...In Kate Chopin’s era, societal perspectives about sexual passion or sensuality was regarded as inappropriate and trivial from every spectrum of women’s lives. Nevertheless, Chopin fearfully discusses the very subject in her short story, “The Storm.” She shockingly details the relations and sexual infidelity between the main characters, Calixta and Aceè, during a violent storm. Although Chopin could have written the story to appeal to the women of her era by shedding light on the evils of feminine reckless behavior, she refrains from being judgemental by avoiding discussing the union of marriage and indecency of Calixtas actions. The presence of female sexuailty in litersature during the 1800’s would have been too scandalous for people to...
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...Kate Chopin ends her story, “The Storm” by saying, “So the storm passed and everyone was happy,” which is ironic because when the storm ended so did the affair between Alcee and Calixta and I think that Calixta was truly happy that her husband and son came home safely. I also think my ending the story by saying, “So the storm passed and everyone was happy,” shows the audience that Calixta and Alcee are happy that their spouses will never learned about their betrayal and their affair, and things can go back to normal they way that they were before the storm came. I feel that the storm caused Calixta to betray her husband because before the storm arrived she was happily married and she would have never thought to betray her husband, but once she heard about the storm and her friend Alcee comes to her house to comfort her, Calixta lets her emotions take over and she betrays her husband, which she will probably regret down the road....
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...Ryan Cottle Professor Shapoff English 102 29 May 2012 Analysis of Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” In Kate Chopin’s short story “The Storm” she uses symbolism and imagery in her writing techniques to mirror the events of the storm set in the story’s plot with her characters and their actions.Through her use of symbolism and her use of vivid imagery she is able to convey the themes of adultery, marriage, and new life in her characters. Her use of imagery and the symbolic meaning of the storm strongly convey her personal feelings on each of these themes. The first major theme in the story is adultery, which is represented by two of the main characters in her story, Calixta and Alcee. The story depicts them as having an old flame from years before the storm that brought them together again. The storm drives Alcee to take shelter in Calixta’s house, which leads to adulterous actions by both of them. In the story they passionately make love while Calixta’s husband and son are lost in the storm. In part II of the story, Calixta is shown sitting at home completely unaware of the storm’s approach. This scene can be seen as symbolic of her also being oblivious to the adulterous events that are coming in her very near future. It can also be seen as Calixta having no prior intentions to commit adultery in the story. Chopin uses her mastery of imagery at the climax of the storm to lustfully describe Calixta’s features to the reader to intensify the moment and her adulterous deed. Chopin...
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...studied the influence of Charles Darwin’s theory of sexual selection in Kate Chopin works. She describes the sexual attraction use by Chopin in her works according to Darwin’s theory. Holtman, Janet. "Failing Fictions: The Conflicting and Shifting Social Emphases Of Kate Chopin's "Local Color" Stories." Southern Quarterly 42.2 (2004): 73-88. Academic Search Complete. Web. 14 Apr. 2013 The presents work analyses the concept of skin color used by Kate Chopin her works. It discuss the way Southern discourses of race and class influences Chopin novels “Bayou Folk” and “A night in Acadie”. "Kate Chopin: Her Novels and Stories." Kate Chopin: The Awakening, The Storm, Stories, Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2013. The website provides information about the all the novels and stories wrote by Kate Chopin. It also has her biography and a list of books, articles and essays about Kate Chopin and her works. In addition, the website has series of questions about Kate Chopin personal life and her reputation as a feminist reformer. Tolentino, Jasdomin, "Kate Chopin's Life and Personal Influence" (2008).Excellence in Research Awards.Paper 2 In this paper, Tolentino discuss Kate Chopin life and her personal influence. He explain how the relations with the members of her family, the environment in which she lives and the close people who died in her life affected her of writing her short stories “The Storm” and “ The Story of an Hour”. Bradley, Patricia L. "The Birth Of Tragedy" And...
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...Themes Found in Kate Chopin's Short Stories Kimberley J. Dorsey Stevenson University English 152, Writing About Literature 152-OME1 Charlotte Wulf November 14, 2010 Abstract Many of Kate Chopin’s short stories share the common themes of female oppression. The females in her stories are trying to find a way to escape their oppression and have a sense freedom and individuality. They either commit adultery or fantasize about it as a way to explore their feminine sexuality and obtain a sense of freedom. Common Themes Found in Kate Chopin's Short Stories Kate Chopin, an American novelist and short story writer. Born in 1851 and died in 1904 (cerebral hemorrhage). Chopin lived in Louisiana during her marriage to a Louisiana businessman and began writing after her husband’s death; being left to raise six children alone. Many of her stories are based on her knowledge of Creole and Cajun life during the time she lived there. She is best known for her novel “The Awakening,” considered Chopin’s masterpiece was subject to harsh criticism at the time criticism for its frank approach to sexual themes (Toth, 1988-1999, p. 1). Her attitude seen throughout her writing’s are about a woman’s place as being in the home and her purpose in life is to nurture her husband and children. Being against oppression Chopin chose to write about these issues through fiction, expressing real women. Kate Chopin is considered...
