Good Example Of Essay On Womens Roles In Marriage In Stories Desirees Baby And The Storm

Two women, two different stories, two destinies. Calixta and Desiree had one important common goal in their lives – happiness of their children and husbands. In the short stories “Desiree’s Baby” and “The Storm”, Kate Chopin showed us the attitude of women of those years to the marriage, to their own happiness and what was the life like for a young ordinary woman. In this essay I would like to compare two absolutely different but in some ways similar situations and bitter experience of Calixta and Desiree.
The story “Desiree’s Baby” shows us the racial prejudice and how it affects the main character Desiree. Desiree was abandoned as a child. Her future was unknown until she was found by the Valmonde family, who did not have their own children, and were so happy to give her opportunities to be parents for her, but nevertheless nobody knows about her origin. After that Armand meets her and takes her to a wife. She is shown as a good wife for her husband. The birth of his child affected on him, Armand becomes much softer to his servants. So Desiree is happy about her everyday life, her little son and beloved husband. But then Armand becomes estranged, he despises her as a child is not white, and he blames his wife and her blood for that. But Desiree explains away “It is a lie; it is not true, I am white! Look at my hair, it is brown; and my eyes are gray”, “Look at my hand; whiter than yours, Armand”. (Chopin, “Desiree’s Baby”. 65). He does not listen to her; he has no desire to understand the situation. “Moreover, he no longer loved her because of the conscious injury she had brought upon his home and his name” (Chopin, “Desiree’s Baby”. 66). Then Armand asks her to leave his house, and she is not against. She is hoping that he would call her back but that does not happen. She leaves the house with a child without any clothes or some things. She is not going to come back. In the end Armand discovers that he is a reason why his son is not white. The matter is that his mother “belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery” (Chopin, “Desiree’s Baby”. 66).
Women of those years lost their freedom, their right for being a personality when they became wives. Their only role was to be a daughter, a wife, a sister and a mother. They could not make their own choice; their husband was like their master. It is undeniable that Desiree does not imagine her life without Armand. She has no idea how to live further and is it even possible. Personally I like her character. She is brave enough to start a new life, to show that she is not going to suffer and be the victim. She does not ask her husband to forgive for what she has not done and so she makes her own choice – she returns to the house of her childhood.
The next woman is Calixta in the story “The Storm”. This story tells about the lost love and the relationships that are unwanted. Storm is a metaphor that shows Calixta’s passion and feelings which she cannot realize in her marriage. Calixta is shown as a young and passionate woman, who is involved into her household work so she does not notice the problems she has in her family or dreams and hopes that she has. The story begins with her husband and son staying at a store and waiting for the end of the storm, while Calixta is working about the house and she does not even notice the storm outside. "She sat at a side window sewing furiously on a sewing machine. She was greatly occupied and did not notice the approaching storm," (Chopin, “The Storm”. 72). Husband loves her so much, that he thinks about her even when storm begins and decides to buy a can of shrimps as she loves them. When Calixta realizes that there is a storm, she runs to close the windows and gets the laundry from outside. She notices Alcee, her former love, who asks to wait in the house until the storm ends. Kate Chopin uses the description of the storm to show the tension and attraction between Alcee and Calixta. They loved each other years ago, but they had to marry other people. I think, Bobinot could provide a good and worthy life for Calixta, that is why she chose him. And now as she has a son, she cannot make another choice, she has to be with her family. Perhaps not as happy and passionate as it could be, but stable and calm. Our life is lots of choices – sometimes successful, sometimes not. But I think these two are even more interested in their marriage afterwards. Caxilta meets her family at home and Alcee writes a letter to his family. Alcee does not love his wife, he proposes her to stay longer at Biloxi if she likes that place. He does not want to see her, and his wife Clarisse is happy that she can have a rest far from him. Bobinot has no idea that his wife just cheated on him. In the last line of the story Chopin writes, "So the storm passed and everyone was happy" (Chopin, “The Storm”. 75).
Although Calixta seems to be happy in her marriage but nevertheless she seems happier when she meets Alcee. They evidently both married not because of love, but because of some conveniences. When she leaves, she is showed as a kind loving wife. Perhaps that is a turning point in their relationship, maybe she needed that. Calixta is tired of being a perfect housewife, cleaning woman and a cook. She wants to be free; she wants to feel passion, bright emotions. When she steps outside her stereotypes and frames, so she becomes another person.
Kate Chopin tells us about different women and two different destinies in stories “Desiree’s baby” and “The storm”. She is explaining the women’s desires, wishes, some hidden thoughts and emotions, which were to be hidden as the society could judge for some actions. I think that she expresses her own attitude about life of the women, being married and being happy or unhappy. Both women were much happier outside of their roles and established rules; they needed to be not only wives, but something more. These women are absolutely different in their behavior, and what is the main thing that Calixta is seeking happiness; but Desiree loses it.