A Literary Analysis of "The Storm" by Kate Chopin
In this essay, we will talk about The Storm Kate Chopin analysis. The short story “The Storm” by Kate Chopin is about Bobinot and their 4-year-old son Bibi as they go out shopping at the market. While out shopping they get caught in the storm having to stay there until the storm passes. While Bobinot and Bibi are out, Bobinot worries that his wife will be ok at home. Not only Calixta is home alone, but she also fixes the house as the storm rolls in. As she was fixing things around the house and for her husband and child to return home, she sees her former lover, Alcee outside in the rain and invites him in. Soon as Calixta invites Alcee into the house, they begin to be passionate and experience the old flame they had for each other and have an affair as the storm rages outside. The passion for their affair can be shown through symbolism, imagery, and Irony.
The storm itself plays an important role in the story. The symbol of the storm is presented in the story through the passion that Calixta and Alcee experience while in the house together with each other. “The contact of her warm, palpitating body when he had unthinkingly drawn her into his arms, had aroused all the old-time infatuation and desire for her flesh.” The author expresses how's the passion that Calixta and Alcee have been smoldering for years is now finally able to be released. According to Allen Stein’s “The Kaleidoscope of Truth: A New Look at Chopin's 'The Storm” the storm surges on the outside and the lovemaking between the two parallels with each other at different levels representing the pent-up sexual tension between Calixta and Alcee experience and the furious storm happening outside.
While the storm does parallel the physical storm that happening outside the house. It also shows the sexual pent-up tension Calixta and Alcee has to see each other again after a long time even though she married with a child.“ A bolt struck a tall chinaberry tree at the edge of the field. It filled all visible space with a blinding glare and the crash seemed to invade the very boards they stood upon”. Chopin suggested that the storm in the story represents the forbidden passion that Calixta and Alcee share, now that Calixta is now married. Also, the intensification of the love and passion that the two have for each other. Not only that, the story suggests that the intensification of their sexual tension has grown over time.
Kate Chopin 'The Storm' analysis shows that the storm uses imagery to create a sensuous image of Calixta’s femininity to describe her fertility and beauty through flowers in the story. “Her firm, elastic flesh that was knowing for the first time its birthright, was like a creamy lily that the sun invites to contribute its breath and perfume to the undying life of the world.” The author describes Calixta’s fertility by mentioning flowers' perfume and life-giving quality. In Christopher Baker’s explanation of Chopin’s use of imagery to show how nature and Calixta and Alcee’s affair are connected through the connection of the flowers. While in the paper the author uses Chopin’s educational background to connect the meaning of Calixta’s name to show how in a botanical term her name means protective covering.
Not only that the author uses imagery in how the passion of the characters was fated to meet again. This is representing the storm through bringing rain and thus trapping the two together in the house. “My! what a rain! It's good two years since it rains? like that,” exclaimed Calixta as she rolled up a piece of bagging and Alcée helped her to thrust it beneath the crack.” Chopin shows how the rain from the storm is inescapable and how the couple’s shared urges are also inescapable. Alcee must go inside the house to avoid getting drenched outside, while Calixta worked on the pouch to keep the house together while her husband and son are out somewhere. The exact thing that both of them wanted to avoid, attracted them together.
In the story yard, the Chinaberry tree shows how Calixta has already succumbed to her temptations from her old feelings for Alcee. And while succumbing to her old feeling she cries out in worrying about her husband and son. “A bolt struck a tall chinaberry tree at the edge of the field. It filled all visible space with a blinding glare and the crash seemed to invade the very boards they stood upon.” The chinaberry tree serves to represent the lovers themselves, struck by their old desire as if they were a lightning bolt yet more fall out from the raging storm. By Calixta succumbing to her desire but still worrying about her husband and child, she still cares about them even though she’s having an affair with another man from her past. The author uses the image of the storm to represent the sexual tension that builds throughout the story between Alcee and Calixta. The lightning and thunder that are about to strike the tree outside of Calixta's home foreshadow the sexual encounter that is about to take place.
When Alcee was asking Calixta if she remembers Assumption is an example of verbal Irony. “He looked down into her eyes and there was nothing for him to do but to gather her lips in a kiss. It reminded him of Assumption.” This refers to where their old sexual encounter where they gave in to their desire to explore the depths of their ecstasy. And Not only that Alcee asks if Calixta would perform those same act of passion that the two embarks on, while Calixta who has a husband and child. While Alcee’s Assumption is a city that refers to Alcee’s “assumption” where that Calixta has a husband and a child now. And now Alcee is thinking Calixta will not agree to have an affair with him again because she is now married.
While the storm was raging outside, Calixta was worrying about out loud the safety of Bobinot and Bibi that might be caught in the storm. But while she is with Alcee in the house she starts to worry about the safety of her husband and child and Alcee goes to comfort her to put her nerves at ease.“I got enough to do! An there's Bobinôt with Bibi out in that storm—if he only did? left Friedheimer's!” “Let us hope, Calixta, that Bobinôt's got sense enough to come in out of a cyclone.” The way that Calixta is worrying about her husband and son but while in a house with her past lover, created a way for Alcee to get close to Calixta again. And by Calixta worrying about them and the storm ultimately brought them together. The quote does a good job of diminished Calixta’s anxiety and on the other hand, it allows Alcee to assume it is his right to come in out of the storm that later, itself, leads to the affair.
The storm by Kate Chopin is about a passionate encounter between former lovers Calixta and Alcée. “The Storm,” tells the story of two people with unrequited sexual chemistry having an affair in the house during a storm. In Allen Stein’s “The Kaleidoscope of Truth: A New Look at Chopin's 'The Storm' tells how the affair was unavoidable due to having both of them together inside due to the rain. The story’s use of symbolism was meant to show how the storm and the thunder and lightning that occur during the storm show the depths of their affections for each other. Kate Chopin uses imagery to create a sensual atmosphere to give readers the feeling of how Calixta and Alcee have affection for each other when they’re together. The Storm Kate Chopin Analysis Essay shows that the author uses deep symbolism in the book for the description of processes, characters, and relationships.