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...entertainment purposes or educational enlightenment. (dspsweb). Themes can be used to provide the main idea or motif of a piece of work. Kate Chopin's "The Storm", Ernest Hemingway's "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" and Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s "Harrison Bergeron" were all reviewed for the purpose of theme. Understanding the theme behind each of these pieces is important when analyzing the author's true purpose for their piece. Kate Chopin's “The Storm" was a piece designed to show how the events in life can have profuse effects on tomorrow but if all is well when "the storm" passes, then tomorrow may continue just as today did. “So the storm passed and everyone was happy”. (Kennedy and Gioia 100). The storms that Kate spoke of served both superficial and realistic natures. The storms faced by people each and every day can be viewed through Chopin’s perspective of troubled weather. The two characters continued to confess their suppressed desires for each other and how the marriage arrangement inhibited the two, Calixta and Alcee, from sharing passionate moments. (Dipeolu and Cole 1). There was no sense of self-control during the entire storm; as both Calixta and Alcee made the best out of the storm. The effects caused by each storm are directly related to the damage caused and the truths realized after them. Just as with the storms in Chopin’s...
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...Kate Chopin's short story, "The Storm," is a story about the true meaning of happiness that transpires during a raging thunderstorm. Some of the ideas and themes tackled in this four-page short include adultery, happiness, the nature of secrets, and temptation. One of the main character's decisions revolves around infidelity, and can be considered a truly reprehensible act. Although some cultures look at it differently, the action is, on the whole, looked down upon. In Kate Chopin's "The Storm," through the story's showcasing of literary skill and dynamic themes, a question can be posed to the story's events: are the gender politics on display enough to justify Calixta's reprehensible actions? Firstly, in order to answer this question, we...
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...earth. Hell, it has only been less than 50 years ago when women were just viewed as housewives, secretaries and nurses. Yet, it has taken more than 100 years for women to be viewed as equals. This idea of gender equality is not something new. The feminist movement has been an old, progressive one. Many women and men alike have had these gender equity ideas for centuries; this idea is not a new one as pioneers from Sor Juana to Kate Chopin to even the present-day Emma Watson, have stated time and time again, women are faced with oppression by the patriarchal society in many different ways that hurt women and men alike. Kate Chopin wrote many short stories in her time that pushed the envelope for the feminist movement. Two stories in particular were “The Storm” and “ The Story of An Hour”. Both of these stories have a female protagonist oppressed by a male antagonist, which very much can be construed as a commentary of what social normal behavior was, a patriarchal driven society that oppressed any type of female freedoms or expressions. In Chopin’s short story, “The Story of An Hour” the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard was able to imagine a life of freedom when she received the news of the death of her husband. While, Mrs. Mallard was not given the liberty to enjoy her newfound freedom, for her husband did not pass away after all; Chopin writes in such a way that even if it was for just an hour, Mrs. Mallard had the life that every person dreams of. Chopin use of windows and open...
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...Comparison Essay In her two short stories “The Story of an Hour” and “The Storm,” Kate Chopin discusses relationships between husbands and wives. In “The Storm,” she tells the story of Calixta who has an affair with Alcee, a former boyfriend while her husband is at the store waiting for a storm to pass with their son Bibi. It talks about unfaithful wives and how sneaky and unsatisfied they are. In “The Story of an Hour,” Chopin tells the tale of Mrs. Mallard’s husband, who dies and she is suffering with a troubled heart. Kate Chopin’s stories were about marriages. Cheating is in “The Storm” while death is in “The Story of an Hour.” Both were themes in these two short stories. They are deep in passion and sex, involving unfaithful and dissatisfied wives. Chopin’s short stories were emotional and showed affection. In “The Story of an Hour,” Mrs. Mallard’s receives possible news that her husband had died. It broke her heart that the love of her life was gone. Her mind and body are paralyzed, and she does not want to be bothered. She looks out of the window and cries up into the sky, and this event changes her life forever. Ironically, she feels no sadness about her husband’s death. In fact, Louise feels “a delicious breath of rain was in the air.” To her, her husband’s death is a “new spring.” Her mood of relief has changed because of a death. This is not a reaction that a wife should have about their husband. She should be having a sense of depression and...
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...The Setting of Chopin’s “The Storm” In “The Storm” Kate Chopin makes the setting an essential and entwined part of her action and ideas. The story focuses on the two main characters, Calixta and Alcee and their short love affair. The action is taking place in a small town in Louisiana where all of the characters live. The story is set in the late nineteenth century when adultery was not expected from anyone, as woman were considered to be innocent and faithful. The integration of setting and story can be followed in details about the storm itself, setting of the atmosphere/mood, and also the complexities of married status in the society. “The Storm” is not only the title of the short story, but it is also part of the main setting that is directly tied to the passion between Calixta and Alcee. As the storm gets stronger and louder, the two main characters begin to remember vivid physical flashbacks. The memories escalate into a sexual encounter. While the adultery was taking place the storm was breaking apart the house, as this action was damaging the characters marriage. Once the storm ended, "the sun was turning the glistening green world into a palace of gems” (Chopin). After not seeing each other for many years the storm brings Alcee and Calixta together and after the storm they have to go back to their own lives. The atmosphere and the mood were set with the use of colors and other elements. The short story mainly takes place in Clarisse’s house in Louisiana, but it...
