Kate Chopin The Storm

1236 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Gender roles in literaturetoday

Kate Chopin The Storm

Kate Chopin: "The Storm"

Kate Chopin lived from 1851 until 1904. She was born Katherine O'Flaherty and was raised in post- Civil War St. Louis by parents who were on the upper end of society. She married Oscar Chopin, moved to New Orleans, and had six children. After her husband died, Chopin moved back to St. Louis to start her writing career at age 33. She incorporated many taboos about literature into her writing. Some of these taboos were female sexuality, struggles, and triumph over the stereotypes that had been placed on them over the centuries. She was a very popular writer until 1898 when she wrote about even more controversial issues in Awakening. Many people felt that her views were very feminist and her previously loyal fans quickly rejected her writings, causing her to not attempt to write anything more.

Chopin's short story, "The Storm," shows the reader some of the controversial issues she wrote about. It was written in 1898 and was one of the last stories that she wrote before Awakening. It tells of the struggles of one woman to find happiness and excitement in her everyday life. The reader really does not get much information on the relationship at the beginning of the story, but one can imagine that it was becoming monotonous and boring. The title itself lets the reader know that this storm is the result of a long chain of events that have built up over time, like a thunderstorm in the middle of the summer comes after many long days of intense heat. In the following paragraphs, I will discuss the events that lead to the apex of the 'storm,' the consequences that follow the decisions that are made, and how this short story could be seen as feministic.

The beginning of the s...

... middle of paper ...

.... He is a fool and doesn't see that she 'played' him and used him to satisfy one of her desires.

This story could be seen as feministic for many reasons. The way that Calixta disregards her responsibilities to her husband and son and goes after what she wants is a great example of this. Also, she doesn't get caught, had some fun, and her marriage wasn't ruined. This is an example of how Chopin felt that women should take control of their lives and change them if they aren't completely happy.

Kate Chopin was a great writer who wasn't truly appreciated until years after her death. However, her views and ideas are still relevant in today's society. I also commend her for expressing her views and feelings even though she knew that the public would disagree with her. It is a shame that she was not recognized during her life as the great writer that she was.

Show More
Related

  • Comparing Awakenings in Chopin's The Storm and The Story of an Hour

    1244 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a forerunner of the modern feminist movement, Kate Chopin explored bold new characterizations of her female subjects. Chopin is famous for her progressive depiction of the female characters in her stories. Two such stories, 'The Storm' and 'The Story of an Hour,' examine and refute the long held ideal of the subservient wife. 'The Storm,' written in 1898 but not published until later because of its provocative content, describes the passionate extramarital affair between Calixta and Alcee, a former lover. 'The Story of an Hour' follows Louise Mallard as she deals with the death of her husband. Chopin uses the extraordinary events in the characters' lives to bring them out of the coma of submissive living. In both stories, the female protagonist awakens from a marriage-induced trance and into a state of self-awareness as a person separate from her husband.

    Read More

  • Views on Sex and Marriage Depicted in Kate Chopin's The Storm

    1308 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kate Chopin was born on February 8, 1851, into a wealthy Catholic family in St. Louis Missouri. As a little girl, her father died a few years later in 1855 and was raised at home with her other sisters and mother, strong willed and prominent women who believed in self sufficiency. Soon, on June 9, 1870, Chopin married a man named Oscar. She graduated from St. Louis convent school. In the meanwhile, Kate was soon busy by the occupations of a being a mother and wife to the prestigious business man, Oscar whom she married. Throughout this escapade of life, Kate was forced to relocate often due to her husband’s change of business. Although, it was difficult to build upon these circumstances, Kate managed a small farm and plantation farm to keep things running. Even through these circumstances, Kate pulled through only to discover that all these locals would soon be her inspirations and se...

    Read More

  • A State of Mind in Kate Chopin’s "Storm"

    1091 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the Victorian women were sees as slaves to their house hold. Kate Chopin uses the beginning, climax and resolution of the story as a storm. Throughout the story she uses vivid imagery and careful word choices in order to add detail to the dramatic plot of the story. Kate Chopin’s "Storm" represents something much greater than a weather phenomenon but a metaphysical symbol that represents freedom of choice, and women birthright"; Kate Chopin also describes how men are the creators of these storms.

