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The Awakening of The Storm
In Kate Chopin’s short story “The Storm” and novel The Awakening, Chopin develops the overall theme that happiness and freedom is achieved in unconventional ways using characterization, metaphors and symbolism.
In Kate Chopin’s short story “The Storm” and novel The Awakening, Chopin develops the overall theme that happiness and freedom is achieved in unconventional ways using characterization. In Chopin’s short story “The Storm”, Chopin develops the theme through the character Calixta. Calixta is a housewife that realizes how unhappy she is in her marriage and seeks out the attention of another man causing her to step out of her marriage. Calixta finds herself in a storm with this man who she is having an affair
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In Chopin’s short story “The Storm”, Chopin develops the theme by using the “storm” with a physical and emotional meaning. “The Storm” has a double meaning behind the title. One meaning is a physical meaning, “The growl of the thunder was distant and passing away. The rain beat softly upon the shingles, inviting them to drowsiness and sleep.” (Chopin 87). Chopin describes the physical storm that is brewing throughout the short story. Another meaning of the “storm” is an emotional meaning, “He was getting along nicely; and though he missed them, he was willing to bear the separation a while longer—realizing that their health and pleasure were the first things to be considered.” (Chopin 88). Calixta has an emotional storm within herself because she wants to be happy but she can not find that happiness within her marriage and family. In Chopin’s novel The Awakening, Chopin develops the overall theme by using metaphors throughout the novel. Chopin uses the society that Edna lives in as a metaphor for being trapped and not able to have the freedom she wants. The society Edna lives in is temporary for her and is strict about what is and is not accepted by societies views, “Their freedom of expression was at first incomprehensible to her, though she had no difficulty in reconciling it with a lofty chastity …show more content…
In Chopin’s short story “The Storm”, Chopin uses symbolism throughout the story to develop the overall theme. Chopin uses the town Assumption as a symbol for the lost love with Alcee and where Calixta lost her ability to meet her needs and desires, “He looked down into her eyes and there was nothing for him to do but gather her lips in a kiss. It reminded him of Assumption. Assumption: a parish west of New Orleans.” (Page 86). Calixta and Alcee met long ago but as time went on her desires grew stronger causing her to seek out unconventional ways to become happy even if it is for a short time. In Chopin’s novel The Awakening, Chopin uses symbolism throughout the novel to develop the overall theme. Chopin begins the novel by writing about a parrot that is trapped inside a cage. The parrot is used as a symbol to compare how the bird is trapped to how Edna feels trapped inside her life, “A GREEN AND YELLOW PARROT, which hung in a cage outside the door, kept repeating over and over.” (Chopin 3). Edna can be compared to a trapped bird wanting to fly away and be free but is unable to do
Chopin, Kate. "The Awakening." The Norton Anthology of American Literature.. Gen. ed. Nina Baym. 8th ed. Vol. C. New York: Norton, 2012. 561-652. Print.
The world has always known that women were not given all of their rights. During the 19th century and even before then, most of the time women were just forced to do what they were told and what the society expected from them. Women didn’t get to make their own choices. They couldn’t fall in love, work, or be part of the society in any possible way. They were born to get old, marry, and take care of their husbands, house, and kids. Kate Chopin was one of the authors who wrote multiple stories about women and feminism. In Kate Chopin’s “The Storm,” Calixta was married, but when she saw Alcee she ignored the fact that she was married and she committed adultery with him. Kate Chopin describes how Calixta is unhappy with her married life, and how she finds happiness in adultery.
In Kate Chopin’s story “The Storm” it talks about love and lust. It speaks of two kind of storm that occurs. These two storms I find to be the central part of the story, and is being represented as a symbol within the story. The first storm is the most obvious one that Bibi and Bobinot are faced with. The second storm isn’t that visible for it involves Calixta and Alcee. Just as like most storms they come and pass.
In her article, Maria Anastasopoulou writes how ‘’Edna…is an individual who undergoes a change of consciousness that is designated by the concept of the awakening in the title of the novel’’ (19). The novel, as Anastosopoulou continues, is about the ‘’emerging individuality of a woman who refuses to be defined by the prevailing stereotype of passive femininity’’ (20). At the beginning, Chopin writes how her husband looked at Edna ‘’as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage’’ (4). Edna accepts this submissive position, unlike Margaret. She goes about her life rather passively, a subordinate to her husband. Her first awakening into a defiant, back-boned character, begins in chapter three. ‘’It was strange and unfamiliar; it was a mood’’ (15) is how Chopin describes the stirring of her awakening. When she looks out, the sea is described as a ‘’seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamouring, murmuring-‘’ (34) creature. A symbol of her soul, it was now rising. Like Margaret Hale, she had resisted social normal, but, unlike Margaret, Edna was quiet about her beliefs. The more Edna becomes her true self, the more atmospheric the novel becomes. Chopin differs from other novels in the way the novel develops from realism to more of an atmospheric
All in all, Kate Chopin is able to combine two very different aspects of life and involve the relationship and symbolism of the storm to physical needs, sexual desires, and new and profound joy. By bringing these two parallel subjects together, the author is able to show the deeper meaning of one simple word, “storm,” and reveal a story that shows the attitudes and beliefs towards marriage and sex. In doing so, Chopin creates a strong point of view between these two subjects and allows for the view of regulations of sex and marriage to be shown throughout her short story, “The Storm.”
Throughout history writers have offered readers lessons through themes and often symbolized. In the story, “The Storm” by Kate Chopin is quite different from “The Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid; both have a different theme, symbol, throughout the stories. “The Storm” in Kate Chopin 's story can symbolize a number of different things: temporary, fleeting and quick action, and without consequences.