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...Writing and Humanities Kate Chopin born in 1850 and passing in 1904 is a very talented writer that has wrote numerous short stories that have gained attention in classrooms and by readers for many years and many years to come. "Perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer; than to remain a dupe to illusions all one's life." These such quotes serves as a template for the witting style of the talented writer. Many people have stated they believe she foreshadowed future events in her writing, it is amazing that she had the knowledge and wisdom of the future in the 1880’s. She started writing due to the deaths of the people she loved to help cope as a therapeutic method for coping with significant loses in her life. She lost her father and step father at a young age, and she also lost her step brother and husband during these trying times. Two years after her fathers' death, Kate returned to the Academy of the Sacred Heart . During this time Kate met a girl named Kitty Garesche who she then befriended and started to write with on a constant basis, but was suddenly separated from her due to the civil war in St. Louis when Kitty’s family was banished for their Confederate sympathies. Kate most definitely was the poem and the poet. She was known for living her life the way she wanted and wrote about the things that she felt. This is what led many people to get lost into her stories, and feel a sense that they were there themselves. Kate had many stories that...
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...people are “happily married”. If this study were conducted a century ago, 97% probably would have reported being unhappy in their marriage, the majority being women. These dutiful wives and repressed mothers were not allowed any personal or intellectual freedom. These oppressed, married women are the types of characters feminist author, Kate Chopin, revels in. During the production of “Kate Chopin: A Re-Awakening” at Emory University, Elizabeth Fox-Genovese said Chopin was “nonetheless a woman who took women extremely seriously, she never doubted women’s ability to be strong.” The characters in Chopin’s short stories’, “The Story of An Hour” and “The Storm”, are unfulfilled and desire more in their marriage. They have no validation in life and may have husbands that love and provide for them yet they are still unhappy. They are all invested in their marriages and families yet at some point realize that they ultimately yearn for a single and free life. Louisa Mallard ironically felt more liberated when she learned of her husband’s death and Calixta and Clarisse are involved with the same man yet want different things from him. In such few words, Kate Chopin is able to illustrate the oppressiveness women of the late 1800s felt in their marriages. Louisa felt more obligations in her marriage than love. Chopin describes her as, “young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength” (169). She had no children and once widowed, she realized that she...
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...Analysis of Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” Thesis: Chopin’s use of symbolism, irony, and tone in “The Storm” reveal her want for happiness I. Symbolism in “The Storm” makes a connection between the affair of Calixta and Alcee, the main characters. A. Chopin describes the storm as rain pouring down with a recurrence and consistency that advocates rain. The adjectives “sinister” and “cyclone”, let’s you know that the storm is just a daunting existence in the nature world. “The rain beat upon the low, shingled roof with a force and clatter that threatened to… deluge” (Chopin 121). B. “A bolt struck a tall chinaberry tree at the edge of the field. It filled all visible space with a blinding glare and the crash seemed to invade the very boards they...
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...Kate Chopin is a well known American author. She was born in St. Louis and moved to Louisiana in her late teen years. Kate was married at the age of 19 to Oscar Chopin in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. Many of her works, short stories and novels, were published all over the world. Many people criticized her works because of what they were about and how she stated things in them. She lived a hard life without a lot of money and struggled daily after her husband passed away. Throughout her life, she learned many different things. She a very mature writer who was considered ahead of her time. Kate Chopin was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. She left St. Louis at nineteen to move to Louisiana with her new husband, Oscar. Chopin had six kids with Oscar, they had five sons and one daughter. Their kids’ names were Jean Baptiste, Oscar Charles, George Francis, Frederick, Felix Andrew, and Lélia. Their family lived in New Orleans and...
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...Mariam Magarious Professor Batson College Writing 2 March 8th,2016 A very dull and boring story can be made into a great story simply by adding in something that is unexpected to happen. When the unexpected is used in literature it is known as irony. An author uses irony to shock the reader by adding a twist to the story. In “The Story of an Hour” and “The Storm” both by Kate Chopin and her use of irony in the story is incredibly done more than once. Kate Chopin does a great job in placing irony into this short story and makes the reader understand that the unexpected happens in life. Kate's story is based on the idea that marriage in the late 19th century was viewed as oppressive. This was based on the fact that in the late 19th century woman had few rights in the public eye and their duties revolved around household chores and raising children. Feminism was not the only theme Kate used in this short story to entertain her readers, she also strategically placed literary ironies to keep the readers interest. In Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story of an Hour,” there is so much irony. Louise Mallard is about to be told about the death of her husband, Brently Mallard. This is for sure to take a toll on an old woman with a bad heart condition. One can start to feel the irony right after she is told of her husband’s death. She retreats to her room alone where she sits in a comfortable chair and stares out the window. It is what she sees out the window that shows some irony...
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