Journal #28 Kate Chopin: An Unhappy Marriage?

QUOTE:

“The rain was over; and the sun was turning the glistening green world into a palace of gems. Calixta, on the gallery, watched Alcee ride away. He turned and smiled at her with a beaming face; and she lifted her pretty chin in the air and laughed aloud” (Chopin 533).


SUMMARY:

After Calixta is unfaithful to her husband in The Storm, she doesn’t seem to have any remorse for committing this infidelity.


RESPONSE:

It seems as though the conclusion of this story, or the message in this story, is conveying: “What he doesn’t know can’t hurt him.” Without thinking about what is most likely considered “morally right,” and if a reader doesn't mind being exposed to anything that society might look down on, The Storm is a surprising and intriguing story. However, if I look at this story as an example of what drives people to commit adultery, I don’t really see the answer, because Calixta goes on and on about how great Bobinot is to her. Could this be just an act brought on by her possible guilt?

This story seems more like a sad tale than anything else to me. Sad, because Bobinot and Bibi spend their time right after the storm cleaning up (as if they weren’t just stuck in a horrible storm), just so they can please Calixta. Sad, because there is obviously something missing in Calixta’s marriage that causes her to be unfaithful, as well as Alcee’s marriage. However, maybe this story has nothing to do with happiness (or unhappiness) in marriage, because maybe it’s more about humans giving in to forbidden desire and getting away with it.

The Storm actually reminds me of a short story I wrote for Creative Writing last year. I remember that during the class critique we had, most of the class didn’t like how it ended with nothing happening to the “dog” of a man, and no consequences for the girl. However, I think my story is quite tame compared to Chopin’s because the characters in my story never actually have a sexual encounter; my story is more about mental unfaithfulness. I guess I understand what kept Chopin from publishing this story, though.