Female Sexuality Desire in Chopins The Storm Essays

Female Sexuality Desire in Chopins The Storm In Kate Chopins time traditional patriarchal notions about women and sexuality deemed sexual passion a negligible, even improper, aspect of womens lives. Yet Chopin boldly addresses a womans sexual desire in her short story The Storm. This story shockingly details a torrid extramarital sexual encounter between Calixta and Alcee` in the midst of a raging storm. While this story line could have been presented in a traditional light, perhaps as a lesson about the evils of uninhibited female sexuality, Chopin maintains a non-judgmental stance by refraining from moralizing about the sanctity of marriage or impropriety of Calixtas actions. In failing to condemn and even†¦show more content†¦The brief description of the brewing storm and the close, humid heat emanating from and surrounding Calixta establish an almost palpable sensuality early in the story. This conceit of the storm continues throughout much of the story with the storms crescendo symbolizing a climax in Calixta and Alcee`s sexual encounter. At first, the obvious desire between the pair is sublimated into a nervous tension, and the effort to restrain their physical longing for the sake of social mores is paramount. Calixta exclaims, If this keeps up, Dieu sait if the levees goin to stan it, which is symbolically indicative of the growing force of their passion and the weakening of their resistance before that passion. A blinding bolt of lightening breaks the lovers nervous tension, much as it splits through the air and strikes the chinaberry tree. This violent crash precipitates Calixta and Alcee`s first embrace and kiss, and the affair that ensues vividly matches the progress of the raging storm. The storm reaches a crescendo, which Calixta views as a delightful counterpart to their passionate love-making, for, they did not heed the crashing torrents, and the roar of th e elements made her laugh as she lay in his arms (284). To make the parallel between the storm and Alcee and Calixtas affair particularly evident, Chopin consistently uses this conceit until the end of the encounter, for the thunderShow MoreRelatedThe Storm by Kate Chopin1238 Words   |  5 Pagesabout whatever she sees. Kate has many Wonderful stories such as, (The Storm, Desiree’s Baby, A Pair of Silk Stocking, A Respectable Woman, and The Story of an Hour). There is one story in particular that catches my mind which is â€Å"The Storm†. 0In Kate chopins era, women are seen as nothing more than a wife and have to stay with their husband for life. Chopin shows a dramatic scene between Alcee and Calixta during the time of a storm that is passing by. Chopin states a non judgemental spot about refrainingRead MoreThe Unique Style Of Kate Chopin s Writing1603 Words   |  7 Pagesstyle of Kate Chopin’s writing has influenced and paved the way for many female autho rs. Although not verbally, Kate Chopin aired political and social issues affecting women and challenging the validity of such restrictions through fiction. Kate Chopin, a feminist in her time, prevailed against the notion that a woman’s purpose was to only be a housewife and nothing more. Kate Chopin fortified the importance of women empowerment, self-expression, self-assertion, and female sexuality through creativityRead MoreKate Chopin s The Storm1623 Words   |  7 Pages Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Storm† Kate Chopin’s short story â€Å"The Storm† was written almost at the same time as â€Å"The Awakening,† but the author has not dared to publish it. The story encompasses deep social problems important for the nineteenth century, including women’s rights and women’s sexuality. The plot of â€Å"The Storm† is sequel to â€Å"At the ‘Cadian ball,† published almost six years earlier, although the characters have obtained different features and behavioral patterns. Kate Chopin was born in 1851Read More The Writing Style and Beliefs of Kate Chopin Essay example2035 Words   |  9 Pagesdared to write her thoughts on topics considered radical: the institution of marriage and womens desire for social, economic, and political equality. With a focus on the reality of relationships between men and women, she draws stunning and intelligent characters in a rich and bold writing style that was not accepted because it was so far ahead of its time. She risked her reputation by creating female heroines as independent women who wish to receive sexual and emotional fulfillment, an idea unheardRead MoreLeo Haines. Professor Capozzi. Research Paper. April 29,1518 Words   |  7 Pagesthe theme of feminism in her stories, â€Å"The Awakening†, â€Å"The Storm†, and â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† where she illustrates the use of the feminist movement and where she describes women’s sexualaity in her writings. During Kate Chopin’s time, feminism was not much different than it is today. Most feminists wanted the same thing, which is basic equality, but Kate was often ridiculed for her opinion that all women just had the same thing, desires and dreams. Kates writing work was mainly determined by observationsRead MoreNurse2025 Words   |  9 Pagesâ€Å" Common Themes Found in Kate Chopins Short Stories Kimberley J. Dorsey Stevenson University English 152, Writing About Literature 152-OME1 Charlotte Wulf November 14, 2010 Abstract Many of Kate Chopin’s short stories share the common themes of female oppression. The females in her stories are trying to find a way to escape their oppression and have a sense freedom and individuality. TheyRead MoreStory of Nature Desire: The Storm by Kate Chopin1288 Words   |  6 PagesKate Chopin’s â€Å"The Storm†: Story of Nature Desire Naturalism is about bringing humans into the â€Å"natural world†. We, as humans, are seen as aspects of nature collectively not separate like they once were. â€Å"Naturalism holds that everything we are and do is connected to the rest of the world and derived from conditions that precede us and surround us. Each of us is an unfolding natural process, and every aspect of that process is caused, and is a cause itself † (â€Å"A Guide for Naturalism†). Humans areRead More`` The Chrysanthemums `` By Kate Chopin1359 Words   |  6 Pagescertainly changed. In Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Storm† and John Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Chrysanthemums†, both written approximately during the 19th century, the characters of both stories depict unfaithfulness in their marriages. Through the use of the plot, imagery, and the 19th century time period, â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† and â€Å"The Storm† depict a revolutionary era in which women not ac cept their sexual desires but act on it. In â€Å"The Chrysanthemums†, Steinbeck’s use of imagery paints his female character, Elisa AllenRead More The Awakening by Kate Chopin Essay2440 Words   |  10 Pages Kate Chopin is one of the first female writers to address female issues, primarily sexuality. Chopin declares that women are capable of overt sexuality in which they explore and enjoy their sexuality. Chopin shows that her women are capable of loving more than one man at a time. They are not only attractive but sexually attracted (Ziff 148). Two of Chopin’s stories that reflect this attitude of sexuality are The Awakening and one of her short stories â€Å"The Storm†. Although critics now acclaim theseRead MoreResearch Paper on Kate Chopin and Her Works2380 Words   |  10 Pagesauthor was alienated from certain social circles in St. Louis. The novel also contributed to rejections of Chopins later stories including, The Story of An Hour and The Storm. The heavy criticism that she endured for the novel hindered her writing. The male dominated world was simply not ready for such an honest exploration of female independence, a frank cataloguing of a womans desires and her search for fulfillment outside of the institution of marriage. Chopin, fatherless at four, was