Exploring Sexuality

1340 Words3 Pages

“The Storm” by Kate Chopin is a short story that touches on the controversial subject of adultery. The two characters Calixta and Alcee were both happily married. They reunited spontaneously during the midst of a severe storm, when old feelings resurfaced. Their actions out of lust were feelings they had long forgotten. Soon enough the storm had calmed, and the two parted ways; smiling back at each other they said their goodbyes. Their actions were without the intention of being deceitful, but rather uncontrollable. In the end it is ironic that the infidelity strengthened one marriage’s relationship and made the other character realize the importance of marriage through his wrong doings.

Calixta is the wife of Bobinot, also the mother of their four year old son Bibi. The day the storm brewed in she was preoccupied sewing, unaware of the rolling clouds. Calixta obliviously did not worry for the boys’ safety in the storm, as Bobinot and Bibi were away in town. She was a caring wife and mother though. As soon as she realized the situation she rushed outside to grab her husband’s trousers and such hanging on a linen line to save from the rainfall. There outside was where she saw Alcee Laballiere. With good intentions she let Alcee wait out the storm on her porch. Though the severity of the rain led Alcee to proceed inside, Calixta could not help but fear for the well being of her husband and son. As the hard sheets of rain pounded the shingles, she became more afraid and concerned for young Bibi and hoped they were safe. Looking out at the storm, Calixta began to cry and staggered backwards into Alcee’s surrounding arms. ‘“Bonte!” she cried, releasing herself from his encircling arm and retreating from the window,’ (533). She ...

... middle of paper ...

...much and so loud that anyone might have heard them as far away as Laballiere’s” (534). On the other hand, Alcee Laballiere can also be considered as a dynamic character. After his acts of infidelity, he wrote a very loving letter to his wife. Alcee had a change of heart and unselfishly requested her stay away for a little longer, if that would make her happy. He continued and wrote, “though he missed them, he was willing to bear the separation a while longer-realizing that their health and pleasure were the first thing to be considered” (534). Alcee realized that his care and love for his wife was greater than his selfish needs that would detract her from something that made her happy.

Works Cited

Reesman, Jeanne. "The Storm." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. By Nina Baym and Arnold Krupat. 7th ed. Vol. C. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2007. 531-34. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Imagery in Chopin’s Storm and John Steinbeck's The Chrysanthemums

    1298 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the story "The Storm," Kate Chopin uses imagery throughout as a powerful instrument to convey the new sexual feelings that Calixta and Alcee are experiencing. In this story, words such as "thrust beneath the crack," and "her lips were as red and moist as pomegranate seed" are very good uses of imagery to show the sexuality of the characters. Throughout the story the description of the beauty of Calixta is repeated. At the beginning of the story Calixta is shown to be a caring wife and mother and there is no anger shown toward her husband. For example, she "hastened out to get them before the rain fell," she picked up Bobinot's Sunday clothes before the rain fell. If she was angry with Bobinot she would have left the clothes outside(147). Single words and phrases are very important when looking at the situation. The word "hastened" shows that she cared about her husband. If the word in that sentence was not "hastened," but "went," it would change the whole meaning of the sentence&emdash;"she went out to get them before the rain fell" does not indicate that she cared whether the clothes got wet or not.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Storm And Birdsong By Kate Chopin

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    During this time a storm develops leaving them stranded seeking shelter. Alce, the character who appears to be Calixta first love suddenly appears at her house as she is alone seeking shelter from the storm himself. They had not laid eyes on each other since Calixtra was married which from a passage in the text indicated it had been five years at this points “She was a little fuller of figure than five years before” (The Storm, by Kate Chopin). Surprised to see him she invited him in which resulted in the room being filled with feelings and the sensation of flesh they craved for each other. Like the scene in Titanic they drift away making love to each other passionately. At the beginning Calixtra fights to resist the temptation “Bont! She cried, releasing herself from his encircling arms and retreating from the window” (The Storm, by Kate Chopin) but is ultimately overpower by temptation. Calixtra’s moment of awakening comes when Bobint and Bibi returns and she affectionately attends to her husband and effusively kissing her son. In this moment she see what she has, an amazing family. This is a women how just cheated on her husband with a man she has held feelings for but the love for her husband a family unit holds more values, weirdly it took her committing a wrong deed to realize this. Her moment of awakening in the case was positive though

    Read More

  • The Two Storms in Kate Chopin’s story “The Storm"

    610 Words  | 2 Pages

    As the story begins we find Bibi and Bobinot on their way home. They were at Friedheimer’s store; they notice the dark clouds flowing with evil intentions to the west. As its howl pierced the sky they decided to stay until the storm had passed. As Bibi worries for his mother, Bobinot reassures him that she will be fine. Bobinot buys a can of shrimps, which Calixta loves very much. As the storm unleashes bashing the wooden store, Bibi and Bobinot waits till the storm to pass.

