Without being graphic, Kate Chopin can still titillate today’s readers in her short story, The Storm. Sex is a need that needs to be gratified. Even illicit sex can bring about happiness. Moreover, Chopin seems to be endorsing that adultery, that it can be casual and it is fine. Not only is she endorsing it, she is suggesting that it can be a source of fulfillment in marital life for the legal spouses.
The Storm is a story revolving on two married couples: Calixta and Bobinot, and Alcee and Clarisse. The title refers to the weather condition at the setting of the story. At the same time, it is an allusion to the passionate encounter between Calixta and Alcee. A storm is suggested to be a weather condition wherein a woman alone would desire a companion, someone who could comfort her and calm her fears. One day, Calixta was left alone at her house during a storm. Bobinot and her son got stranded some distance from their home. Alcee, whose wife and babies are resting in another city, drops by and seeks shelter at Calixta’s home. Calixta was uncomfortable with his presence as he had been someone she had flirted with and kissed in the past, and she had not seen since she got married. While she may not be feigning fear and truly needed someone—ideally her husband—to provide her comfort amid her fears, she seems to be at the same time flirting with Alcee. This is an impression one gets given the two characters past relationship. Calixta not only allowed Alcee to approach her but also to embrace her. The embrace triggers passionate emotions and the two ended up kissing each other. Calixta even allowed Alcee to touch if not fondle her breasts. After the storm, Alcee leaves. Calixta enjoys a very happy dinner with her husband and son in the evening. Similarly, Alcee happily corresponds to his wife who felt happier with him in spite of their not being physically together.
The encounter between Alcee and Calixta may not yet constitute adultery. After all, it had not been consummated or let to sexual intercourse (adultery). This may be a result mainly of limitations or restrictions that Chopin may have set on herself given the laws, sensibilities and social norms of her time. Still, the scene suggests condonation if not outright endorsement of adultery. Chopin had been very vivid in describing the electrifying passion that the two characters were feeling. Calixta did not at all resist. On the contrary, she encouraged Alcee to kiss and fondle her. And they both enjoyed themselves. Chopin also seems to be suggesting that sex is a need that needs to be gratified especially when the spouses are not together. It is source of enjoyment for the parties involved in adultery. It can also be a cause for a happier marriage between the legal spouses.
At the end of the story, Calixta did not show any remorse, guilt or fear as one might expect from the stereotyped devoted or faithful wife. On the contrary, she seemed to have been fulfilled. She prepared supper for husband and her son and they had a delightful dinner. As Kate Chopin describes the scene, Calixta’s family were enjoying dinner so much that they were laughing very loudly. The same is true with Alcee. He was happy and beaming after his passionate encounter with Calixta. He wrote a letter to his wife who in turn was very pleased with what Alcee wrote. He claims to be ready to suffer the prolonged absence of his wife and little children if their health demanded them to be away for a while. However, he may not really missing his wife. He has found a possible source of gratification. His joy after his affair with Calixta suggest that it is something that he would most probably like to enjoy again. Interestingly, Alcee’s wife Clarisse was described by Chopin as devoted yet at the same time willing or find it acceptable to have an affair: “their intimate conjugal life was something which she was more than willing to forego for a while.” Her attitude seems to be exactly the same as that of Calixta: an extramarital affair is nothing to be bothered about and even a source of fulfillment.
Kate Chopin is endorsing adultery as reflected in the reactions of Calixta’s to Alcee’s advances and in Clarisse’s openness to forego temporarily her marital life. In addition, Chopin is even suggesting that adultery could be a source of happiness for those involved. Calixta had enjoyed her encounter with Alcee so much she prepared a delightful dinner that made her husband and son very happy. Likewise, Alcee had been very happy after the affair and in turn made his wife Clarisse very happy herself with a letter. Calixta and Clarisse mirror Chopin’s attitude toward adultery. It is just a casual thing that could, ironically, help make marriage truly a blissful one. As Chopin concludes, “So the storm passed and every one was happy.” The storm here being both a reference to the weather and thunderstorm and an allusion to the sexual encounter between Calixta and Alcee.
Works Cited
“Adultery." Def. Merriam Webster Online, Merriam Webster, n.d. Web. 2 Feb 2013. < http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adultery >
Chopin, Kate. "The Storm." Civitas Library Classics. Beyond the Bayou and Other Short Stories. 1st. Civitas Media LLC, 8 May 2012. Kindle.
