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The Storm Symbolism

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The Storm Symbolism
Symbolisms in Kate Chopin's "The Storm"

Kate Chopin's "The Storm" is a short story written in 1898 but was not published until 1969. The story explores an excess of turbulent emotions of the protagonists in the backdrop of unexpected storm. Chopin effectively confronts the brewing conflict of the story by her unflinching depiction of the story through symbolisms. The symbolisms most evident in "The Storm" includes: the storm itself, Assumption, a small town in which the protagonists first met and whiteness as mentioned many times in the story. Chopin opens the first part of the story by using the illustration of the threatening storm with Calixta's husband, Bobinot: "Bobinot, who was accustomed to converse on terms of perfect equality with his little son, called the child's attention to certain somber clouds that were rolling with sinister intention from the west, accompanied by a sullen, threatening roar" (123). The storm is one of the obvious themes of the story. It is involve in practically every
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Storms is also known for its destructive effects. And lastly storms usually occurs briefly. The storm of passion that takes over Calixta and Alcee is depicted in the story as something beautiful and significant: "When he touched her breasts they gave themselves up in quivering ecstacy, inviting his lips. Her mouth was a fountain of delight. And when he possessed her, they seemed to swoon together at the very botherland of life's mystery" (125).The text explores the beauty of abandon within the rage of their passion Calixta and Alcee discovered. The symbolism "The Storm" in the story is intended to reflect Calixta's sub-conscious sexual longing as a result of her inadequate conjugal relationship with her husband. Just as the climatic storm takes in the characters in the story by surprise, the emotional storm of sexual fulfillment takes her by surprise. She realizes this arousal only after it passed and after the fact

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