Theme of Marriage in "The Storm" Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin is a short story writer from the early 1900s, whose short stories portrayed the lives of sensitive women exploring their daring nature. The author is recognized for the way she develops complex characters and how she approaches controversial topics. Marriage is a common theme among her stories, as becoming someone’s “wife” was the desired goal among many young women of the 1900s. However, she does not always depict marriage as the romantic “love at first sight” fairytales you see today.

Instead, Chopin writes about the true definition of marriage the ups and downs, and the everyday struggles with one’s spouse. As seen in her short stories “The Story of an Hour” and “The Storm”, Kate Chopin’s attitude towards marriage is primarily dissenting.

In 'The Storm,' Kate Chopin implies that sexual fulfillment even if it is outside of marriage, is beneficial and improves the overall relationship. “Adultery is nothing new. Nor are social sanctions against it” and Chopin recognizes these faults and addresses them (Cossmon).

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The author's views on adultery don’t seem to be negative; instead in her story, the characters all end up happier with their marriages. Marriage is full of passion in its early stages, but it soon becomes dull and conventional. These issues are present in the protagonist character Calixta’s marriage. As the story develops a great storm causes a figure from Calixta’s past to seek shelter in her house. The man is indeed an old fling from the past named, Alcee.

The two had a brief romance some time ago in a town named Assumption. However, the relationship was short lived as they parted ways and started their own families. Despite their longtime apart the author depicts the tension between the two still arises as they knowingly seduce one another. Based on the information provided by the author it can be implied that Calixta hasn’t been able to release her passionate urges unto her husband. Instead the generous abundance of her passion, without guile or trickery, was like a white flame which penetrated and found a response in depths of [Alcee’s] own sensuous nature...” (Chopin). Calixta and Alcee obviously both had some sensual tension built up for a while, and they were finally getting the chance to set it free.

Like Calixta’s marriage the romance and passion between Alcee and his wife, Clarisse, slowly faded over time. Although Clarisse makes it clear that she is still in love with her husband “their intimate conjugal like was something which she was more than willing to forgo for a while” (Chopin). No one explicitly says that they are unfulfilled sexually or unhappy in their marriage; they all seem to love one another. However, constantly being around the person you love can be tiring and one can start to lack the desire to be passionate.

Not only does Kate Chopin have negative views on how conventional marriage is but she also despises the overall repression of women in monogamous relationships. In “The Storm”, Calixta’s role as a traditional housewife was established by how she was peacefully at work sewing and doing her work that she didn’t even notice the oncoming storm. The other female character, Clarisse, also felt repressed in her marriage. Which is implied by her “first free breath since her marriage…[restoring] the pleasant liberty of her maiden days.” The other female character, Clarisse, too felt repression through her marriage.

Another example of Kate Chopin’s unorthodox views of marriage and the suppression of the woman is in her short story 'The Story of an Hour'. That depectits one significant hour in the life Mrs. Louise Mallard, the main character. The story begins by describing the two major issues that Louise faces. Not to mention her serious heart problems, but she also finds out that her husband Brently, was killed in a car accident. From the few details provided by the author it is implied that their marriage was an unhappy one. Due to her illness Brentley always made sure Louise was watched and taken care of. However, to many this act could be controlling, or smothering opposed to a caring gesture. Brently describes his complete control over Louise as his 'powerful will bending her.' Even though Louise knows her husband’s love for her, it is implied that she no longer feels the same. In the 1900’s the role of the man was to protect and to provide for his household. And the women were typically housewives who would tend to the men’s wants and needs. This type of relationship is what makes Louise sure about her desire for freedom: from the bonds of her marriage, from her illness, to do whatever she wants. This feeling or desire she feels is described as a “monstrous joy” because her husband had to die for her to finally have her freedom.

Works Cited

1. Chopin, Kate. Desiree's Baby. repositorio.ufsc.br/bitstream/handle/123456789/132722/Desirees_Baby_%28Kate_Chopin_1893%29.docx.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.
2. Chopin, Kate. The Storm, www.lonestar.edu/departments/english/chopin_storm.pdf.
3. Chopin, Kate. The Story of an Hour. my.hrw.com/support/hos/hostpdf/host_text_219.pdf.
4. Cossman, Brenda. 'The new politics of adultery.' Columbia Journal of Gender and Law, vol. 15, no. 1, 2006, p. 274+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A142636628/OVIC?u=j079907006&sid=OVIC&xid=fe9c1718. Accessed 5 Feb. 2019.