Reflection: The Storm

The short story “The Storm”, written by Kate Chopin, has two different aspects or two different central themes. Both are related, or better thinking, one theme is the metaphoric reflection of the other.

The first theme is the presentation of an atmospheric event, in this case a storm. It describes how the storm develops, its coming, its consequences, how all is during it, and how all is after it. The first traits of the storm, the preview silence, the mystery, the violence, and the disaster.
The other part of the story is like a different story that occurs inside the storm. The situation presented also share some traits with the situation of the storm. The main character of the story is Calixta, who is married with Bobinot and has a four years child named Bibi. Bobinot went out with Bibi to a store, but a storm develops and they have to remain in the store until the storm goes out. At home, Calixta did not notice the approaching. Then a friend named Alcee Laballiere, arrives to her house and asks her if he could be there until de storm passes and she said yes. They were old friends but she did not see him after she get married. Calixta was worried about her child and her husband, and her friend starts to counsel her. Then in a sensual moment, they started to remember one time they were together and they did it again during the storm. After the storm passes Alcee Laballiere get out of the house and Bobinot and Bibi came back and everything continue its course.

The Storm is not a moral or immoral story. It is just a story that narrates a peculiar situation that can be consider immoral. Calixta was unfaithful to her husband Bobinot with Alcee Laballiere, an old friend. It is a sensible theme; there are no excuses for unfaithfulness but a lot of reasons why it can occur. In Calixta’s case maybe in that moment she felt scared and alone and maybe that was the reason why she was with Alcee. The act of Calixta to be unfaithful in the story can be compared with the storm. As the storm it has its silent and mysterious part, the violent part or the action, and after it, the disaster that it left. All this is represented in the story, the same process for two different themes.

My opinion about unfaithfulness is very different from how the story presents. It presents unfaithfulness as normal, something like a storm, that is unpredictable, it just passes and that’s it, without consequences. I think that everything you do, each movement, thought, word or decision have consequences. I think faithful and loyalty are the most important traits that a person could have, especially for be a friend or a couple.
The things that you hide, soon or later get out and everybody know it. So be loyal and be sincere can avoid a lot of problems.