The Storm Literary Analysis Essay

Are our true colors exposed when we are faced with conflict? “The Storm” written by Kate Chopin, tells the story of a love affair. She talks about the theme of adultery and tries to prove that it isn’t such a bad thing. Luckily, in her story, adultery does not result in any bad consequences and everyone remains the same. Adultery, temptation and the act of being unfaithful are highlighted throughout the short story. Having an affair with someone with whom you had a lusty past shouldn’t be a surprise and should also be something that must stay between one another unless one feels guilty of what they did.

To begin, the theme of adultery is introduced in the very beginning of the story, when Alcee asks for the shelter in Calixta’s house. The author very vividly shows that Calixta still has feelings for her ex-lover. As Chopin writes: “Come ‘long in, M’sieur Alcee” (Chopin 111) and immediately Calixta creates the situation where adultery is possible because she agrees to let in a person she still has feelings for. They stay alone and very soon Calixta realizes she cannot fight attraction she feels for him. The storm, lightning and hard rain show the inner state of Calixta when she meets Alcee. All the right elements were together to make the action of cheating very much easy to commit. Because they both had a past

If a marriage is strong and build on a solid foundation, there is no doubt that any sort of cheating in any way, shape or form would ever occur. It makes one think that the storm not only destroys the characters qualities but it eradicates the trust and faith on which a marriage is built on. Chopin the described Calixtas actions by saying “the generous abundance of her passion, without guile or trickery, was like a white flame which penetrated…” (Chopin 112) can be perceived that Calixta longed for something like this to happen since there was a lack of passion in her