Kate Chopin’s story “The Storm” takes place in the city of New Orleans in late 1800’s. New Orleans is a controversial city down south filled with passion, lust and many other things ones might consider sinful. In the story, Chopin tells of the adulterous, steamy affair between Calixta, whom is married to Bobinot and Alcee, who is married to Clarisse. Calixta and Alcee, once lovers, are brought back together by the ferocious storm. While the storm is passing through, the result is a steamy, passionate storm created by the two lovers. The environment of the city, as well as the one created by Chopin during the storm is perfect for the adulterous affair that will that takes place. The storm was not unintentionally placed. It not only acts as a literal setting, it is also the driving force …show more content…
Bobinot and Bibi are at Freidhams picking up groceries. Bobinot description of the storm “certain somber clouds that were rolling with sinister intention from the west, accompanied by a sullen, threatening roar” (Chopin 592), used both visual and sound imagery to describe the storm. As I read, I was able to imagine seeing the clouds moving fast in the sky and hear the roaring thunder that accompanied them. The following “When he touched her breasts they gave themselves up in quivering ecstasy, inviting his lips. Her mouth was a fountain of delight” (Chopin 593), used imagery that stimulated the touch and taste senses. As I read I was able to feel Alcee’s soft sensual touch as he felt Calixta’s breast, it brought chills as he brought his lips to her breast and kissed them. I was also able to imagine tasting Calixta’s delightful sweet lips when Alcee gently kisses her mouth. Lastly, Chopin addressed my sense of smell with the phrase “rain was over; and the sun was turning the glistening green world into a palace of gems” (Chopin 594). As I read, I was able to imagine smelling the aroma of the ground after rain
Kate Chopin's short story 'The Storm'; describes an encounter of infidelity between two lovers during a brief thunderstorm. The story alludes to the controversial topic of women's sexuality and passion, which during Chopin's time no one spoke about much less wrote about. So controversial was 'The Storm,'; that it was not published until after her death in eighteen ninety-nine. The story is broken up into five sections, each filled with small clues and hints that reflect her message. In short, Kate Chopin's 'The Storm'; is about a confirmation of feminine sexuality and passion and a rejection of the suppression of it by society.
A theme is the prime element of literature, which contains the central idea of the story. It helps reflect on the characteristics that a story might have and reflects on observations interpreted from our view of the author. The theme, a main idea or underlying meaning of literary work may be stated directly or indirectly, but it is ultimately our job to figure it out. Throughout any story, short story or poem you can see the constant change of imagery that will play a big part in the development of the characters ability’s to demonstrate the theme. In “The Storm” by Kate Chopin, the theme illustrates many sexual desires, adultery, and happiness as well as shows a theme of conflict. Chopin uses a storm to represent sexual passionate tension that builds throughout the story between the two main characters Alcee and Calixta.
By focusing heavily on the auditory and visual senses, Soffici invites the reader to experience these scenes for themselves in a much more vivid and engaging way. This can be seen through the recurring references to gems, such as in line 12:
Kate Chopin wrote the short story “The Storm” one of her most bold stories and did not even intention to publish it (Cutter 191). The two main characters in the story are Calixta and Alcee. They both used to be attracted to one another in previous years, but now they are both married to someone else. After Alcee arrives to Calixta’s house looking for shelter they are driven into a passionate moment. In the story “The Storm” the storm has a significant meaning; without it the affair of Calixta and Alcee performed would not have been as powerful as it was between them. “The Storm” has a great deal of symbolism throughout the story: the clouds, the use of color white, the storm relative to the affair, the after effects of the affair, Calixta,
In the story "The Storm", Kate Chopin plots a situation in which two people surrender to their physical desires. Chopin wrote fiction stories in the late 19th century. She was condemned due to the immorality presented in her work. At her times, woman was considered to be very innocent, and always faithful to her husband. In Chopin's work one sees a totally different view of a woman's behavior. She is not a popular writer of her era because of her crude works; the audience of her period could not justify her stories. In the story "the storm", Kate Chopin by hiding the immoral behavior of her characters behind the fear of bad weather is being ironic.
The short story “The Storm” by Kate Chopin revolves around a theme of adultery. The story takes place in Southern Louisiana during the early 1900’s. “The Storm” not only serves as a title but creates a setting as well as symbolizing the affair that takes place between the two main characters, Calixta, the wife and Alcee, the former lover. While reading the story, you’ll begin to notice that as the storm begins, comes to a peak and ends, so does the affair and the story. Overall, the title metaphorically resembles their relationship while also implying that adultery is natural being that a storm is also a natural occurrence. Not only does Chopin use imagery to shape Calixta and Alcee’s sexual encounter in Calixta’s house, but he also uses the color “white” which represents purity. Although this sinful act does not illustrate purity, the experience and feeling that the two lovers undergo during the act does. This also goes to say that Chopin uses both imagery and color to also redefine female agency and sexuality.
“The Storm’s” theme was based on Love, Immoral affair, and Freedom. Chopin’s technique of foreshadowing, symbolism, irony, tone, and imagery set the plot for Alcee, Calixta, Bobinot, and Clarisse in this short story. “A bolt struck a tall chinaberry tree at the edge of the field. It filled all visible space with a blinding glare and crash seemed to invade the very boards they stood upon” (425). The writer used Imagery to depict how nature shook the foundation of their respective marriages. The significance of the tall chinaberry tree that crashed the boards was that it made Bobinot and Clarisse almost irrelevant in the story. The author used the metaphorical expression to indicate how the storm schemed Bobinot and Clarisse out of the reckoning.
Along with this story, writers use setting to create meaning. The description of characters and locations allows the reader to feel as if they are present within the story. Setting is essential to the story. The realism of the locations and objects in this story gives it credibility with the reader. The storm is the symbol for the driving force behind the story and the love affair. Without this main setting in the story the two characters would not have had an opportunity to be in presence of one another. The storm brings the two characters together. It blocks them in and forces them to act on their desires, and finally ends their affair. Chopin is able
“The Storm” by Kate Chopin is a short story of a woman sheltering the man she had admired from the storm which prevents her husband and son returning home from the store until the storm passed. Romanticism was an attitude in the eighteenth century in which each person has their own value and purpose. On the other hand, Naturalism – birthed in the nineteenth century, focuses on real-world experiences unique to each person. Romanticism and Naturalism resemble one another, however are identifiable through the values of the time since the Naturalism ideals focus on character accuracy, realistic situations, and flaws.
Kate Chopin in “the Storm” uses symbolism in characters to develop the theme that marriages are not perfect. Although there is a physical storm in the story, there is also a storm of emotions. Chopin is able to convey the emotions of her characters throughout the story because the storm that takes place at the very beginning of her story.
The short story, “The Storm” by Kate Chopin is about a love that could never be until it briefly was. The point that Chopin was trying to get across was that Calixta and Alcee had a strong passion for one-another, and perhaps loved each other, but they could never have been married because of their social differences. It is a passionate, but brief affair between two married people from different social classes that takes place during a cyclone in Louisiana around 1898. The story symbolizes the freedom that a woman felt inside after the rain during a time when women had no freedom. (Firtha lesson 2 page 1)
In Kate Chopin's story "The Storm" the author symbolizes passion with a storm. She uses descriptive images of the storm to relay the emotions of her characters. Using the different stages of the storm Chopin is able to paint a picture in the reader's mind of what the characters are feeling. In this story we see a women, Calixta, who is torn between her husband, Bobinot, and her former lover, Alcee. While Bobinot and his son, Bibi are away at the store a storm begins to roll in.
Kate Chopin is writing so many great stories about whatever she sees. Kate has many Wonderful stories such as, (The Storm, Desiree’s Baby, A Pair of Silk Stocking, A Respectable Woman, and The Story of an Hour). There is one story in particular that catches my mind which is “The Storm”. 0In Kate chopin's era, women are seen as nothing more than a wife and have to stay with their husband for life. Chopin shows a dramatic scene between Alcee and Calixta during the time of a storm that is passing by. Chopin states a non judgemental spot about refraining from morals about the purity of marriage especially calixta. Chopin drenches in “The Storm” a strong feminist and makes a good question about marriage.
The short story, “The Storm,” can be classified as a story that is explicit of its kind because of its sexual and adulteress content. Although the story is portrayed as that, Chopin is able to bring about two parallel subjects to combine with each other to bring about one meaning that contributes to the subject as a whole. In the story, an affair occurs in the midst of a storm between Calixta and Alcee, two fond lovers that find each other once again and relive their
This short story was really straight forward until it got to the end, where it had a twist, which made me pick the story to write on. Kate Chopin did an outstanding job using symbolism, but this novel is not for all ages, if you know what I mean. How the setting, tone and theme all tie all together is what makes the story different from the others.