Analyzing Caludora Welty's Story 'The Storm'

Decent Essays
1. “The Storm” – Protagonist: Calixta, Antagonist: The Storm, Point of view: 3rd person, Setting: 19th century Southern Louisiana, at the Friedheimer’s store and Calixta’s home, during a storm.
In Kate Chopin’s story “The Storm,” the main character Calixta is faced with a very tricky situation which is being locked in her home alone with her former lover for the first time since they both married. While she is worried about her husband and son who are out in the storm, she is intrigued in re-kindling her old flame. However, Calixta’s husband is worried that she will be angry that they took shelter from the storm at Friedhemer’s, he brings her home a can of shrimp. She on the contrary was not angry because of the company from her old flame, Alcee, her mind so distracted that she did not have the time to become angry.
2. “A Worn Path”- Protagonist: Phoenix Jackson, Antagonist: The hunter, Point of view: 3rd person limited, Setting: Late 1930s during the Christmas season in Natchez Trace Mississippi.
…show more content…
The hunter that she meets half way through her journey tries to convince her to turn back, to go home and forget about the medicine. He tells Phoenix that it is too long of a trek for the old “Granny. . . [that] must be a hundred years old. . .” (91). However, she prevails continuing her journey to save her grandson’s life because family is more important than any obstacle that she would have to

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Isaac's Storm Summary

    • 1177 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “Isaac’s Storm”, by Erik Larson, is a non-fiction historical narrative about the 1900 Galveston, Texas hurricane, “the most lethal hurricane this country has ever known. So far.” (www.washingtonpost.com) 1 In the book, Larson tells the story of Isaac Cline, the chief weather observer assigned to the Galveston, Texas weather station from 1891 to 1901. Mr. Larson, is a former “staff writer for The Wall Street Journal, and later a contributing writer for Time Magazine [who] has written articles for The Atlantic, Harper’s, The New Yorker, and other publications” (eriklarsonbooks.com) 2.…

    • 1177 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The main character Calixta is home alone, while her husband and son are waiting for the storm to pass at a nearby store. Calixta’s former lover takes refuge in her home during the storm and they have an illicit, brief affair, and soon after he leaves Calixta goes back to being the perfect housewife to her family. Kate Chopin’s short story, “The Storm” illustrates how the institution of marriage is oppressive to women. Calixta’s housewife role in her marriage oppresses her from living the life she desires.…

    • 1539 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    After reading one of the most controversial writings of Kate Chopin, it gives me great admiration towards her risk of choosing the theme. Back in the nineteenth century women were frowned upon for even thinking promiscuously, just imagine writing about it. “The Storm” is a fiction novel based on an affair between two past lovers who were brought together by faith and awful weather. The storm approaching in the beginning is a metaphor, representing the desire and powerful attraction between the two main characters. The feeling Calixta and Alcée had for each other was mutual, almost too natural like the nature.…

    • 550 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Bobint's Love For Calixta

    • 321 Words
    • 2 Pages

    “True love” is possibly a myth or it may actually exist. But within the walls of Calixta’s home her lust is greater than the actual love that she has for her husband, Bobint. Calixta has more of a friendship love towards her husband than anything. But Bobint shows actual love for Calixta as he remembers the things that she loves and worries for her safety more than his own during the storm. “Bobint arose and going across to the counter purchased a can of shrimps, of which Calixta was very fond.”…

    • 321 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    Marriages can Hold Hidden Secrets If marriage is a happily ever after, why do so many couples cheat on their spouses?Davis's story "Break it Down", helps clarify the false assumption that marriages will lead to happiness or satisfaction when looking through the text "The Storm", by Kate Chopin. In "Break it Down" by Lydia Davis, the narrator is obsessively expressing eight days of romance in which he spends $600 for. When breaking down the affair, he comes to a conclusion that the inevitable pain is part of the whole process. Davis's story helps the reader understand the false assumption that marriage is a happily ever after when looking through the story "The Storm". Calixta, the mother of the family, has an affair with her old boyfriend,…