    Read More

  • Imagery And Symbolism In Kate Chopin's 'The Storm'

    1113 Words  | 3 Pages

    Storytelling has been a common pastime for centuries. Over the years it has evolved into different styles containing different themes. Kate Chopin, a well-known author of the 20th century, wrote stories about the secrets in women’s lives that no one dared to speak of. Her work was not always appreciated and even considered scandalous, but it opened up a world that others were too afraid to touch. In Chopin’s story “The Storm,” a woman has an affair that causes an unlikely effect. The story’s two themes are portrayed greatly through an abundance of imagery and symbolism, along with the two main characters themselves.

    Read More

  • Kate Chopin Essay

    522 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kate Chopin was born in St. Louis in 1851. Her mother Eliza O’Flaherty and father Thomas O’Flaherty were Slave-owning Catholics. (Wilson, Kathleen. The Story of an Hour. Ssfs. 2. Detroit, Michigan: Gale, 1997. 263. Print.) (Wilson 263) At the age of four she had lost her father in a train wreck. She was raised by her French-Creole mother and Great-Grandma. She had begun school at the age of five at Academy of Sacred Heart. After her father died she was taught at home. Later she returned to school and graduated at the age of 17. She got married at the age of twenty years to Oscar Chopin, twenty-five years old and a son of a wealthy cotton-growing family in Louisiana. He was also a French catholic like Kate. Chopin went as...

    Read More

  • Kate Chopin Creative Writing

    796 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kate Chopin is a daughter of a French mother and her father was an Irish immigrant who was a successful business man. Kate Chopin is southern women who was born in St. Louis. She lost her brother and sisters in her early life, and father died in a train accident. Kate Chopin early life was trauma. She had become the Irish beauty in her young age. In her middle age, she met her husband Oscar and they traveled places during that time. Suddenly she lost her husband and her life become really difficult with children. Kate Chopin could talk nicely which got attention to her friends and family and she was inspired by her family. Many short stories and fictions were written by Kate Chopin. Her “The Awakening” is one the successful writing, Story of an Hour, Lilacs, Desiree’s Body and so many. Kate Chopin has been a successful writer who died in 1904.

    Read More

  • Feminism In The Yellow Wallpaper By Kate Chopin And Charlotte Perkins Gilman

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “The Storm,” Chopin explores the idea of sexual desire as a human emotion that is not exclusive for males. Even in today’s society, women possessing their bodies and undergo emotions such as sex drive. Calixta’s account in “The Storm,” reveals that passion and sexual experiences are female emotions and they have the choice to utilize their flesh for what it was made for: pleasure. Initially, the story focuses on the hours prior to the storm, where all the characters are anxious for what is yet to come. Calixta, however, is shown to feel “… no uneasiness for her safety” because she knows that sexual desire is normal and once it passes, whether it is satisfied or not, everything turns back to normal (Chopin 81). As the storm approaches, Alce Leballire is introduced, and the passion between the two emanates from the pages of “The Storm.” Calixta explains that sexual awakenings are sporadic, like storms, in the phrase “’ My! What a rain! It had been two years since it rain’ like that,” explaining that, despite sexual needs being a day to day human emotion, the need for a different experience, something strong, with thunders and showers of passion, is also a female sentiment (Chopin 282). Furthermore, another imperative point to highlight is the storm as a gloomy setting and plot device. According to Chopin, the weather obscured “… the view of far-off cabins and distant wood in a gray mist”

    Read More

  • Symbolism of “The Storm"

    1527 Words  | 4 Pages

    Kate Chopin wrote the short story “The Storm” one of her most bold stories and did not even intention to publish it (Cutter 191). The two main characters in the story are Calixta and Alcee. They both used to be attracted to one another in previous years, but now they are both married to someone else. After Alcee arrives to Calixta’s house looking for shelter they are driven into a passionate moment. In the story “The Storm” the storm has a significant meaning; without it the affair of Calixta and Alcee performed would not have been as powerful as it was between them. “The Storm” has a great deal of symbolism throughout the story: the clouds, the use of color white, the storm relative to the affair, the after effects of the affair, Calixta, Bibi the son, and the husband Bobinot.

