STORY SUMMARY
Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” is a short story that unfolds in a small Louisiana town during a sudden and intense summer storm. The narrative centers around Calixta, a married woman who is at home alone while her husband Bobinôt and their son Bibi take shelter at a local store.
As the storm intensifies, Alcée Laballière, an old flame of Calixta’s, seeks shelter at her home. As they wait out the storm together, their past passion resurfaces, and they engage in a passionate sexual encounter. After the storm passes, Alcée leaves, and Calixta returns to her domestic duties with apparent ease and contentment.
Meanwhile, Bobinôt and Bibi return home, concerned that Calixta may have been worried during the storm. Instead, they find her in unusually good spirits. The story ends with the line, “So the storm passed and everyone was happy.”
The Storm by Kate Chopin
LITERARY ANALYSIS
Narrative Structure and Style
The story is divided into five brief sections, mirroring the rising and falling action of the storm itself. Chopin’s language is sensuous and descriptive, especially during the storm scene, where the natural imagery parallels the emotional and physical climax of the story. Her third-person omniscient narrator remains neutral and nonjudgmental, which enhances the story’s subtle radicalism.
Themes
• Sexuality and Female Desire: “The Storm” boldly portrays female sexual autonomy, a subject rarely treated so directly in 19th-century American literature. Calixta’s desire is presented as natural and fulfilling—not sinful or tragic. Chopin challenges the era’s restrictive norms around women’s sexuality and marriage.
• Marriage and Social Convention: The story doesn’t condemn adultery; instead, it suggests that emotional and sexual fulfillment can exist outside traditional marital boundaries. Ironically, the affair appears to strengthen Calixta’s family life, at least in the short term. Chopin portrays marriage not as a moral fortress but as a social
arrangement that may not always satisfy human needs.
• Nature as Metaphor: The storm symbolizes passion, release, and momentary upheaval. Its physical force parallels the intensity of the sexual encounter, and its passing signifies a return to order—but not to guilt or punishment. Nature, like passion, is portrayed as uncontrollable yet natural.
Symbolism
• The Storm: Represents both literal weather and the emotional storm of sexual desire. Its progression mirrors the structure of the affair—buildup, climax, and resolution.
• The Home: While typically a symbol of domestic order, here it becomes the site of transgression and liberation, complicating traditional notions of female domesticity.
Contextual Consideration
Written in 1898 but unpublished during Chopin’s lifetime, “The Storm” was likely considered too provocative for its time. Chopin, also known for The Awakening, was a pioneering figure in American literary realism and early feminist thought. This story, though short, showcases her bold treatment of female subjectivity, eroticism, and the limitations of social norms.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. How does Chopin use the storm as a metaphor throughout the story?
2. Do you think Chopin is justifying Calixta’s actions? Why or why not?
3. How does the story challenge or reinforce the roles of women and wives in late 19th-century America?
4. What is the significance of the final line, “So the storm passed and everyone was happy”?