    • 1751 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    After that is mentioned, then she seems to recall again her reasoning for being there. In conclusion, through the many obstacles that Phoenix Jackson faced, she never gave up her goal which was to get to town to get her grandson medicine. She dealt with obstacles since the minute she started walking through the woods. Her age, the wild animals, the obstacles in the woods, the dog, and the hunter were all a challenge for her, but she still kept on going.…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The short stories, “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston and “The Storm” by Kate Chopin both portray the conflict between a woman’s family responsibility vs. personal desire. The leading characters, Delia Sykes in “Sweat,” and Calixta in “The Storm” both experience conflict dealing with personal fulfilment and social restraint in a male dominated society. Unlike Calixta, Delia is a faithful, married God fearing woman who diligently works to maintain the home. However, throughout the course of the marriage, Delia grows tired of the abuse she endures, and the love she no longer feels towards her husband. In contrast, Calixta, the main character is the wife and mother who fulfills her duties in her own time and manner, is unhappy and restless in her marriage…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” and “Desiree’s Baby” has many elements that can be compared and contrasted. These stories share similar characteristics such as time period and the theme of marriage. With these characteristics there are many things that need to be considered in each story such as why the time period is a big deal and what it has to do with the theme of marriage. However, there are some contrasts in the two stories like location and antagonistic motives. These contrasts should be taken into account because they are what make the stories two different stories and not a rewrite of one or the other.…

    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Kennedy & Dana Gioia 102). In The Storm, the atmosphere is described threw the similarities of the feelings in the room as Calixta and Alcée Laballière are together with the storm that is raging outside of the house. Chopin describes how the air outside is hot and steamy just before the two begin the two begin to have a passionate moment, “She wiped the frame that was clouded with moisture (X.J. Kennedy & Dana Gioia 106). In another instance of the story Chopin describes, “The growl of the thunder was distant and passing away” (X.J. Kennedy & Dana Gioia 108). This implies that as the storm was ending so too was their moment of love.…

    • 932 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    There is about a hundred-year gap between the two stories, as Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” was written in 1898, though published only in 1969, while Margaret Atwood’s short story “Happy Endings” was created in 1983. In spite of the time and even cultural differences, both stories have much in common, as they are devoted to an eternal theme of human relations, of choices and challenges that men and women make every day of their mutual existence. The thesis comes from the statement that both stories treat love as something unconventional and finally threatening, as in Atwood’s story, every plot line finishes with death, and in Chopin’s story, the love scene is set at the background of ruin, chaos and destruction; on the other hand, Atwood is more…

    • 1361 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Storms of my Grandchildren is a interesting tale of experiences encountered by a climate change scientist, James Hansen. Hansen is a decelerated climate scientist who is a retired researcher of NASA. In his book, he journeys through his life as a climate scientist and tells his experiences and frustrations with the global warming trend that society is creating. It has a good mix of hard science, and political issues. The purpose for this book becomes clear early in the story, what is happening to our climate, and how do we fix it.…

    • 1387 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    She is hopeful that she will heal her grandson because he is all she had. A phoenix is told to rise over and over again, and that is what Mrs. Phoenix does in this story; she takes this worn path often to retrieve the medicine for her grandson. Because she has dementia, she forgets that her grandson is really not alive any more. Therefore, Old Phoenix will constantly be seeking for something. Her trips in search for the medicine in hopes of healing her grandson’s throat may, or already has, become a regular thing.…

    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The further they drive from the home, the calmer the storm becomes. The reader’s realization of what the storm is a symbol of becomes the metaphor and theme for the story – mental illness in the family. Throughout “The Stormchasers”, Adam Marek vividly describes the atmosphere outside…

    • 1010 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The short story “The Storm” by Kate Chopin deals with the subject of feminine sexuality and passion. During the 19th Century, women’s sexual desire was suppressed by the societal constraints; and also they were not allowed to take any decision about their sexual life. This story indicates how a woman, who was not happy with her marriage, tries to conform to the norms of the society by dedicating herself to domesticity and her married life. However, she transgresses the norms and customs of the society by finding another mean to fulfill her sexual aspiration. Moreover, the author seems to neglect infidelity because the consequences were not mentioned, instead “everyone was happy.”…

    • 1319 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    At this point in time the grandmother focuses for her life. Not even for once instant was she concerned for the wellbeing of her family. As a result of her pride, the whole family suffered the consequences. Perhaps if the grandmother had been less prideful the would not have detour to see the plantation; her prideful ways cost her and her loved ones their…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays