Robert Hayden's 'Those Winter Sundays'

The theme of this story seems to be that when Calixta and Alcee had sex and cheated on their marriages, it made their marriages happier, "so the storm passed and everyone was happy"(Chopin 150). Alcee wrote to his wife the night he cheated on her, "it was a loving letter, full of tender solicitude"(150). And after having an affair, the character Alcee seems to care more about his wife and baby, "realizing that their health and pleasure were the first things to be considered"(Chopin 150). He seems to care more about his wife and baby after he cheats on his wife because of the word "realizing." It gives the meaning that he just figured out that their health and pleasure were the first things to be considered. Calixta and Bobinot, as well as Bibi are shown to be very happy and full of laughter after she cheats on Bobinot," when the three seated themselves at table they laughed much and so loud that anyone might have heard them as far away as Laballiere's"(Chopin 149).

Later in the story, Kate makes the guilty characters look resolute and which made her audience exclaim in detest. After Calixta and Alcee had sex they do not feel guilty or even regretful, instead Kate describes them to be delightful. "Calixta, on the gallery, watched Alcee ride away. He turned and smiled at her with a beaming

So Calixta is happy after the affair and her husband and son are happy because she is not mad and is actually nicer to them. Alcee writes his wife a letter letting her know that he misses her but is okay with her and the children being gone, after receiving the letter Alcee’s wife is happy because she has a loving husband but is also glad to be alone for a while.

The theme adultery was first initiated when Alcee requested to reside in Calixta’s house till the rain passed. “His voice and her own startled her as if from a trance…”. Judging from the way they both reacted, it is clear that the two still have some sort of feelings for each other. Another aspect that leads to the feelings of both characters is when Chopin outlines the setting of the room they are in. “The door stood open, and the room with it’s white monumental bed, its closed shutters, looked dim and mysterious.” Already, the tone has changed becoming more tense and so has the storm as it beat upon the shingled roof with force like Chopin describes in the story. When Calixta realizes the storm has gotten worse, she then walks over to the window with a disturbed look on her face and Alcee of course follows behind her which proves that he wants to be around her. From the minute Alcee walks in, Calixta begins to show signs of nervousness which proves that he still has some affect on her. The tension of the rain and Calixta’s feelings both build up as it begins to rain harder, the winds blow harder and the lightening become stronger which symbolizes Calixta’s feelings at the moment. She tries to

Calixta and Alcee had a strong passion for each other. Chopin says: Alcee rides up to her house and asks “if he can take shelter

but she behaves immorally. She is a very pretty woman who has a fling with her former lover Alcee while waiting out the storm. Calixta seems to be a good mother and to care for her husband, she just isn’t happy with him. For example, she worries about Bibi and Bobinot’s safety the storm, which proves she cares for them. Yet she finds comfort from her former lover Alcee while worrying about her husband and child. Chopin states “Alcee’s arm encircled her, and for an instant he drew he close and spasmodically to him” (The Storm 2). This proves she must care for her husband, but turns to Alcee when needed comforting.

The main focus of this short story is desire. The desire shown by both Calixta and Alcée for each other is obvious. Many people during the time this short story was written would look at it as being “dirty” or filthy. They would look at the affair as being dishonest and unlawful; similar to the way that some of us today. However, the way Chopin expresses the affair is not at all a sense of guilty. She presences it as if it was something that happens often and that it is a natural thing that humans do. Sexual desire is a natural aspect of people’s lives. Even though she is a strong feminist, she does not limit these sexual desires to just the female character, Calixta. She also dives deep into the desires of a man as well. “Both males and females, she seems to tell us, are complex creatures whom have no choice but to discover their passion, in spite of risks, confusion, and guilt. (Bloom 81)”. According to Per Seyersted, “sex in this story is a force as strong, inevitable, and natural as the Louisiana storm which ignites it” (Koloski 145). She observes sex as being a natural thing that cannot be avoided in or outside of wedlock (Koloski 147). She writes as if this affair was unavoidable to the drives between the two characters.