Breaking away from society’s “so-called” customs/norms incorporates a large array of valor, inspiration, and most importantly, individuality. Society places normalities upon its people in order to maintain stability and often times, tradition. More specifically, gender roles, such as women raising children; men being the only source of profit, must also be broken in order to establish uniqueness and distinction in a conventional- themed culture, such as Victorian society. Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is perhaps the only novel that fully illustrates the struggle that is leaving Victorian ideals and tradition from a woman’s perspective. Although often considered a feminist text, The Awakening can be viewed as a novel that depicts and promotes individuality using symbolism. Instead of plastering readers with dull literalism, Chopin uses symbols, such birds and music, to relay subtle ideas. Within each fictive part, Chopin provides symbolism that readers must comprehend in order to appreciate the novel as a whole.
A storm defined by the Princeton dictionary means "violent weather condition, or a direct and violent assault " Kate Chopin personifies and creates imagery of a dark ominous storm heading from the distance with an ominous presence and dark intentions. “…sombre clouds that were rolling with sinister intention from the west, accompanied by a sullen, threatening roar.” The calm before the storm is all but gone, the storm pressing closer and closer, yet, Calixta is not doing much before the unavoidable storm hits her home. By the use of symbolism Kate Chopin shows that Calixta willingly opens herself up in the beginning of the story. “She unfastened her white sacque at the throat” what can this represent? This poor defenseless woman lets her neck out in the open; just like an antelope in the wild that is tired of ruing from a lion gives up by turning their neck towards their predator and giving up their jugular. Calixta is not deterred by the ideals of the time and decides to take her conventional life out of the norm. Rebecca Long-Kluckner from the Association of Young Journalists and writers, writes the folloing "Kate Chopin wrote in a time period that believed women did not even possess sexual desires, but only behaved pro...
The first thing I noticed about Kate Chopin’s “The Storm,” is that it is utterly dripping with sexual imagery and symbolism. Our heroine, if you will, seems to be a woman with normally restrained passions and a well-defined sense of propriety, who finds herself in a situation that tears down her restraint and reveals the vixen within. I wonder if it was intentional that the name Calixta makes me think of Calypso – the nymph from Greek mythology. If half of the sexual symbolism I found in this story was intentional, Chopin was a genius. I was quite taken with the sexual imagery of the colors mentioned: white, and red. There is also mention a place called Assumption, while there’s nothing written on it in the bible, I believe it’s the popular opinion of those of Christian faiths, that Mary (Jesus’ mother) going to heaven was called “The Assumption.” Again, I cannot accept that as merely a happy coincidence, I believe its mention in the story was intentional. Finally, we have the storm, so central to the theme of the story that it was named for it. In this work, as well as others by Chopin, there is a recurring theme of infidelity, or women behaving in ways that society generally doesn’t accept, women behaving badly, if you will, I cannot help but wonder if Kate Chopin used her writing to express desires that she would not otherwise have expressed.
The short story “The Storm” by Kate Chopin, deals with the subject of adultery. The story takes place in the early 1900’s. There are two main characters, Calixta (the wife) and Alcee (the former lover). Alcee must take refuge from a passing storm in Calixta’s house, while he is there the two end up making love while Calixta’s husband and son have to wait out the storm at the local store. By doing this Chopin implies the theme that is, adultery is natural and does not necessarily have negative consequences. Through out the story the constant changing of imagery plays a great role in the development of characters and their ability to demonstrate the theme.
These two themes are built upon two main characters. Even the smallest details of these characters bring out the themes in a way that can only give the story a happy ending. Calixta still has a place in her heart for Alce, her prince charming, which gives the affair a chance to happen. The overall story is symbolized through the color white and the passing storm which intensifies all of the emotions in the story. “The Storm” was a controversial story that many did not approve of when it was first written. Today it is appreciated, along with most of Chopin’s work, as an important part of the feminine
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. New York: W.W. Norton, 2007. 535-625. Print.
primarily sexuality. Chopin declares that women are capable of overt sexuality in which they explore and enjoy their sexuality. Chopin shows that her women are capable of loving more than one man at a time. They are not only attractive but sexually attracted (Ziff 148). Two of Chopin’s stories that reflect this attitude of sexuality are The Awakening and one of her short stories “The Storm”. Although critics now acclaim these two stories as great accomplishments, Chopin has been condemned during her life for writing such vulgar and risqué pieces. In 1899 Chopin publishes The Awakening. She is censured for its “positively unseemly” theme (Kimbel 91). Due to the negative reception of The Awakening Chopin never tries to publish “The Storm”. She feels that the literary establishment can not accept her bold view of human sexuality (Kimbel 108). Chopin definitely proves to be an author way ahead of her time.
Calixta and Alce, the two main characters in the short story “The Storm” by Kate Chopin, are sexual, mature, and knowing adults. By having them discover amazing sex outside their marriages, they return to their own marriages renewed. Chopin openly condones adultery due to the fact that the characters are not punished and in the end “everyone was happy” (paragraph 40) . A common theme of fresh sexuality and desire is seen in this story though symbols and other literary elements. Kate Chopin is an American author that wrote short stories and novels in the 20th century.
...way that the story is being interpreted and how the storm influences the story as a whole. Sometimes people need a wakeup call or a 'storm' to make them aware of how good they have things. In this short story Alcee and Calixta both come to realization of how good they have things with their spouses and how that they already found the ones that they love, which weren't each other. This made me aware of how we as people can take things for granted or believing we know what’s best for us. In reality we don't always know what’s best until something occurs and shows us that what we already have is the best.