Kate Chopin’s The Storm: Female Sexuality and Desire

Kate Chopin’s The Storm is full of sexuality–unlike any other short literary work. This short story, which presents the adulterous encounter between Calixta and Alcee, her former lover, deals with women’s experiences and desires explicitly and is therefore not published until 1969. Sexuality was not a topic discussed during the time she wrote her short story, which is 1898. Throughout the story, there have been physical storms both outside Calixta’s house and inside. Chopin uses the concept of a storm symbolically to manifest the inner emotions of Calixta–the protagonist. In several pages, Chopin manages to show the status of women in society, especially in the family, and to challenge that representation by exposing the happy married life that should be fulfilled and sufficient for women. Hence, this writing will look at how women are depicted in this short story–which mostly centers on Calixta and the depth of her sexual desires, and how their lives are portrayed through the lens of feminism.

To begin with, the actual storm that occurred served as an ambiguous metaphor for the love affair between Calixta and Alcee. The thunderstorm’s rage grew along with their desire for one another, and it ends just as suddenly as it began when their moment of adultery is over. The first sentence of the story says, “The leaves were so still that even Bibi thought it was going to rain” (paragraph 1). It describes the moment of tranquility before the storm. It also depicts Calixta and Alcee’s marriage. The silence of the leaves symbolizes the feeling of being trapped and the inability to move forward. As far as I’m concerned, their way of life is largely determined by their gender and socio-economic status. Calixta did not marry the one she loved. She couldn’t have a serious relationship with Alcee for the reason that he came from a higher social class; hence, she chose Bobinot instead of who is the appropriate match considering he is closer to Calixta in terms of socio-economic status. As for Clarisse, although not much was said about Alcee’s wife, it could still be concluded that she was experiencing marital dissatisfaction. Alcee wrote a letter to Clarisse reassuring her to stay on vacation longer than had been planned―he didn’t mind being without his wife and children for another month. Clarisse favors the idea of ​​staying away longer and being reminded of “the pleasant liberty of her maiden days” (paragraph 38). She is overjoyed that she hasn’t returned home and away from her husband to relish the freedom of feeling like a single woman again.

What’s more, the narrative characterizes Calixta’s bedroom as strange and further explains Calixta and Alcee’s passion for each other during the storm. It is stated in paragraph 13, “Adjoining was her bedroom, with Bibi’s couch alongside her own. The door stood open, and the room with its white, monumental bed, its closed shutters, looked dim and mysterious.” The narrative portrays Calixta’s bedroom as though she is unfamiliar with it. This hints that she and Bobinot are not sexually active, and it also points out her curiosity and desire. It can be assumed that Calixta felt deeply trapped in her marriage as well as her life. This unhappiness then drives her to decide to have an affair with Alcee, which she hopes will reduce her discontent with her life. Moreover, when Calixta and Alcee began to feel the tension, Calixta exclaimed, “If this keeps up, Dieu said if the levees goin’ to stan’ it,” (paragraph 15) that symbolically shows the strength growing out of their desire for each other. In the end, there was a lightning bolt that signaled the climax of the situation. It stated, “A bolt struck a fall 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 stood upon” (paragraph 19). It confirmed Alcee’s first kiss to Calixta as if they were both waiting for this natural implicit reason to start their affair. As well, it stated, “They did not heed the crashing torrents, and the roar of the elements made her laugh as she lay in his arms” (paragraph 24). Instead of feeling guilty for her actions, she burst into laughter during the affair. She happily enjoys it and forgets about the storm and everything that is happening around her. Based on this, the affair is not fully and openly described in the story; instead, Chopin uses an encoded language associated with natural storms. Basically, the story questions female stereotypes since it portrays the efforts of a married woman “enmeshed in constraints…[to] achieve some sexual autonomy (and pleasure) through discreet transgression” (Stein, 2005); in fact, it is a “celebration of the sexual encounter” which fulfills Calixta’s desires and is not confined in the institution of marriage.

Then, it details how two married people have sexual relations without feeling erring and apologetic. After the affair was over and the storm had passed, the sun appeared and seemed to make everything appear brighter and delicate when the narrative said, “The rain was over, and the sun was turning the glistening green world into a palace of gems” (paragraph 29). The green color here represents the idea of ​​a new life. She thinks maybe starting over is the best feeling she can get and that she’ll be glad that she got the “thing” she wanted. Starting from here is to reflect on the affair that occurred between Calixta and Alcee by cause of Calixta felt okay with her marriage to Bobinot; therefore, having an affair with Alcee might return her contentment. It shows Calixta and Alcee changing their perspective on their life. They see things more clearly, and they are ecstatic with the way they see things now. This is proven when Calixta is satisfied with their safe return, Bobinot, and Bibi, and she cares for them as if nothing had happened. Calixta felt him see if he were dry and seemed to express nothing but satisfaction at their safe return. Ironically, Alcee wrote a love letter to his wife telling about his love and babies, as I explained above. Through these narratives, it effectively shows their new joy and bliss with each other due to the affair.

To put it concisely, for feminists, the right of women to control their sexuality is a major issue. Feminists like Catharine MacKinnon argue that women have little control over their bodies―with women’s sexuality being largely controlled and determined by men in patriarchal societies. Feminists argue that all cultures are, in one way or another, dominated by ideologies that largely reject women’s right to decide how to express their sexuality by virtue of men under patriarchy feels entitled to define sex in their terms. This right can take different forms depending on the culture. Sandra M. Gilbert called The Storm, “so revolutionary in its implication that its author never attempted to publish it in her lifetime” (Sandra, 1984). Chopin boldly celebrates women’s sexuality and uses the celebration as a feminist statement about women’s equal potential and rights to express themselves and experience pleasure. When the storm passed showed that revolutionizing the traditional concept of gender and marriage will change everyone, exclusively women’s lives for the better.

REFERENCES

· Stein, Allen F. (2005). Women and Autonomy in Kate Chopin’s Short Fiction. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2005. Modern American Literature.

· Gilbert, Sandra M. (1984). Introduction: The Second Coming of Aphrodite. Kate Chopin: The Awakening and Selected Stories. New York: Penguin, 1984. 7–33.