The female characters in “The Storm” don’t necessarily conform to those of the traditional 19th century woman when it comes to the themes of love, passion, marriage, freedom, and sexual desire.…

    • 1035 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Kate Chopin wrote the short story “The Storm” in 1898, but the story was not published until 1969. Gale Online Encyclopedia suggests, “One of Chopin’s better-known short stories, “The Storm” is a vignette exploring females desires that cannot be fulfilled in marriage.” (Brantley 1). This is apparent while Bobinot and Bibi are at the store waiting out the storm, Calixta is back at home committing adultery with Alcee. Calixta is doing this because sex with Alcee is more satisfying than sex with her own husband. “The Storm” focuses on sexualtity, adultry, and pyscholigical realism throughout and after the sexual encounter between Calixta and Alcee.…

    • 791 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays