Introduction
There are subtle actions and emotions that occur when a man and a woman meet casually and coincidentally. In an encounter, the discussions that ensue display in part the relationship and characters of the two parties engaging in a common interest. This essay is going to compare and contrast the characters of two women, Calixta from Chopin’s “The Storm” and Elisa Allena from Steinbeck’s “Chrysanthemums”, who are in different contexts of the stories.
Comparisons
Calixta and Elisa are women who are both young and newly married. These women are very industrious, and each one is specializing in her own work at their respective homes, as Calixta is a fervent tailor while Elisa is a passionate flower gardener. When these women encounter men, they are emotionally attracted to men and are tempted to indulge themselves in extramarital sex.
Incidentally, Elisa encounters a man who mends broken utensils and other homely pieces of equipment. She was scared of him at first sight, but after a lengthy discussion, she empathizes with the lonely caravan life the man was living and his desire to get attracted to beautiful women. Her feeling for him made her breasts to swell up passionately, and was tempted to touch his greasy trouser. On the other hand, Calixta met his former boyfriend, Alcee, whom she has missed since she got married.
The storm provided an opportunity for Alcee to shelter in her house until the storm is over. The opportunity made them remember the sweet moments they had shared before, and they begin to kiss and caress each other. In the end, both women felt lonely and wondered as they stare at the departing men, leaving them lonely.
Contrasts
Elisa and Calixta differ in the kind of work they do. Calixta is a passionate tailor while Elisa is a gifted flower gardener as she grows chrysanthemums flowers that give an attractive bloom in their season. Physically, Calixta has blue eyes, red lips as pomegranate, and yellow hair that charmed Alcee leading him to inevitably kiss and caress her while Elisa has clear eyes like water, a blocked figure, and pretty dark hair that makes Henry, her husband commend her as nice and strong, and also attracting the caravan man.
Another contrast between the two women is the children. Elisa seems to be newly married, as she has no kids to attend to, unlike Calixta, who is busy tailoring, washing, and cooking for her kids. Elisa and Henry are new couples who are still busy enjoying their early marriage life by going to dinner without any worry about the welfare of the kids. Elisa has self-control as she managed to avoid suggestive touch on the greasy trouser of the caravan man, but Calixta lost her self-control because she allowed Alcee to kiss and caress her, yet she is married to another man.
Conclusion
The two stories are trying to depict how promiscuous behavior is propagated in society by both men and women during socialization. The two women in different contexts have proved to have the same extramarital sexual challenges, but they differ in the extent of their self-control. Their physical looks are quite different, but in the eyes of the men, they are just seen as beautiful. The stories portray what really happens in reality when a man encounters a woman or his former girlfriend. What normally ensues is very predictable because human beings are social beings and must socialize to fulfill their emotional needs.