Term Paper on "Determinism in Kate Chopin's "The Storm"

Term Paper 3 pages (1062 words) Sources: 3

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Determinism in Kate Chopin's "The Storm" and "The Story of an Hour"

Kate Chopin's "The Storm" and "The Story of an Hour" both depict women who are in constrained social and economic circumstances. The central female protagonist of "The Storm" a Creole woman named Calixta, is in a pleasant but passionless marriage. A brief, unanticipated storm leads to an extramarital affair with Alcee Laballiere, a man who is much more attractive and dashing than Calixta's husband Bobinot. Had the storm never taken place, the affair would not have occurred, but the forces shaping Calixta's life propel her to take advantage of that opportunity. In "The Story of an Hour" Mrs. Mallard, a highly protected woman with 'heart trouble' learns of her husband's death in a railroad accident. This news makes her dream of a new, free life, away from the social constraints of being a wife. The news is accidental and inaccurate, but this chance report reveals deeper social and emotional problems within Mrs. Mallard's marriage, like the storm does in Calixta's (Chopin 1894).

The tone of "The Storm" is much lighter than "The Story of an Hour." Calixta's marriage does not seem extremely unhappy. She has a small child. But Chopin's story seems to imply that, like the heat building up in the sultry weather, Calixta's passion requires a release and a diversion. Alcee also seems to love his wife, or at least have an amicable relationship with her, based upon his correspondence at the end of the story. Just as the downpour returns the environment to a more comfortable state, the outpouring of passion of the protagonists makes their marriage bearable.

Although they both clearly desire one another, the actions of the storm seem to create a unique series of events that literally force Calixta into her lover's arms: "A bolt struck a tall chinaberry tree at the edge of the field. It filled all visible space with a blinding glare and the crash seemed to invade the very boards they stood upon. Calixta put her hands to her eyes, and with a cry, staggered backward. Alcee's arm encircled her, and for an instant he drew her close and spasmodically to him. The contact of her warm, palpitating body when he had unthinkingly drawn her into his arms, had aroused all the old-time infatuation and desire for her flesh" (Chopin 1889). The storm, and its frightening progression, is a deterministic natural force that enables the character's passion to be expressed, along with the heat that made Calixta loosen her gown earlier.

Another natural force is the proximity of the two lovers: Alcee lives close to his neighbor, and has a legitimate reason to be wandering by: the fact that Calixta's husband is going to gather shrimp for the family meal is another convenient accident that creates the conditions for the affair. Had there been no storm, had Calixta married a man far away from Alcee, or had Bobinot and little Bibi not been on an errand and gotten caught in the downpour and lightening, the story would have an entirely different trajectory. Even more conveniently, Alcee's wife Clarisse is away on vacation in Biloxi and is open to his… READ MORE

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