Kate Chopin’s "the Storm"

A Storm Within the Storm

There are two storms in Kate Chopin’s “The Storm.” The first happens as Bobinot (Calixta’s husband) and Bibi (Calixta’s son) are at Freidheimer’s store. Unable to walk home in such a downpour, they remain there waiting for the storm to pass. Meanwhile, “Calixta, at home, felt no uneasiness for their safety” (108). Preparing for the storm, Calixta goes to gather the clothes on the line outside. “As she stepped outside, Alcee Laballiere rode in at the gate. She had not seen him very often since her marriage, and never alone” (108). As they both took refuge in the house from the storm outside, the second storm begins to brew.

Calixta, scared from the storm, finds herself in Alcee’s arms. “Do you remember-in Assumption, Calixta? he asked...Oh! she remembered; for in Assumption he had kissed her and kissed her and kissed her” (109). As both storms begin to peak, they retreat to her bedroom. “They did not heed the crashing torrents, and the roar of the elements made her laugh as she lay in his arms. Her firm, elastic flesh that was knowing for the first time its birthright, was like a creamy lily” (110).

This second storm seems to pass with the first. “The rain is over...Calixta, on the gallery, watched Alcee ride away. He turned and smiled; and she lifted her pretty chin in the air and laughed aloud” (110). As Bobinot and Bibi