    Read More

  • The Storm Symbolism Essay

    546 Words  | 2 Pages

    The storm is the major factor of getting Alcee and Calixta back together. If the storm would not have hit, Calixta’s husband and son would have been able to return home, and Alcee would have not had a reason to come by the gallery where Calixta was. Also, while Alcee was waiting on the storm to pass at the gallery, he gave readers reason to believe that the two of them had been lovers before. A line in the story that was said by the narrator was “She had not seen him since her marriage and never alone.”, this symbolizes that Alcee and Calixta have had some type of relationship before the two of them married other people, and she does not trust herself alone with him. When things started to get intimate between the two, Alcee said “Do you remember in Assumption, Calixta?”.

    Read More

  • Kate Chopin's The Storm and The Story of an Hour

    1085 Words  | 3 Pages

    'The Storm' begins on a stormy spring day, with the protagonist Calixta at her sewing machine. She is alone, her husband Bobinot and son Bibi have gone to the store. Calixta seems to be a bored woman, confined to her duties as a housewife and mother. As the distant storm approaches she is unaware of what the storm brings, her former lover Alcee. Calixta allows Alcee into her home and opens her whole world to him. There is a connection between the storm that is going on outside and the storm of emotions going on in Calixta and Alcee. The weather sends Calixta into Alcee?s arms, he wraps his arms around her, and they can no longer hide their feelings for one another. They gave into their raging emotions and made love. Outside the weather was subsiding and Calixta and Alcee?s bodies felt relaxed and calmed. ?The rain was over; and the sun was turning the glistening green world into a palace of gems.? (1614) His face beamed with light like the sun. The storm inside of her was satisfied and for a brief instant Calixta felt liberated from her ordinary dull life.

    Read More

  • Cult Of Domesticity Essay

    1213 Words  | 3 Pages

    This story focuses on the extra-marital affair a housewife named Calixta has while her husband and son are away due to a storm. Although we learn that Calixta has an affair we also know that she doesn’t completely defy the Cult of Domesticity. From the story we get the idea that she remained pure until she married her husband and as Chopin tells us in page 689 “She had not seen him very often since her marriage, and never alone,” this line suggest that even if she saw her past lover around she would not speak to him because neither of them were ever alone and they both didn’t want to disrespect their marriages. In addition Calixta seems to be a very good housewife and mother. She appears to be always tending her home. In page 689 we learn that “[sitting} at a side window sewing furiously on a sewing machine. [Calixta] was greatly occupied and did not notice the approaching storm.” She is so focused on her chores that she didn’t even notice a storm. For Calixta sewing and doing chores around the house is what is normal. She has assumed a role as a married woman and mother and she is fulfilling it. Before the affair you can say that by societies expectations she was a true woman, she kept her virginity until marriage, she makes sure her house chores are done, and she takes care of her family. Even after the affair she acts as if nothing has

    Read More

  • The Storm

    764 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the turbulent storm in the story, Kate Chopin depicts that the marriage of Calixta and Bobinôt is going downhill. Both Bobinôt and Calixta are trapped in different locations during the storm. Bobinôt is in a general store and Calixta is at home. Not only are they in different places during the physical storm but they are also in different places on where their marriage stands. Calixta exposes the reader to see that her husband, Bobinôt, does not understand her because during the storm she is buried in the arms of another man. Calixta makes it apparent that she needs more from her husband and if he is not going to give her what she needs, she will find it in another man. The story depicts that Bobinôt did not give his wife the attention she needs when Bibi asked, “Mama’ll be ’fraid, yes” and Bobinôt responds by saying, “She’ll shut the house. Maybe she got Sylvie helpin’ her this evenin’” but Bibi corrects him by saying, “No; she ent got Sylvie. Sylvie was helpin’ her yistiday” (Chopin 96). Bobinôt shows that he is not attentive to what is happening around the home with his wife during this part of the story. Bobinôt’s inattentiveness must cause him to not unders...

