First go to the URL at the end of this commentary and read”The Storm,” a short story by Kate Chopin, a Louisiana writer of the late 19th century. After you have done that, post a commentary, following the same procedure we used for “My Last Duchess” and “The Raven.” Please post your comment no later than noon on Tuesday, April 17. We will discuss both “The Storm” and “The Raven” in class that day.
Please note that I have rearranged the schedule for the next few weeks. We will be reading the same stories as previously scheduled, but on different dates.
http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/kchopin/bl-kchop-thestorm.htm
You can also read the story on the mx3 Moodle home page.
April 13, 2007 at 12:25 am |
Kate Chopin began writing in 1889, and was considered “A woman ahead of her time”. This story uses the act of adultery to show that women need more than simple housewife chores to feel liberated. The women in this time were rarely given any authoritative roles, and many critics consider this story a feminist essay, since it tells of a woman who made a decision on her own, behind her husbands back, which was very controversial. I think that the story would be much different, and leave people with different opinions if the roles had been reversed.
Kate Chopin once said, “”Perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer; than to remain a dupe to illusions all one’s life.”
This quote seems consistent with “The Storm”. She tries to say that adultery may not necessarily have only negative consequences. After the storm passed, everyone felt better. She believed that it is better to be liberated, even if it isnt in the best interest of all, to really enjoy life.
Source: http://www.angelfire.com/nv/English243/Chopin.html
April 13, 2007 at 4:21 am |
Well, this isn’t my favorite Chopin story, that honor going to “The Story of an Hour” but just like in that tale, Chopin uses nature to symbolize emotion. In this story, the storm is at the same time passion, as in a “storm of passion” and, it seems to me, guilt. I think that the fact that the storm almost swept away Bobinot’s and Bibi’s nice clothes, but that Alcee and Calixta caught them is symbolic of their intention to not harm each other’s families. The best line that shows the symbolism of the storm is “So the storm passed and every one was happy” because it is as close to directly stating that there was at the same time trouble and passion as it gets.
April 13, 2007 at 4:32 pm |
I really enjoy this particular story by Kate Chopin for a number of reasons. Chopin really was ahead of her time in writing, and she uses “”The Storm” to define the sexual standards and restraints of the late nineteenth century while also making a statement about humans’ natural tendency towards sexual passion.” Chopin uses the image of the storm to illustrate the sexual tension that is building between Calixta and Alcee until it explodes and eventually subsides.
The website that I found also suggests that because weather is symbolically feminine, that the storm can therefore be seen as symbolic of feminine sexuality and passion. It also suggests that because Calixtas’ husband Bobinot decides to wait out the storm in the store with their son suggests that Bobinot also avoids the stormy passions that his wife is clearly capable of.
Calixta is presnted in the house doing household chores and is unaware that the storm is coming. This suggests that “her sexuality is repressed by the constraints of her marriage and society’s view of women, represented in this passage by the housework.”
The following passage is veryinteresting:
“Alcée flung himself into a rocker and Calixta nervously began to gather up from the floor the lengths of a cotton sheet which she had been sewing.”
In this passage, Calixta puts away the cotton sheet which can be viewed as putting away the reminder that she is married. This allows Calixta to be free and act as she desires without a blatant reminder that she is married and has a family. By putting the sheet away, she is considering the possibility of an interaction with Alcee by removing the reminder that she has a life with another man.
The website that I used is:
http://facultystaff.vwc.edu/~cbellamy/Southern%20Literature/SL%20Chopin.htm
April 13, 2007 at 6:27 pm |
I read this story making many of the same connections and interpretations as my classmates. After I finished reading the story though, one aspect seemed to stick out to me as unexplained. During the story, the lovers refer to a time when they had kissed in Assumption. I looked for an instance of this as a play on the internett, and couldn’t turn anything up. What I did find was information about the Assumption of Mary. In other words, assumption refers to the Virgin Mary’s acceptance into heaven. I feel that this is another interpretation of women’s liberation and freedom. The Assumption of Mary was her freedom from the mortal world, while in the story, Calixtra’s was her freedom from the simple life of a housewife.
Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assumption_of_Mary
April 13, 2007 at 6:57 pm |
Good question about Assumption, Nathan. “The time we kissed in Assumption” refers to an earlier story which takes place when Calixta and Alcee were still single. They met at a dance in the town of Assumption and fell in love, but were unable to marry because of the difference in their social standings. In that story, Alcee stopped at a kiss because he did not want to destroy Calixta’s reputation.
