Setting as Catalyst for Passion in Kate Chopins The...

Setting as Catalyst for Passion in The Storm The setting for The Storm by Kate Chopin begins with a thunderstorm. The first characters that the author mentions are Bobinot and his son Bibi. They buy a can of shrimps for Calixta but are prevented from getting them to her by the storm (Chopin, 96). The author changes the setting and tells about Calixta at home. A man named Alcee arrives at her house that she has not seen in a long time. The violence of the storm forces Alcee and Calixta into the house and then into passion that ends at the same time as the storm. Chopin uses setting as a catalyst to this action, a parallel to the passion between the characters, and as a key to the theme of the story. Setting in this story†¦show more content†¦They are trapped together in the world of the storm and cannot leave. Lightning strikes the tree and makes Calixta fall backward into Alcees arms (97). The setting in The Storm forces Alcee and Calixta together and into each others arms. The storm serves as a parallel to the passion between Alcee and Calixta. The storm is unavoidable and so is the passion because of it. When the storm forces them into each others arms, the familiarity with their previous lives takes over and they begin having an affair (97). The storm ending at the same time as the passion, implies that they are parallel with each other. Just as the storm is a passing event that changes nature for a short time, so the affair is passing and changes the emotions of Alcee and Calixta. A storm leaves the world peaceful, bright and clean. The author portrays the affair as leaving their family relationships peaceful and full of new joy. With the last line of the story, So the storm passed and everyone was happy, (99) Chopin compares the storms outcome with that of the affair. The storm is key to the story because it is the all-powerful force of nature that drives the two lovers together, which would be almost impossible without the storm. Because the storm occurs when Alcee is riding by Calixtas house, it forces him to go there. He must take refuge inside her house when the rain starts to drench him (96). By portraying the storm asShow MoreRelatedThe Importance of Setting in Jack Londons To Build a Fire and Kate Chopins The Storm1473 Words   |  6 PagesA good writer’s depiction of setting positions the reader right into the story. In To Build a Fire by Jack London, the setting plays a significant role throughout the entire short story.   London uses certain techniques to establish the atmosphere of the story.   By introducing his readers to the setting, prepares them for a tone that is depressed and  frightening.   Isolated by the hostile environment of the Yukon in sub-freeing temperatures, a man falls victim to the unrelenting and unfo rgiving powerRead MoreIllustrating Freedom and Responsibility as an Opposing Dichotomy in Kate Chopins The Awakening1595 Words   |  7 PagesIn Kate Chopins The Awakening, the author frames the notions of freedom and responsibility by contrasting them within an opposing dichotomy portrayed through the main character, Edna Pontellier, and through her subconscious denial of Creole responsibility while attaining freedom for her body, mind, and soul. Within this dichotomy the notions change inversely: the more freedom that is exercised by Edna because of unknown, and undisclosed, subconscious analysis deep in her mind, her sense of Creole