    Read More

  • Theme of Love and Marriage in The Storm by Kate Chopin and The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Gilman

    589 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Like a river flows so surely to the sea darling, so it goes some things are meant to be.” In literature there have been a copious amount of works that can be attributed to the theme of love and marriage. These works convey the thoughts and actions in which we as people handle every day, and are meant to depict how both love and marriage can effect one’s life. This theme is evident in both “The Storm” by Kate Chopin and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Gilman; both stories have the underlying theme of love and marriage, but are interpreted in different ways. Both in “The Storm” and in “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the women are the main focus of the story. In “The Storm” you have Calixta, a seemingly happy married woman who cheats on her husband with an “old-time infatuation” during a storm, and then proceeds to go about the rest of her day as if nothing has happened when her husband and son return. Then you have “The Yellow Wallpaper” where the narrator—who remains nameless—is basically kept prisoner in her own house by her husband and eventually is driven to the point of insanity.

    Read More

  • Views on Sex and Marriage Depicted in Kate Chopin's The Storm

    1308 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.”

    Read More

  • Free Essays - Analysis of Kate Chopin's The Storm

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    Soon after this, Calixta who is then feeling the situation gets up to look outside the window, as not to keep looking at Alcee for she knows what may come of it. Alcee then also gets up to look out the window so that he may stand close to Calixta, which shows how Alcee wants to be with her. While Calixta is looking out the window she sees that it is raining hard and there is strong winds and lightning, which clearly signifies how mixed up Calixta’s feelings for Alcee are at that moment. After this Alcee grabs Calixta close to him as she staggers back, she then retreats and immediately asks where her son may be. This also shows that Calixta is having mixed feelings with the situation. Which is the reason she gets loose but does not tell Alcee to control himself but yet like nothing had happened wonders where her son may be, “ Bonte! She cried, releasing herself from his arms encircling arms and retreating to the window… If I only knew were Bibi was!”

    Read More

  • Imagery And Symbolism In Kate Chopin's 'The Storm'

    1113 Words  | 3 Pages

    Storytelling has been a common pastime for centuries. Over the years it has evolved into different styles containing different themes. Kate Chopin, a well-known author of the 20th century, wrote stories about the secrets in women’s lives that no one dared to speak of. Her work was not always appreciated and even considered scandalous, but it opened up a world that others were too afraid to touch. In Chopin’s story “The Storm,” a woman has an affair that causes an unlikely effect. The story’s two themes are portrayed greatly through an abundance of imagery and symbolism, along with the two main characters themselves.

    Read More

  • Characterism And Symbolism In Kate Chopin's The Storm

    1218 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Kate Chopin’s “The Storm”, she offers an intoxicating account of two souls awakened by a storm. The story was composed on July 19, 1898. At this time in history women were considered objects, their sole purpose in life was to serve their husbands. In addition, social stratification was an important aspect of society that determined who they married. Calixta’s marriage could have been a product of an arrangement, making it of unnatural origin. Chopin points out singular characteristics of the storm to shed light on the uncommon strength of a marriage when it is not determined by social norms. Consequently, Chopin brings Calixta and Alceé together to embellish their passion, in which Calixta plays an active role rather than a submissive one.

    Read More

  • A Love Affair in The Storm by Kate Chopin

    339 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the beginning of the story, Bobinot and his son Bibi stay at a store to let the storm pass by. Calixta, the wife, is at home by herself doing some chores around the house. As the storm starts to approach, Alcee rides in and asks Calixta if he could come in until the storm passes. It starts to rain immediately after he arrives. It's important to know that Alcee and Calixta had a past together, which he brings up to her later in the story.

    Read More

  • Spunk By Zora Neale Hurston Analysis

    1301 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The Storm”, by Kate Chopin, is a short story about a woman who has intercourse with an old boyfriend, while her husband and son are at the store. While a storm is passing by Alcée happens to stop by and stays at Calixta’s during the storm. The two commit adultery, but never tell anyone. While there are many similarities between these two stories, there are also several differences.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Storm By Kate Chopin

    1082 Words  | 3 Pages

    In“The Storm”, Bibi, a young boy, and his father, Bobinot, wait out a storm at a local store. They are both very concerned about the well being of a third member of their family, Calixta, but they cannot do anything about it until the storm is over. Calixta, at home, knows that there is a storm about to break out. An old boyfriend coincidentally stays with her while the storm is taking place. Calixta and her old boyfriend, Alce, see a spark in their lusts for each other then start to make out and the making out leads to sex. When the storm passes, the old boyfriend, Alce leaves. Bibi and Bobinot, Calixta’s husband, never find out that Alce was there. When the child and Babinot return home, Calixta is really glad to see them. In the end of the story, Alce writes a letter to his wife, Clarisse, saying that it’s OK with him if she wants to stay longer on her trip. She is relieved because she wants a break from her husband and the romantic aspect of their relationship. When the storm passes, everything works out well for everyone.

    Read More

More about Exploring Sexuality

Open Document