The Passion Of A Storm

3 Pages 841 Words

The Passion of a Storm
“The Storm,” written by Kate Chopin, opposes the ideas of the late nineteenth century by introducing the fulfillment of a woman’s desires by a man in her position. It shows how the needs and requirements of nature, as well as people, must be satisfied in order to sustain life. Chopin’s use of symbolism displays a connection between an emerging rainstorm and the storm of emotions growing within the individuals Calixta and Alcee. The intensity of their encounter mirrors the pattern of the rainstorm as it builds to a climax of thundering sheets of rain, and then reduces to a mere breeze.
The escalation of their affair follows the patterns of the storm that occurs outside.
The approaching storm has been brewing for some time, just as the relationship between Calixta and Alcee has. The third person narrator speaks of her appearance to him five years before, and expressed some of her old qualities that still remained. The narrator, alludes to a passionate encounter years ago, “Do you remember—in Assumption, Calixta”(97).
The storm could be seen for miles before it got there; however Calixta does not recognize either of the storms until Alcee approaches her home on his horse. The wind begins to blow. When he speaks to her, there are gusts of wind that try to carry the clothes from the porch, and gusts of memories that carry Calixta back in time. As Alcee decides to stand on the porch, the weather forbids him and the rain forces him inside. He stares at her longingly as the rain clatters upon the shingled roof with a force that threatens to enter and deluge them there (109). Just as the heavy rain and wind tries to break down the barriers of the house to expose the lovers to the elements outside, the barriers between Alcee and Calixta are eroding to expose their inner feelings to the surface and their actions. The barriers they had built within themselves to resist such temptation were slowl...