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Bobinôt
Calixta and Bobinôt’s four-year-old son, Bibi, has a somber personality. Bobinôt talks with Bibi as if the young boy were an adult, indicating that Bibi is extremely mature for his age. Chopin likewise describes Bibi as “wise,” and calm in the face of the thunderstorm, which would likely be terrifying for most four-year-old children. Bibi also demonstrates thoughtful insight into his surroundings. Specifically, Bibi appears to know more about Calixta’s life than his father, Bobinôt, as indicated by his knowledge of Calixta’s schedule (Bibi tells Bobinôt that the maid, Sylvie, came to help Calixta the day before). Like his father, Bibi anticipates that Calixta’s anger over his dirty clothes on the way home, indicating that Bibi is aware of Calixta’s efforts keeping the house clean.
Bibi Quotes in The Storm
The The Storm quotes below are all either spoken by Bibi or refer to Bibi. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 1 Quotes
“Mama’ll be ’fraid, yes,” he suggested with blinking eyes.
“She’ll shut the house. Maybe she got Sylvie helpin’ her this evenin’,” Bobinôt responded reassuringly.
“No; she ent got Sylvie. Sylvie was helpin’ her yistiday,” piped Bibi.
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With dark clouds gathering overhead, Bobinôt decides that he and his young son Bibi will stay at Friedheimer’s general store to wait out the thunderstorm. From this conversation, readers know that Bibi’s mother and Bobinôt’s wife, Calixta, will be home alone during the storm. With the men of the family in public and the wife alone at home, the placement of these family members mirrors the restrictive gender norms of the time. Specifically, marital and gender norms dedicated that women stay at home, leaving the public facing business to men. This short exchange also displays Bobinôt’s clueless and Bibi’s attentiveness. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explic
Part 2 Quotes
Calixta, at home, felt no uneasiness for their safety. She sat at a side window sewing furiously on a sewing machine. She was greatly occupied and did not notice the approaching storm. But she felt very warm and often stopped to mop her face, on which the perspiration gathered in beads. She unfastened her white sacque at the throat.
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In the previous section, Calixta’s husband Bobinôt and child Bibi assume that, with a storm on the horizon, Calixta will be worried sick about her family. However, that’s not the case: Calixta is too preoccupied with housework to even notice the presence of an incoming thunderstorm. With her family at the store, Calixta is at home tending to her family's clothes. According to the strict gender norms of the time, this is where Calixta belongs. She's even wearing the clothes of a proper lady: a “sacque” or a multi-layered gown that buttons up the neck, covering most a woman’s body. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore c
Part 3 Quotes
“Oh, Bobinôt! You back! My! but I was uneasy. W’ere you been during the rain? An’ Bibi? he ain’t wet? he ain’t hurt?” She had clasped Bibi and was kissing him effusively.
Bobinôt’s explanations and apologies which he had been composing all along the way, died on his lips as Calixta felt him to see if he were dry, and seemed to express nothing but satisfaction at their safe return.
“I brought you some shrimps, Calixta,” offered Bobinôt, hauling the can from his ample side pocket and laying it on the table.
“Shrimps! Oh, Bobinôt! you too good fo’ anything!” and she gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek that resounded. “J ’vous reponds, we’ll have a feas’ to-night! umph-umph!”
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As Calixta’s husband and son return home through the mud after the storm, they both dread Calixta’s reaction to their mud-soaked clothes, expecting that she will be very upset. However, relaxed and reinvigorated from sex with Alcée, Calixta greets her family with affection, which they clearly find surprising. Bobinôt finds himself at a loss for words, as all of the “explanations and apologies” that he had been composing on the walk home “died on his lips.” Clearly, Calixta’s transformation from uptight to easygoing is the result of her brief affair. Without any idea about the affair, Bibi and Bobinôt’s lives Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus temp
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Bibi Character Timeline in The Storm
The timeline below shows where the character Bibi appears in The Storm. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1
At a general store called Friedheimer’s, Bobinôt and his young son, Bibi, decide to wait out an incoming thunderstorm. When Bobinôt, who is “accustomed to converse on...
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...they’re her favorite. As the storm begins to descend on the general store, Bobinôt and Bibi sit and watch on as the wind picks up outside. Despite the violent storm, “wise”...
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Part 2
...doesn’t realize that a storm is brewing, and that her husband and son, Bobinôt and Bibi, could be in danger out in the elements. Only when the room turns dark does...
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Part 3
Making their way home from the general store, Bobinôt and Bibi try to clean themselves up. As they tromp through soggy fields, Bobinôt frets that Bibi...
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However, to Bobinôt and Bibi’s surprise, Calixta responds with joy at their arrival. Bobinôt finds himself at a loss for...
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