The Use of Irony in Kate Chopin's Storm
Irony in “The Storm”
The use of Irony in Kate Chopin’s “The Storm”, is used through the plot of this story in several situations. Calixta four-year-old child, Bibi, was calm and kept his composer through the storm, he laid his little hand on his father’s knee and was not afraid compared to an adult, Calixta, who is about to lose all control due to her inner fear. The author also hides the immoral behavior of her characters behind the fear of the storm or lack of. In this story Chopin tries to convince her readers that Calixta was a victim of fear during the bad storm stating how the rain was coming down in sheets obscuring the view far-off and the play of lightening across the sky but yet she continues to look out the window, Alcee stands behind her lightening strikes a tree, scares her and with a cry she just so happens to stagger backwards in Alcee’s arms. Here Chopin is trying to gather sympathy from her readers. Before this even occurs Chopin describes how the master bedroom can be seen from where they are sitting, the door is open (which is to invite), it has white massive bed, closed shutters (for privacy), and it looked dim and mysterious. Chopin is setting the scene and Calixta is plotting. However, right before her act of betrayal, Calixta is worried about her child and husband being out in the storm and that makes her appear to be even more deceitful. The mere fact that she could be worried about her own family while committing adultery is ironic. Calixta remembers that she is the mother of a child, and still it does not stop her from having the affair. Chopin makes her readers forget that Calixta and Alcee are doing something wrong by getting in to details of their sexual experience and after Calixta and Alcee had sex they do not feel guilty or even regretful, instead Chopin describes them to be delightful.
Another example is when the writer describes the emotions in Calixta’s eyes during the act of betrayal, “As she glanced up at him the fear
The use of Irony in Kate Chopin’s “The Storm”, is used through the plot of this story in several situations. Calixta four-year-old child, Bibi, was calm and kept his composer through the storm, he laid his little hand on his father’s knee and was not afraid compared to an adult, Calixta, who is about to lose all control due to her inner fear. The author also hides the immoral behavior of her characters behind the fear of the storm or lack of. In this story Chopin tries to convince her readers that Calixta was a victim of fear during the bad storm stating how the rain was coming down in sheets obscuring the view far-off and the play of lightening across the sky but yet she continues to look out the window, Alcee stands behind her lightening strikes a tree, scares her and with a cry she just so happens to stagger backwards in Alcee’s arms. Here Chopin is trying to gather sympathy from her readers. Before this even occurs Chopin describes how the master bedroom can be seen from where they are sitting, the door is open (which is to invite), it has white massive bed, closed shutters (for privacy), and it looked dim and mysterious. Chopin is setting the scene and Calixta is plotting. However, right before her act of betrayal, Calixta is worried about her child and husband being out in the storm and that makes her appear to be even more deceitful. The mere fact that she could be worried about her own family while committing adultery is ironic. Calixta remembers that she is the mother of a child, and still it does not stop her from having the affair. Chopin makes her readers forget that Calixta and Alcee are doing something wrong by getting in to details of their sexual experience and after Calixta and Alcee had sex they do not feel guilty or even regretful, instead Chopin describes them to be delightful.
Another example is when the writer describes the emotions in Calixta’s eyes during the act of betrayal, “As she glanced up at him the fear