Kate Chopins The Storm - Essay Example

The storm ends and Alcee quickly leaves before Bobinot arrives home, worried that his wife will be upset about her son getting wet and dirty from the storm. She says she is just happy to have her family back at home with her and tells her husband nothing of the encounter with Alcee, and he suspects nothing. That night, Alcee sends his wife, Clarisse a letter saying he misses her, but that she and the children should stay in Alabama for another month and enjoy the summer.  Clarisse receives the letter and is happy for her husband’s permission to stay in Alabama, where she is enjoying a freedom she hasn’t felt since her days as a single woman.

            The first thing I noticed was the way the dialogue was written. It wasn’t proper English but instead written so the reader hears the way the characters sound when reading it. For example, when Bobinot tells his son that his mother is home alone during the storm, the sentence is written, “No; she ent got Sylvie. Sylvie was helpin’ her yesterday” (129) as opposed to proper English of “No, she doesn’t have Sylvie. Sylvie was helping her yesterday.” Because of this, I can easily hear what the characters sound like. I think that adds a lot to the story and helps us understand where the story takes place – Louisiana.

            I thought most of the writing during the parts with Calixta and Alcee sounded like something out of a romance novel. They were very dramatic and over-the-top in explaining the passion the two characters felt for each other. As Alcee looks at Calixta, who is somewhat terrified after a nearby lightning strike, he thinks back to how untouchable she was when they were dating. But now, five years later when she is married and a mother, things have changed. “Now – well now – her lips seemed in a manner free to be tasted, as well as her round, white throat and her white breasts” (132).

            Finally, the last line of the story struck me. “So the storm passed and everyone was happy” (135). In a way, this is true, but in the case of Bobinot, it is only true because he does not know his wife was unfaithful. He is happy that she was unharmed and unafraid during the storm, but that’s it. Alcee and Calixta are happy because they were able to be together and were not caught by their spouses. And Clarisse is happy because she doesn’t know about the affair and likewise her husband doesn’t know how much fun she is having living a free life without him while in Alabama. So everyone is happy because no one knows the truth. That is to me a very bleak ending.