Morality In Kate Chopin's Short Story 'The Storm'

It may come as no surprise to find out that author Kate Chopin was unable to get her short story "The Storm" published. Written in 1898, "The Storm" sheds light on sex and sexuality despite these things being taboo topics that many did their best to avoid talking about. Chopin uses this story to draw attention to the complications of marriage, as well as the lengths one may go in order to satisfy his or herself and his or her desires. This, in turn, leaves readers to question the morality of the story- stuck between deciding whether the story is moral, immoral, or amoral. In the end, Chopin’s short story proves itself to be amoral more so than anything else.

The story begins with Bobinôt and his son, Bibi, purchasing shrimp from their local store when a storm arises. Bibi is worried about his mother Calixta, who is at home, but Bobinôt assures his son that she will be fine. The two decide to wait in the store until the storm passes. Calixta, meanwhile, seeing the storm approaching and begins to shut her windows and doors, and gathers the clothing she had hanging outside to bring them inside. As she does this, she notices her ex-lover, Alcée, approach her home in search of shelter. Calixta allows

him inside. When Calixta is startled by lightening, she staggers backwards and falls into Alcée’s arms. This leads Alcée to bring up their past love affair, when the two kissed in Assumption, reigniting the passion the two once shared for each other, despite the fact that they are both married and have children. The two former lovers give in to their desires and make love as the storm rages on, and finish once the storm passes. Both Calixta and Alcée are satisfied with their love affair, and Alcée takes off once the sky has cleared. Meanwhile, Bobinôt and Bibi are arriving home, but just before entering the house, they clear the mud off their shoes to avoid tracking it into the house, which would upset Calixta. Upon entering the house, Calixta does not even notice the mud on their shoes and clothing; instead, she is just happy to see her boys home. Once Alcée arrives home, he writers a letter to his own wife, Clarisse, letting her know that she may feel free to stay Biloxi with the children longer if she so pleases to. The story ends with Clarisse receiving this letter, and being happy that her husband is allowing her to have more freedom. Readers can conclude that Calixta, Alcée, and Clarisse all share a feeling of liberation. They do not feel trapped or suffocated by their partners, and because of their feelings of freedom, it leads one to question whether Calixta’s and Alcée’s actions are truly immoral.
Morality and immorality are concerned with what is right and what is wrong, but one that is moral does what is typically considered the “right” thing, and one that is immoral does what is typically considered the “wrong” thing.

Right and wrong are subjective terms, but there is no denying that cheating on your spouse is not normally a good thing to do. However, neither Calixta nor Alcée seem to be concerned with the righteousness of their actions. In fact, they do not even seem to care or consider the feelings of their spouses and children. This would most definitely lead one to assume that the two lovers are immoral, making poor, selfish choices simply to benefit themselves and their own personal desires. That does not make their choices immoral, but instead

amoral.
Amoral acts are acts that do not consider, and are not concerned with, the rightness or wrongness of something. This is not the same thing as immoral, because an immoral act is the blatant defiance of rightness and wrongness, and an immoral person is, more often than not, selfish and manipulative. Calixta and Alcée are not selfish and manipulative people. They did not have sex with malicious intentions in mind. They made love because the romance they once shared between each other was rekindled once Calixta fell into Alcée’s arms, and it is easy to dismiss those actions as selfish, but one must consider the benefit that this had on Calixta’s husband and Alcée’s wife.
Upon arriving home, Bobinôt was worried that his wife would be upset that he and his son were muddy. To his surprise, Calixta was not mad at all- in fact, she was excited simply because her husband and son had arrived home safely. Calixta’s love affair caused her to be happier, and not hostile or angry towards her husband and son when they arrived home. This is, of course, beneficial because the less stress in a relationship, the better it is and the happier everyone is. In addition, one must consider the seemingly irrelevant detail mentioned in the beginning of the story- the fact that Bobinôt was purchasing a can of shrimp for his wife. Shrimp is an aphrodisiac, which is a food that may help someone’s sex drive. Readers can use this information to infer that the two were having trouble in their marriage and that their sex life was at a standstill. Calixta’s newfound feeling of liberation will aid in her sexual relationship with her husband that she does truly love. Readers can also infer that Alcée and Clarisse’s relationship was at risk. Upon reading her husband’s letter that stated that she should stay in Biloxi longer, Clarisse felt relief. She too felt liberated because while she loved her husband dearly, she felt trapped. The affair between Calixta and Alcée benefited all parties involved.
The storm itself, while an act of nature, was a metaphor that represented the passion shared between Calixta and Alcée. Lightening that struck a chinaberry tree startled Calixta, but it also represented the spark being reignited between the two former lovers. The rumbling thunder and the intensity of the storm represented the two in bed together, passionately making love. The passing of the storm and the clear blue sky that shined once the clouds dissipated represented the sexual desires that had finally passed, and the two were finally relieved of their desires. Calixta and Alcée did not make love prior to this event, because in Assumption, the two only ever kissed. After finally making love, they both now know “what could have been,” and all of their questions surrounding their past relationship had been answered. Their thoughts and desires were put to rest. This rendezvous will allow them to move on, get over each other, and focus now on what is important in life, instead of just being hung up on their past relationship.
“The Storm” is most definitely not a story that everyone could appreciate, especially considering the time in which it was written. Sexuality and especially women’s sexuality were not topics that most people wanted to read about. The story is the embodiment of the early days of feminism because it acknowledges that women have sexual desires and are not simple, two-dimensional beings. Women are complex individuals with thoughts and desires just like anyone else. The women in this story, Calixta and Clarisse, wanted freedom. They did not want to be held back by the constraints of marriage. They both love their husbands dearly, and they love their children dearly, but they do not want to feel suffocated just because they are married with children. The theme of liberation found throughout the story is why Calixta’s actions should not be considered immoral. She is a woman looking to find freedom within herself, and while her way of finding freedom is a way that not many people might agree with, it was her way of finding freedom.
Cheating on one’s spouse is seldom a condonable action, but you cannot judge Calixta or Alcée based on their desire to satisfy themselves while simultaneously satisfying those around them that they care about the most. Neither of them considered the repercussions that may come along after having had an affair, but that does not make their actions immoral and it does not make them bad people. Without this storm, neither Calixta nor Alcée would have been able to put their feelings for each other to rest. The two would always wonder what might have been if they had stayed together. Now that they know, they are able to move on and worry about their families. Had this affair never taken place, Calixta’s unresolved feelings for Alcée could have negatively affected her relationship with Bobinôt, and Alcée’s unresolved feelings for Calixta could have negatively affected his relationship with Clarisse. Just because their actions are not moral does not mean that they are immoral. Kate Chopin has made it very clear through her short story that not everything in life is right or wrong. Sometimes what is not considered the right thing to do is really the best thing to do, and the morality or immorality of it is not always considered.