The Hero's Journey In The Storm By Kate Chopin

604 Words2 Pages

The Storm
Stories have been told far and wide, for thousands of years, all following a critical archetypal formation. The specific formation or formula in which a story’s “hero” or protagonist must comply with has been coined by Joseph Campbell as the Hero’s Journey Formula. The journey is made of three rights of passages: separation, initiation, and return. While surveying, each passage shows a way of the character being separated from their known environment, leading them to a path of discovery and growth, much different than their commonplace. In the short story “The Storm”, Kate Chopin addresses the intricacies of marriage and traditional roles, by introducing the character Calixta. Following the life of Calixta within the storm, it is easy to detect how the confinement of marriage and the way in which it can thwart a person’s loyalty, resulting in infidelity, is associated with Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey.
Calixta has been quite different since her marriage, and …show more content…

It eventually passes over, “turning the glistening green world into a palace of gems”. Readers are shown the nonchalant acts of infidelity by Calixta and Alcee. Satisfaction and passionate lovemaking have been achieved, though in an unconventional way. Calixta is challenged by the traditional roles of marriage and accepts the opportunity to travel into a world where there are none. The storm shows freedom, passion, and power, synonymous with the ways of Calixta and Alcee’s lovemaking. When the rain is gone, there is happiness; when the deed is done, there is a great pleasure. Campbell’s formula, though seen in many mythological texts, is versatile, capable of showing real-world quests and challenges. Using the roles of marriage and its confining potential, Chopin’s “The Storm” serves as a great example for self-discovery, by the Hero’s Journey

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