The Representation Of Weather In Kate Chopin's 'The Storm'

A major point in Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” is the representation of weather that is taking place throughout most of the story. This storm is the reason that Calixta’s husband and son cannot return home from the store and causes her to run into her former lover Alcée Laballire. A storm is typically something that can be frightening, builds in intensity, and invokes chaos momentarily in the outside world. As Bobint points out in the story, the storm created “sombre clouds that were rolling with sinister intention from the west, accompanied by a sullen, threatening roar” (Chopin par. 1). This “cyclone” as Calixta describes in the story is a terrifying occurrence that is happening in the physical world and relates too many of the actions encountered between characters throughout the story. The impact
Chopin deliberately starts the story off with the storm because it is the first sign of the “troubles” ahead, as well as setting the tone and theme of the story. Using the storm as the physical representation to the tension between the relationships of the characters in the story provides a direct comparison to the whirlwind effect the plot undergoes. The apparition of the storm lays the plot into place and allows the events of the story to occur chronologically. The duration of the storm plays a role in each character’s current situation and affects the outcome of the storm in each of their lives. The physical representation of Kate Chopin’s storm in her short story provides a gripping beginning to the plot and sets the tone and theme for the story to play out. Following the representation of the physical storm occurring in the story is the internal storm that is taking place between Calixta and Alcée. This internal emotional conflict arose out of a past romance shared between the two, which is not known to the readers until Alcée enters the house and the passion between them