Symbolism In Kate Chopin's 'The Storm'

Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” was written in 1898, but it was published until 1969. “Bibi laid his little hand on his father’s knee and was not afraid” (88), shows that whatever is to come will not cause problems. Kate Chopin uses a lot of symbolism throughout her stories to represent her feelings about things. A character or an object could represent a bigger idea throughout the story, which gives more meaning to the story. An analysis of the symbolism in Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” will show the meaning of the storm, the house, and the relationships.

The storm in the story symbolizes her emotions. In the story, the storm arrived at Calixta’s house while Alcee had ridden up, “As she stepped outside, Alcee Laballiere rode in at the gate” (88). This

The storm was building up, “the water beat in upon the boards in driving sheets” (88), as Calixta let Alcee into her house. Alcee is related to the storm, both arriving at the same time, so inviting Alcee into her house meant that she was letting some emotion in. By letting him come in, her emotions built up more. When they stood at the window together “the rain was coming down in sheets obscuring the view of far-off cabins” (89) and “the playing of lightning was incessant” (89). The storm was becoming stronger the closer they were together in the house. “The door stood open, and the room with its white, monumental bed, its closed shutters, looked dim and mysterious” (88), which related to her relationship with Bobinot. Her relationship was not filled with emotion like she wished, therefore she expressed her passion through Alcee. The sheets on her bed were white shows her purity, because white is a symbol used for purity. When the lightning bolt struck the Chinaberry tree near the house, “it filled all visible space with a blinding glare and the crash seemed to invade the very boards they stood upon” (89), which resulted in a surge of emotion between Calixta and Alcee. “They did not heed the crashing torrents, and the roar of the elements made her laugh as she lay in his arms” (89). Calixta wasn’t worried anymore and began to feel

“Bobinot arose and going across to the counter purchased a can of shrimps, of which Calixta was very fond” (88), so that he shows that he cares for her and wants to please her. The can of shrimp is also used for their dinner at the end of the story, to emphasize their happiness together as a family. Alcee represents Calixta’s passion. Alcee arrived at the house at the same time as the storm, which led to the storm becoming stronger and a change in emotions. “’Do you remember – in Assumption, Calixta?’ he asked in a low voice broken by passion. Oh! She remembered; for in Assumption he had kissed her” (89), consequently resulted in their passion growing between them as the storm also grew in strength. The letter that Alcee sent his wife, Clarisse, said, “though he missed them, he was willing to bear the separation a while longer – realizing that their health and pleasure were the first things to be considered” (90). Clarisse “had her first free breath since her marriage seemed to restore the pleasant liberty of her maiden days” (91) while she was away from Alcee. The letters showed that their marriage was similar to the marriage that Calixta had with Bobinot. “So the storm passed and everyone was happy” (91), ultimately shows that this event did not result in problems and it helped people.

The symbolism throughout Chopin’s stories are used to represent her emotions on subjects. Symbolism in stories