Free Essay Sample on the Kate Chopin's Story: The Meaning Of The Storm

The Metaphor of the Storm in the Story by Kate Chopin

A talented writer and feminist enthusiast Kate Chopin wrote many appealing stories with The Storm being the most notable one. The main feature of the work is the abundance of metaphors used to emphasize certain problems typical for women in the nineteenth century. At this point, it is critical to mention that Kate Chopin lived during a harsh time when hardly anyone could help females retain their rights.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Katherine O’Flaherty is currently known as a prominent feminist writer of the 20th century. The girl lived in a well-to-do family, but at the age of five, she lost her father, Thomas O’Flaherty, who was an authoritative businessman. After the father’s death, the girl was not left alone, as the female part of her family took care of her. This is one of the core reasons why Chopin had such a strong bond with them. Besides, it explains why she grew up to become who she was.

The situation in the 19th century was complicated, as males overlooked the house, while dictatorship and injustice towards females were considered a norm in society. Traditionally, females stayed at home, taking care of their houses, spouses, and kids. However, Kate Chopin was different, so she fought to emphasize the psychological and emotional conditions of women who were sexually downtrodden. In her work, the author demonstrates the time when women started regaining their roles in society, highlighting all the emotional and psychological challenges they encountered. Striving to accentuate the significance of the issue, the writer uses the storm as a symbol that helps to shed some light on a few critical things.

Even though the overwhelming majority of people imagine a natural phenomenon when they hear about a storm, the author gives this word a completely different connotation. She uses it as an accidental thing or experience that provides women with a unique chance to revive and speak out in a community dominated by men. In the text, the storm deals with a lot of things, including love, friendship, and people. Depending on the situation and characters, it can have a beneficial and destructive influence. Irrespective of the different meanings of the storm in the story, it restored the bond between the spouses.

From the very beginning of the story, it becomes obvious that Bobinot treated his son Bibi well, and the bond between the two is really strong. The moment the storm begins, men are in a shop. The weather outside is harsh, so nobody is willing to leave the shop. The man strives to avoid the storm, and he chooses to purchase some gifts for his son, taking maximum advantage of the situation. In fact, the desire of a man to avoid any talks about the storm reveals the problems and complicated relationship he has with his spouse. The family is arguing all the time, and Bobinot makes an effort to eliminate the conflicts.

At the same time, when the storm starts, the writer strives to highlight Calixta’s attitude towards the situation in their family. Just like all the other women at that time, she works about the house all day long while her husband and son are busy in the town. The author emphasized that the woman was not informed of the upcoming storm. This way, Chopin wanted to describe the tribulations and challenges of Calixta’s marriage and the miserable attitude towards females.

At the peak moment, a new character, Alcee, is brought in. He is depicted as a strong man riding a horse. As the weather aggravates, the man has no way out other than coming to Bobinot's house. Finally, the readers have an opportunity to comprehend the real metaphorical meaning of the natural phenomenon. Who is Alcee? How is he related to Calixta? The readers get answers to all their questions and realize that the two used to be lovers. Later both of them got married and forgot about their relationship.

Nonetheless, the storm presents a unique chance to remind of old times and alleviate sexual suppression. Calixta and Alcee have an intense sexual affair, after which the storm calms down. The lovers have to bid farewell, but they feel as happy as never before.

Apart from the positive perspective, we will talk about later, it is inevitable to mind the negative meaning of the storm. The situation leads to a forbidden affair between two married people. The experience has a drastic impact on their lives since after they satisfy their physical desire, they have to face the outcomes of the affair. Nonetheless, irrespective of all the possible problems, the woman feels delighted and refreshed.

As the storm subsides, the new reality appears, where Calixtra feels like focusing on her marriage. As for Alcee, he has mixed feelings. Now he feels like he does not miss his wife and kids anymore, so he asks them to take their time and stay in Biloxi as much as they may need.

How can an affair and significant storm in life serve for good? Believe it or not, it helps to strengthen the bond between spouses. On the way home, the husband thinks of excuses and explanations that may help him eliminate conflicts with the spouse. However, instead of thousands of questions, the wife usually asks, this time, she tells him that everything is for good. It seems that the family will have a “party” at night.

Generally, it is obvious that the storm has a great influence on people’s lives in the story. The main desire of the writer was to highlight that the storm appeared to free a female from the bind of domination, sexual, and social issues.