THE STORM BY KATE CHOPIN

SUMMARY
Bobinet and Bibi are not at home and when they attempt to go home they notice storm clouds. Meanwhile Calixta is at home, she is sawing and she isn’t aware of air. When it begins to grow dark she realizes the situation and goes to close windows and doors. At that time she sees Alcee and she hasn’t seen him very often. Although he wants to stay on her gallery till the storm is over, she invites him to their house. She has an affair with him when the storm gets strong. After storm Alcee leaves there and everything goes smoothly.
POINT OF VIEW
The point of view is third person narration because “she and he says or said” is used. At the same time it is total omniscience because we know what Calixta and Alcee think.
SETTING
The place is house of Calixta and the time is a terrible rain storm.
IRONY
Although Alcee deceives her wife during the day, he writes to his wife a loving letter at same night and this is irony.
ANALYSIS
1) There are relationship between title “The Storm” and events. At the same time the storm reflects their mood. Before the storm begins, Calixta is quiet and calm, but as the storm begins, the story reaches its climax. She has an affair with him when the storm gets strong. After the storm, everything goes smoothly.
2) This short story is really important if we assume that Kate Chopin riots against her time because in her time it was very difficult that woman had an affair with somebody. There was a classic idea in her time: woman had to do certain things to please her husband not anybody.
3) When this short story is read people should think “feminism”. In Kate Chopin’s time, women have chores like housework, washing, cleaning and sexual desire was considered to be something only experienced by men. Kate Chopin tries to break this taboo.
4) When life of Kate Chopin is taken into consideration, we can easily understand what she wrote it. After losing her father, three strong, independent women brought up her and they had a great influence on her life. She learned to be independent from them and she did not have a male figure when she was a child. That is why she did not think like common women who have chores.