Unfortunately, I cannot remember the name of that story, but “The Storm” makes it clear that Alcee and Calixta still have strong feelings toward each other.
April 13, 2007 at 10:07 pm |
I enjoyed reading this story and had many of the same thoughts while reading this story. I also think that this story represents that you cannot always judge a book by it’s cover, so to speak. The story begins with the son Bibi and introducing his character. Within the next full paragraph Chopin introduces the mother–Calixta. The story introduces her husband and her son to add some emotional attatchment in the story. The worry for her son and husband in the storm shows her dedication to her family. Therefore, when her lover from long ago–Alcee–comes to her house for shelter, it is unexpected in a sense that she would have any relations with this man. This story demonstrates that you cannot not just judge people by what appears to be.
April 14, 2007 at 1:10 pm |
I am not sure exactly what you mean, Nicole. Are you suggesting that Calixta’s brief affair with Alcee means that she really doesn’t love Bibi and his father? What do other people think?
April 15, 2007 at 7:32 pm |
Professor Fried, you seem to enjoy stories involving adultery a bit to much…
I jest, I jest ofcourse.
I do not plan on writing about adultery, but rather in the very beginning of the story, how everyone knew it was going to rain due to the “stillness of the leaves.” This made me think of different old timey superstitions that people use to follow.
The one they are refering to in this story is “The Calm before the storm.” How everything right before a storm seems to come to a stand still, as if someone has just finished drawing a depth breath, and that moment of silence right before they scream.
“Red sky at night, Sailors delight. Red sky in morn’, sailors be warned.” is one my mother told me long ago. Use to scare the bejesus out of me when I would look at the in the morning and see it red, because i use to be very afraid of thunderstorms.
Another old belief involving storms is the “Cat Gut.” How some people found a correlation between and old joint acting up, and then the occurence of a large storm. This intrigued me, made me wish I had some disfunctional joint that would tell me when it was going to rain.
Well, another fun one there.
John
April 15, 2007 at 9:45 pm |
I think that we’re all in agreement on what happened, no need to really read between the lines on this one. I’ve been thinking of what to write for the past hour or so (John can attest to that), and I think that I simply want to bring up a few points. Obviously this story took place in the past, but what would be the reaction of people if the story was set in modern times? I think that the uproar that I’m sure this story caused would not have been as great. Thoughts?
The last section really intrigues me- the part with Clarisse and the letter.
“And the first free breath since her marriage seemed to restore the pleasant liberty of her maiden days. Devoted as she was to her husband, their intimate conjugal life was something which she was more than willing to forego for a while.”
This makes me feel as though she needs a fling, affair, whatever you want to call it. The woman is obviously enjoying not having the duties of a wife for a while, and I wonder if women thought that every other woman was enjoying their lives except them. It must have been a very lonely and frustrating time.
April 16, 2007 at 1:54 pm |
I love Kate Chopin’s writing. My favorite is still “Story of an Hour” but this is just as fascinating as the others. Chopin definitely has a quality for unmasking hidden female desires. In “Story of an Hour,” a woman is told her husband has died and she breaks down in tears, before realizing that simply because his life is over doesn’t mean hers is. In this revelation, she expresses such joy, she is looking forward to such a free life. I won’t give away the ending though!
“The Storm,” however, made me feel a little guilty. I felt bad for Bobinot because he clearly loves his wife. He brings home shrimp for her, and he thinks of apologies the entire way home for their appearance, even though they just walked through torn up roads and fields. I figure Alcee and Calixta’s affair was a one time thing, but I think Bobinot would be crushed to find that out.
The story also suggests that Calixta is a woman many men sought approval, or maybe simply recognition, from. She is a powerful force, one that has completely captured the minds of Alcee and Bobinot. I find this a little odd though, as her grammar and diction is very simple. Alcee is well spoken, while Calixta seems to have surrendered to the talk of country farmers, with “ain’t” and what not. It seemed odd to me that a powerful woman would not speak clearly and powerfully, but I guess that would be a good way to mask her force.
