Analysis of Atmosphere in "The Storm"
Merriam Webster dictionary defines atmosphere as a) "the whole mass of air surrounding the earth" and b) "the overall aesthetic effect of a work of art." Kate Chopin integrates these two definitions together effortlessly in her short story "The Storm." The meteorological atmosphere parallels the literary atmosphere with the building tension, the culmination, and the aftermath.
As the thunderstorm and the story begin, the reader can almost feel the tension in the air. Calixta is at home by herself, tending to her sewing, while her husband Bobin�t and her son Bibi wait out the storm in the shelter of the grocery store. Calixta "does not notice the approaching storm" (108) until the sky becomes threatening, at which point she begins to hastily prepare. As she quickly gathers in the laundry, a former love by the name of Alc�e Laballi�re asks if he may take shelter in her house until the storm passes. She invites him in, and in doing so her voice "[startles] her as if from a trance" (108). Once inside, Calixta demonstrates her anxiety about the presence of Alc�e by making small talk and by collecting her sewing project from the floor. She begins to nervously worry aloud about the whereabouts of Bobin�t and Bibi, and what their fate might be if they are caught outside in the storm, encouraging Alc�e to reassure her.
As the storm is reaching its peak, Calixta and Alc�e encounter the height of their passion for one another. As she stands at the window, a bolt of lightning strikes close by, causing Calixta to jump away from the window straight into Alc�e's comforting embrace. The two suddenly find themselves caught in the overwhelming passion they once had for one another. As they look into each other's eyes, Alc�e finds there is "nothing for him to do but to gather her lips in a kiss" (109). They no longer pay heed to the thunderstorm roaring outside as their rekindled spark becomes their only concern. When the rain begins to fall quietly on the land, the lovers lie together breathlessly, fighting the urge to sleep.
After the storm has passed and Alc�e resumes his journey home, everything returns to normal, almost as if nothing out of the ordinary has occurred. The sun comes out, "turning the glistening green world into a palace of gems" (110). Bobin�t and Bibi return home safely to find Calixta cheerfully relieved. They sit down to eat supper, talking and laughing "so loud that anyone might have heard them as far away as Laballi�re's" (111). Meanwhile, Alc�e writes a "loving letter" (111) to his wife, Clarisse, who is away with the children on vacation. He tells her that he misses his family, but gives his blessing for them to stay longer if they are enjoying the vacation. Clarisse is pleased when she receives the letter. Despite the fact that she loves Alc�e faithfully, she is enjoying her time away from him, and decides to extend the vacation a bit longer.
Nature's storm and the thundering passion between Calixta and Alc�e both pass as quickly as they began, and neither seems to leave behind any perceptible damage. No homes are destroyed, no relationships ruined, everything and everyone survive virtually unscathed. "So the storm passed and every one was happy" (111).
Works Cited
"Atmosphere." Merriam-Webster OnLine Dictionary. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. 24 Feb. 2001 http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary.
Chopin, Kate.� "The Storm"� Literature and the Writing Process.� Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X Day, and Robert Funk.� 5th ed.� Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice, 1999.� 108-111.