The short poem of “Those Winter Sunday’s” by Robert Hayden, in this particular poem Hayden is a grown man reflecting on his past when he was a child. On a Sunday winter morning when he was a little boy his father would always get up early to gather wood to light the fires around the house so that his family would get out of bed into a warm cozy house. As Hayden grew older the author has come to an understanding of what regretfully has escaped him as a boy about his father he learned how difficult and lonely it must be of the duties of being a parent without expectation of reciprocity. To appreciate the form his father’s love has taken all hard work he does to keep his family safe and warm. The various elements of the poem work to support this

The title "Those Winter Sundays" is used to look back on the writer's childhood. In combination with the sonnet, the title emphasizes the guilt the author faces for not honoring his father when he had the chance. For instance, the father was still working diligently during the winter season to ensure his kid's comfort. Even on Sundays the father was up early and polished the child shoes for church. Regardless of the fathers' efforts, the child is not able to value them. Subsequently, after the passing of his father, the child asks himself, "What did I know, what did I know/ of love’s austere and lonely offices" (Hayden 13-14)? Naturally, the child is pondering the time he wasted by not giving the best regards to his compassionate father, whereas the following poem's writer embraces his unflattering father, even in the title.

In the sonnet, Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden, we hear the tale of a young boy and the relationship he has with his father in a dark and cold world that was his childhood. From the speaker we feel a sort of fearful respect for the father, yet are indifferent to his efforts to provide in a cruel and ungrateful world. As we further reflect with the narrator, we gain a sense of understanding coupled with a child’s love. I am the child who does not see his father’s labor, nor appreciate the warmth he struggles to provide. I am the man who recounts the hard work my father endured with neglected appreciation.

The poem “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden shows how a young boy appreciates everything his father does for him but doesn’t thank him for it and looking back as an old man acknowledges it. Throughout my life my mom has always gone out of her way and devoted many hours to help with every club or sport that I participated in, even though I never asked her and I regret that I never conveyed how thankful I was for how much time she put in to make my life easier. Throughout my life I have participated in soccer and band from elementary school through high school. Each of these activities required other parents to help out behind the scenes whether it is planning dinners for when we had an away soccer game or trying to have fund raisers for

Writers use many literary techniques such to convey an important message. In “Those Winter Sundays” Robert Hayden demonstrates the importance of family and meaningful relationships through imagery to express the effects of his father’s past actions on his future. Hayden uses visual and auditory imagery throughout the poem to illustrate his father’s actions. For example he creates an image of his father when he says “Sundays…my father…in the blueblack cold, then with cracked hands…When the room was warm, he’d call.”

There is no doubt her husband loves and cares for her but her feelings and passion seemed untouched by Bobinot. Before her marriage, Alcee seemed to satisfy her in a way that Bobinot does not, but since she loves her family she represses those feelings. The story of Calixta is saddening to me but as a mother myself, I can understand why she chooses to repress her feelings. Her husband seems to give her no cause to disrupt family life and leave the marriage and she does not make that decision based on pure selfish reasons. Her choice simply relieved her possible frustrations for a while.

In the poem “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden, the speaker is reflecting on his past with his father, but mainly the Sunday mornings he experienced during his childhood. Throughout the poem, there also happens to be a very dark and possibly even somber tone, which is shown by using several different types of literary devices. Hayden utilizes strong imagery supported by diction and substantial symbolism comprehensively. Furthermore, there are various examples of both alliteration and assonances. The poem does not rhyme and its meter has little to no order. Although the father labors diligently all day long, and he still manages to be a caring person in his son’s life. The poem’s main conflict comes from the son not realizing how good his father actually was to him until he was much older. When the speaker was a young boy, he regarded his father as a callous man due to his stern attitude and apparent lack of proper affection towards him. Now that the son is older, he discovers that even though his father did not express his love in words, he consistently did with his acts of kindness and selflessness.

The Poem “Those Winter Sundays” already implies it is cold in the title and continues throughout the poem with a simile of “blueblack cold” and metaphor “cold splintering ,breaking “. The mood expresses one of love for his father in addition to regret. His father would start the fire in the home when it was so cold, polish his shoes, and call him to wake once the house was warm. Remorsefully he recognized the love of his father yet detached at the time. This appears to be his father’s only day off, yet he woke up early to ensure the house was warm. This poem is a reflection of the author examining a time in his youth when his father worked hard all week. On Sunday, he would arise and ensure the house was warm with a fire before he would awaken