Synopsis
“The Storm”, a sequel to “The Cadian Ball” was written by Kate Chopin in 1898. It is set in French creole speaking Louisiana. This short story uses American literary naturalism to help show a different vibe to society and its views on class and gender. Chopin uses naturalism which views the characters in it as detached in the narrative, and vernacular speech opposed to overly poetic or lyrical. Calixta is a lower-middle class woman, she is married to Bobinot and has a child named Bibi. Bobinot is in her class, which is the reason they are married. She attended The Cadian Ball at Assumption, and Alcee who is upper class was there and where they originally met and really liked each other, (AND THEY KISSED). A storm kicks up in the start of the story and Calixta is at home while her family is out. Hence she gets isolated because of the natural events taking place. Alcee Laballiere shows up on a horse and asks to come in and wait out the storm. The storm pushes them together in events and naturally out of their control then ends up in a passionate affair, and then go on their merry way back to their classes and roles, where they have been tied too, back to duty. “So the storm passed and everyone was happy.” (Chopin, 633). This is in the era of the new woman, where women were finally starting to be able to have their own domestic independent lives through economic independence and have so much more choice in whom they married. This story is about a woman having to follow the strict constraints before the new women era, she has an affair and nothing bad happens to her, like in the tropes that we talked about in class.
Promotional Blurbs
Sui Sin Far
Alcee and Calixta are guided by a storm of their internal and external emotions and feelings. Their instincts take over. They clash with class relations and spark controversy of love in the 19th century and duty of fulfilling class and rank. But make it out of the storm of external and internal emotions and go back to their way of life. They break free of social constrictions just for a storm. I wholeheartedly follow this book, as they are torn between duty and love, as I am torn between the east and west and placed within the other.
Zitkala-Ša
I know what it is like to have my culture and my identity taken from me by society. I am glad that in this short story Alcee and Calixta can at least let naturalism grasp them and free them shortly from their classes which bind their love. This story normalizes instincts, and pushes against the neediness of society.
Designer Statement
