Storm

In the short story "The Storm", Kate Chopin demonstrates that the zealous storms which rage within us can be particularly greater than the actual events it self. The two main characters, Alcee and Calixta are two estranged lovers that re-encounter during a storm and relive their dormant passions. Chopin uses strong symbolism in "The Storm" to represent the twist of emotions and characters overpowered with an unsettling dark passion. Chopin also uses symbolism to embody the new life of Alcee and Calixta.

A storm symbolizes conflict and turmoil. Chopin uses the image of the storm to represent the sexual tension building throughout the story between Alcee and Calixta. As the storm worsens, so does the sexual tension between them. Calixta is becoming as unsettled as the elements outside, as the passion in which the storm rages echoes her inner emotions. This is illustrated when "Calixta nervously began to gather up from the floor the lengths of a cotton sheet".

Kate Chopin in 1894

Photoportrait of writer Kate Chopin

English: Underwater photograph of a woman plunging...

The dark gray sky is a reflection of the obscure and prohibited passion felt by Alcee and Calixta. It is a dark passion felt by both because they are both happily married with their respective partners. It is understood that Alcee is happily married when he "wrote a letter to his wife, Clarisse…it was a loving letter, full of tender solitude." It is evenly confirmed that Calixta is happily married when "she gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek that resounded." Having an affair outside of the marriage is prohibited and is viewed as immoral, so they are both feeling the tension brought on by their forbidden passion. This is made known when prior to Alcee arriving to Calixtas house, "Calixta …felt no uneasiness for their [her husband and child] safety", but after Alcee and the...