The Theme Of Adultery In The Storm By Kate Chopin

Adultery is not uncommon, but has always been scandalous especially in the era when Kate Chopin was publishing most of her stories. “The Storm” concerns restraints and sexual tensions not often written about during this time period. “The Storm” describes an affair between two people that builds up, hits a luminous point, and fades away just like a storm. In Kate Chopin’s short story, “The Storm,” Chopin uses the setting to showcase and reinforce her themes of adultery and women and femininity. Chopin also uses the setting as a symbol and a driving force of the plot. To begin, adultery was an obvious theme within the “The Storm,” and the way the storm arrives stems from Chopin’s desire to move the story along. Firstly, as the storm draws …show more content…
Since this story was written and set in the late nineteenth century the ideals for women were pretty set in stone. Women were often seen in the traditional, domestic position. Initially, Calixta is in her home doing what is made to be womanly duties. “She sat at a side window furiously sewing on a sewing machine,” is an example of how she was set into this role as a wife and mother. Yet on the other hand, "The Storm" demonstrates two very similar yet different wives and mothers. Both seem devoted in caring for their families. As Calixta is frantically worrying about her son, she is showing her devotion to her family. This is also the woman who would find relief from her day to day life by being emotionally absent and would take her frustration out on those around her. The one who has the affair though seems to be in better standing with her family. After Calixta’s husband and son return after the storm, she seems more pleasant toward them by not saying anything to them about the mud and dirt on their clothes. That goes two show that both women display devotion to their family and portray a reminder of each woman 's individuality. In other words, this story is an example of how women during this time period may have been stuck in this domestic role as wife and mother but that does not mean they were all the …show more content…
The course of the passion between the two parallels the storm. As the storm builds so does Calixta and Alcee’s relationship. Chopin is implying that their passion equals the intensity of the storm by describing the climax of the storm and what Calixta and Alcee are feeling. “They did not heed the crashing torrents and the roar of the elements made her laugh as she lay in his arms,” is an example for this. By linking the naturalness of the storm, Chopin is inferring that the two lover’s feelings are also natural. The storm continues to lead them as a way to move the story forward, but it also symbolizes the passion they share. As the storm begins to pass, the story nears its end, ultimately taking Alcee and the affair with it. The affair between the two lovers is less valid if the storm had not