Good story. :]
April 16, 2007 at 6:36 pm |
To learn more about Calixta, and why she speaks ungrammatically and Alcee doesn’t, read the “At the ‘cadian Ball,” the prequel to “The Storm.” It describes their earlier romance before their marriages to other people, and why they could not marry each other. Here is the URL:
http://imdb.com/name/nm0004286/bio
April 16, 2007 at 11:34 pm |
Let me just say that since I am a horrible procrastinator reading this poem today seemed quite appropriate due to the lovely tempest we endured today, so the environment in which I read this story was quite fitting. Well, when I began reading this story it immediately reminded me of one of my favorite poems by Walt Whitman, “On the Beach at Night.” (http://www.bartleby.com/142/216.html) It’s about an approaching storm and the relation to a father and child. So there were quite a few similarities, however, i’m not so sure it addresses the adultry aspect. When I was reading “The Storm” it was quite straight forward and understandable, the part that really caught my attention was the end. When Alcee wrote to his wife. It all seemed so weird that he would write a letter like that to his wife and children, telling them it was okay for them to stay away longer. Also the fact that the wife was okay with it and quite loved the separation. It in a way makes me laugh, for all these women who were supposed to be prim and propperish in these days were running around adultresses. They all seemed to feel opressed and loved the idea of “freedom” and holding secrets from their husbands. Now these are just generalizations i’ve made from the story and what “The Storm” has led me to believe. But I got a kick out of it.
April 16, 2007 at 11:49 pm |
I know nothing about the writings of Kate Chopin as this is the first piece by her that I have ever read. I thought as I read through “The Storm” that the story might take place in Louisiana as it seemed that some of the language was Creole. After reading “At the ‘Cadian Ball” I learned that the story was set in Acadia, so I did a little research on the Acadian culture.
The Acadians are the group of people who settled the eastern part of Canada in the 1700’s. It is believed for the most part that they originated from France.
Although the first French settlers arrived in Acadia in the early 1600’s, families didn’t begin to take root until just before the middle of the century. Over the years Acadian rule passed between the English and the French, the french continuing to prosper in that land until the mid 1700’s.
By the late 1780’s, the english had exiled all the Acadians from their land. Some were sent to American colonies, others to parts of Europe, and still others to different French colonies, including Louisiana.
From 1765-1785 over 3,000 exiled Acadians made their way to Louisiana. This was the largest group to settle in that area. There they encountered several other cultures. Those, blended with the Acadian culture, is what today is known as Cajun.
For lots more info on the history of the Acadian/Cajun culture you can go to http://www.acadian-cajun.com/hiscaj2.htm
April 17, 2007 at 1:03 am |
Alcee describes Calixta by saying, “if she was not an immaculate dove in those days, she was still inviolate.” He thinks back to when he knew her before and thinks she is perfect, pure. And yet her she is cheating on her husband while he and her son are stuck out in a storm. Not only that, but Alcee is also cheating on his wife, but he doesn’t see her any different.
April 17, 2007 at 5:15 am |
This story and it’s extramarital relations made me question the sanctity of marriage in the times when this story was written, as well as the times today.
The last section (V) made me especially question marriage tactics. This man is telling his wife that she can stay away for another month. And yet, they are still married. This makes me question how committed and in love they are with one another.
The liklihood that this relationship would work today is slim to none. Now adays, when people are unhappy, they discuss it and get out of the situation. This is why divorce is so popular lately. “Unreconcilable differences”. How many times have we heard that? Instead of working things out, we just get diorce now.
However, even though marriages lasted longer back then, doesn’t mean that they were any less complicated. I thought that Calixta definitely loved her family, and yet she had desires that lied elsewhere. The same went for Alcée Laballière, although he may not have had quite the sense of marriage as Calixta.
I am torn about which side I approve of more. Should people be allowed to divorce for no good reason all of the time, and should that be condoned? It definitely doesn’t sound ideal.
However, should people suffer with unhappiness or something else while married, and stay married, because they can’t get a divorce? In this example, people would cheat and never have it end their marriage. However, in the divorce example, if there was even a suspicion of adultery, there are divorce attorneys making big bucks.
I think that people should strive for a balance between the two sides. First, people must wait, and be patient, and try to marry someone they love. However, once they are married, there should be ways to get out, such as fully articulation and divorce if it is the final straw.
April 17, 2007 at 2:17 pm |
In response to the question Erin posed about what the reactions today would be like to a situation like this–
I believe that in situations such as these, today, the reactions are much more toned down, muted even… With divorce rates as high as they are (nearing 51% i believe), it’s as though people seem to expect a marriage to dissolve and for cheating to take place.
The idea of cheating is not the same as it used to be. There is no scarlet letter involved nowadays and it is not quite accepted, but certainly much less of a fuss is made when it does occur. For example, look at the shows that we watch for entertainment, Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives are two that immediately come to mind involving quite a large amount of infidelity.
