Introduction
People want to believe that they are able to control most things in their lives, including their relationships, jobs, and even emotions. However, such confidence and prudence do not promise positive outcomes and the possibility of succeeding in every endeavor. Many external factors might affect human decisions, cooperation, and achievements.
The short story “The Storm” by Kate Chopin is one of the examples of how people remain dependent on the weather and react to the changes they cannot resist. The author applies symbolism in her title and chooses the storm, not the characters, as the central element in the story. Chopin focuses on human thoughts, decisions, and attitudes beyond this natural disaster in her intention to consider a storm not only as something dangerous and destructive.
Hassan and Tayib define “The Storm” as “one the most daring stories” (140), while Zhang explains it as a perfect work to explain “feminine quality” (103). These interpretations contribute to a better understanding of the title and the writer’s goals. Chopin’s “The Storm” is not just a title representing a dangerous environment but a symbol of human passion, resistance, and liberation in society.
Plot Summary
“The Storm” is a story of five people witnessing a storm in their region and experiencing different emotions about their life. Bobinôt, Bibi, Calixta, Alcée, and Clarissa are the characters introduced by Chopin in her work written in 1898. Bobinôt and Calixta are happily married and raise a four-year-old son, Bibi, with “the embodiment of serious solicitude” (Chopin 5).
Another couple, Alcée and Clarissa, also has several children, but they are not together, “realizing that their health and pleasure were the first things to be considered” (Chopin 6). Despite their perfect relationship and care for each other, Calixta and Alcée are having an affair that helps each other’s “firm, elastic flesh,” “knowing for the first time its birthright” (Chopin 4).
In addition to their personal interests and concerns, the characters observe the storm coming to their place when “a bolt struck a tall chinaberry tree” and “filled all visible space with a blinding glare” (Chopin 3). The passion between Calixta and Alcée is compared to the storm process – sudden, unpredictable, bright, and fleeting. In the end, all families are reunited to continue their happily ever after lives.
Title Explanation
The choice of the title for this short story plays an important role. On the one hand, it is clear that the history of each character should be somehow related to sudden weather changes. According to Hassan and Tayib, it is expected that the “heavy rain” can be “very ruinous and frightening” (140). The characters decide to find safe places “till the storm had passed” and feel “no unease for their safety” (Chopin 1). The storm is never predictable, and people have no control over this natural disaster. Everything they can do is to protect themselves and ensure their beloved ones are in no danger.
On the other hand, “The Storm” is no longer an event Chopin wants to describe but a symbol of passion and transfiguration that people need from time to time. This title aims at “describing women’s sexual femininity as full of ardor and vitality” (Zhang 102). Instead of being afraid for their safety, the characters use the storm as a moment to renovate their bodies and souls. Such an ambiguous position makes the reader think about the diversity of the meaning of the offered title.
Understanding Danger and Consequences
One of the possible interpretations of the title “The Storm” is based on how people understand the danger and what they try to do to predict and avoid unpleasant consequences. However, Chopin does not use the word “danger” or “dangerous” to describe the events and emotions of her characters. The rain is a risk because it “beat upon the low, shingled roof with a force and clatter that threatened to break an entrance” (Chopin 2). It is impossible to stop the storm or change its direction. Still, people are strong to develop the right attitudes toward the situation and be ready for it.
Hassan and Tayib admit that Chopin’s story is full of “verbal, situational, and dramatic irony” that deals with “a highly controversial theme” to show that “the storm does not destroy” but “intensifies” the environment (140). Thus, it is correct to treat Chopin’s title delicately and not make fast conclusions leading to biased and unfair statements. The storm is not only a danger but an opportunity to look at life from another perspective.
The title’s relation to passion as the splash of emotions and the hurricane of feelings must be identified. Chopin mentions “passion” several times: the voice of Alcée was “broken by passion,” his “passionate creature… made her defense”, and Calixta’s “generous abundance of … passion” was evident (4). The author wants to provide “the storm” with a symbolic meaning when people are obsessed with an idea or particular mood.
In their study, Hassan and Tayib discover that “the fear is over when desire and passion take place” (140). Calixta is not afraid of her feelings “as she glanced up at him, the fear in her liquid blue eyes had given place to a drowsy gleam that unconsciously betrayed a sensuous desire (Chopin 4). She can no longer resist her desire to be with a man who is not her husband. However, again, this type of storm is not bad because it is a possibility of “getting aware of her body and sexual vigor” (Zhang 102). People must understand that their social responsibilities and physiological needs may contradict each other, and the title becomes a solid basis for these inconsistencies.
Equality and Resistance
Another interesting aspect of Chopin’s title is based on the discussion of male-female equality and the intent of the main character to resist the existing norms and gender roles. Zhang notices that this women’s writing reveals “resistance to the oppression of women’s body by phallogocentrism” (102). Calixta is represented as a passionate lover who investigates her body and discovers some new corner of physical pleasure. At the same time, she is a mother and a wife who works on a sewing machine and hangs men’s clothes to dry (Chopin 1-2).
Even today, many women are determined by the principles of patriarchy and the necessity to follow their men as a part of social expectations. In the late 19th century, the social condition of women was strictly restricted, and Chopin tried to “express her disappointments toward the contemporary concept” in her work (Hassan and Tayib 138). Although she was not a zealous feminist, her thoughts and ideas helped some women reconsider their positions and rights. Therefore, “The Storm” is the only effective solution to destroy old norms and take forceful steps to change something.
Liberation and Transformation
Finally, the storm, like any natural disaster or event, has its beginning and ending, which might symbolize the liberation of the main characters. The adultery of Calixta is one of the core moments in the story. However, she does not feel guilty or ashamed because of the committed sin, but “she feels liberated” (Hassan and Tayib 140). When “the storm passed,” “everyone was happy,” and Calixta admired the “agreeable” society and her “intimate conjugal life” (Chopin 7). There are no signs of regret or sorrow in her behavior, and she is free and satisfied with each moment of her life.
The title devotes to “liberating women from patriarchy,” and Chopin succeeds in her goal of presenting excellent writing (Zhang 102). Other examples of liberation through happiness and satisfaction can be traced in other characters: Bibi is not afraid of the storm because he is with his father, Bobinôt relaxes when he meets his wife, and Clarissa and Alcée enjoy their mutual and tender solicitude (Chopin 6). Such relationships are free from restrictions and biases, and the author ensures each character gets what he or she wants at the moment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, “The Storm” is one of the most interesting and provocative short stories of the 19th century. Despite choosing a simple and clear title, Chopin is able to touch upon complex and vital societal problems and concerns. The role of a woman in society, fidelity in family relationships, and human sexuality are properly described through the prism of the chosen title. The story proves that the storm may be dangerous and unpredictable, but its contribution to promoting passion, resistance, and liberation cannot be ignored. When people are ready to take steps and change something following their needs and desires, they will achieve the desired results and be happy.
Works Cited
Chopin, Kate. “The Storm.” Lone Star College, 1898. Web.
Hassan, Hazha S., and Chinar K. Tayib. “Irony in Kate Chopin’s Selected Short Stories.” Koya University Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, vol. 3, no. 1, 2020, pp. 137-144.
Zhang, Xia. “Resistance to Phallogocentrism in the Storm by Women’s Writing.” International Journal of Education and Humanities, vol. 4, no. 3, 2022, pp. 102-103.