    Read More

  • Comparing Kate Chopin's Life And Work

    669 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kate Chopin, born Catherine O’Flaherty, was an American author who wrote numerous short stories and two novels during the time period of 1889 to 1902. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri on February 8th, 1850 to Thomas O’Flaherty, an Irishman, and Eliza Faris, an American woman of French descent. She spent all of her childhood in St. Louis, up until the age of 18 at which she became engaged to her future husband, Oscar Chopin. She was said to be very personable, fitting in with both the Irish and French sects, and was easily likeable. During her childhood she experienced much sorrow, as her father and grandmother (whom she held a close relationship with) both passed away while she was young. She also had to endure of the pressures of an entire city divided by the Civil War, in which her half brother was killed. These tragedies however helped influence her future writing and feminist ideals, as she was mentored almost exclusively by women throughout her childhood. These feminine mentors included her mother, her grandmother and great

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Storm By Kate Chopin

    1082 Words  | 3 Pages

    Calixta and Alce, the two main characters in the short story “The Storm” by Kate Chopin, are sexual, mature, and knowing adults. By having them discover amazing sex outside their marriages, they return to their own marriages renewed. Chopin openly condones adultery due to the fact that the characters are not punished and in the end “everyone was happy” (paragraph 40) . A common theme of fresh sexuality and desire is seen in this story though symbols and other literary elements. Kate Chopin is an American author that wrote short stories and novels in the 20th century.

    Read More

  • The Life of Kate Chopin

    396 Words  | 1 Pages

    Born originally as Katherine O’Flaherty, Kate Chopin came to life on February 8th, 1851 in St. Louis, Missouri to Thomas and Eliza O'Flaherty. The family she was born into was known as one of St. Louis’ wealthiest family’s because of her father’s well-known success as merchant involving the sale of boats and wholesale grocery.

    Read More

  • Kate Chopin Biography Essay

    1378 Words  | 3 Pages

    Catherine O’Flaherty, better known as Kate Chopin, pictured at the left (O’Neil), was born on February 8, 1850 in St. Louis, Missouri to parents Eliza and Thomas. She was the third of five children, but the only one to live past the age of twenty-five. Her mother, who had a strong French background, raised Chopin in a bilingual and bicultural home (“Biography”). The French language and culture would have a strong influence on Chopin’s literary works later in life. At the age of five, Chopin began attending The Sacred Heart Academy, a Catholic boarding school. While attending, nuns mentored Chopin, who rose to the top of her class and received many awards (Wyatt). Along with the nuns, other female figures in her life had a strong impact on young Chopin. These women included her mother, grandmother, and especially her beloved great-grandmother who taught her French, music, and gossip of past St. Louis women. These women’s intelligence and independence show a great influence on Chopin’s work (“Biography”).

    Read More

  • Influence of Kate Chopin’s Life and Environment on Her Literature

    1314 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kate Chopin was born Kate O'Flaherty in St. Louis, Missouri in 1850 to secure and socially prominent parent, Eliza O'Flaherty, of French-Creole descent, and Thomas O'Flaherty, an Irish immigrant and successful commission merchant. Kate attended the St. Louis Academy of the Sacred Heart from 1855 until she graduated on 1868. In 1855, her father was died in a railroad accident. She lived at home with her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, all of them were widows. Her great-grandmother, Victoria Verdon oversaw her education and taught her French, music, and the gossip on St. Louis women of the past. Kate O'Flaherty grew up surrounded by smart, independent, single women. Victoria's own mother had been the first woman in St. Louis to obtain legal separation from her husband. She was influenced by her upbringing among these women. This showed up later in her fiction. For example, in her first short story “Wiser than a god” she characterized a strong and independent woman. This woman had an exceptional musical talent. She preferre...

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Storm By Kate Chopin

    619 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “the story of an hour” and “The Storm” by Kate Chopin, the writer mainly focuses on the female character. The male characters are only “taken away” in her stories. In her stories, She transitions smoothly and rapidly among characters' points of view, but mainly, specifically expands and write about the female characters. The topic fits the story perfectly. Chopin follows specific fundamentals and techniques to highlights the drama of the hour. In the short story, she used four to five paragraphs only to express Louise’s emotions. Share details about her feelings and behaviors. The details she shares was a lot but powerful. The stories are short, but the impact it makes is compelling. The writer first surprises us with Louise’s unrealistic reaction when she first murmurs “free” to herself. She uses repetition to highlight important points. “free”” free”” free,” the choice of her words are what make her story

    Read More

  • Criticism of The Storm by Kate Chopin

    651 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kate Chopin was a woman whose feminist viewpoints were far ahead of her time, which of course garnered her more than her share of criticism. In a time when women were expected to behave "properly" and sexual desire was considered to be something only experienced by men, Chopin spoke with exceptional openness about human sexuality. She lambasted society for its perpetual close-mindedness in a time when righteousness was considered to be an attribute, and she helped to generate more enlightened attitudes among both the women and men of her time.

    Read More

More about Kate Chopin The Storm

Open Document