Don’t get me wrong, I adore Sex and the City and Sarah Jessica Parker, however, when she cheats on her boyfriend, her character seems to go practically unscathed, and what’s worse is the use of humor by her friends and herself in an effort to downplay the seriousness of what she’s done. I find it a bit disturbing that a show as popular as S & the C is presenting this sort of nonchalant attitude about cheating on a significant other.
alright, that’s all.
April 17, 2007 at 2:41 pm |
I wanted to delve into Kate Chopin’s personal history that gave her the ability to write stories centered around Louisiana which are full of cajun language.
Kate O’Flaherty was a St. Louis native and moved to New Orleans upon marrying Oscar Chopin in 1870. They had six children and later moved near Cloutierville in Natchitoches Parish in Louisiana. After only twelve years of marriage, Oscar passed away due to an illness with swamp fever. Kate Chopin and her children then moved back to St. Louis where she was forced to write in order to support her family. “Nearly all of her work is set in the areas around New Orleans, Grand Isle and Natchitoches, and provides a vivid window into Louisiana life near the turn of the century.”
Kate’s earlier stories were very-well received nationally and acknowledged Kate’s local flair; she was evein the first issue of Vogue magazine. The publication of “The Awakening,” however, faced harsh criticism for “shocking, morbid, and vulgar” story. “The Awakening” was quickly pulled from the shelves and was not resurrected until the 1950’s during the women’s movement.
There are different tell tale signs throughout “The Storm” where one can pick up the hint that this story is set in the Louisiana area. First, the names Bobinôt, Bibi, Calixta, are all of French origin as well as and Alcée which has French and Italian origins. Furthermore, the fact the Calixta enjoys shrimp shows that there are local bayous and water. “Come ‘long in, M’sieur Alcée” utilizes the title Monsieur.
http://www.pbs.org/katechopin/program.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayou
April 17, 2007 at 9:25 pm |
Well this story is very good on many different levels. However, like everyone else, I’ll try and take a feminist approach to looking at it. In particular, the sex scene seems to stand out as a very defying and very detailed portion of the story. There were a couple of lines that weren’t necessarily needed and a couple of details that could have been left out while still achieving the same effect. However, she puts them in there and potentially makes a point outside of the story while doing so.
“When he touched her breasts they gave themselves up in quivering ecstasy, inviting his lips. Her mouth was a fountain of delight. And when he possessed her, they seemed to swoon together at the very borderland of life’s mystery.”
First, there is the sheer mentioning of the breasts in a naked form ( this isn’t the first time in the story she does this by the way). As researched, the norm, as it is now as well, is to keep breasts in some sort of bra and also covered up. I think that Kate Chopin purposefuly adds the detail of showing the breast because she wants to change how people view the breast. That the breast doesn’t have to be hidden and not talked about. She conveys a message of “It’s a body part; get over it”. And the other details of the sex scene were very unique and very liberating for her to write about.
I’m probably wrong, but thats what I think.
and source: my brain, http://www.feministezine.com/feminist/modern/History-ofthe-Bra.html, and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breast#Cultural_status
April 18, 2007 at 11:44 pm |
The centering of the adultery around a storm was very appropriate. After a really bad storm, the weather always clears up, the sun comes out, and sometimes there is even a rainbow. The story leapt from setting very well. Calixta wonders if her husband and child are safe or rather, stuck somewhere, and we already know that they are because we have a limited omniscient view. The storm itself allows the affair to occur as well as it being a storm of emotions between the secret lovers. I thought it was artfully portrayed that these two, Alcee and Calixta, had a past together.
“She was a little fuller of figure than five years before when she married; but she had lost nothing of her vivacity. Her blue eyes still retained their melting quality; and her yellow hair, dishevelled by the wind and rain, kinked more stubbornly than ever about her ears and temples.”
I thought this description of Calixta is very important. It hints at the passion that still lingers inside her, but it also portrays the image that Alcee is seeing of her and we sense the desire between them growing.
It is most interesting that the affair, something that would normally be considered crippling to a relationship and destructive, in fact strengthens Calixta and Alcee’s relationship with there families. Okay, not literally, I don’t really believe that in that exact way, but the author makes it sound ironic that directly after commiting the act, they feel as though they are even happier, or maybe feel the guilt of the act, and in turn are pleasanter to their families.