The Storm

by

Kate Chopin

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Bobinôt Character Analysis

Bobinôt is Bibi’s father and Calixta’s dutiful but perhaps clueless husband. A minor character, Bobinôt appears at the very beginning and towards the end of the story. His absence, stranded at a general store with four-year-old Bibi during the titular storm, means that Alcée and Calixta have the privacy to rekindle their romance. When the rain begins, and Bibi expresses concern for Calixta’s well-being, Bobinôt thinks to purchase a gift for Calixta—a single can of shrimp. However well-intended, the present is mostly a chore, as Calixta will need to prepare the shrimp for dinner, and thus reflects that Bobinôt sees his wife as an extension of the home rather than a full person. Moreover, at the beginning of the storm, Bobinôt demonstrates a sort of cluelessness Calixta’s day-to-day life: he doesn’t even know if the family’s hired help, Sylvie, is on duty on the day of the storm until Bibi tells him otherwise. But while Bobinôt might be clueless, he is polite and wants to please his wife. In particular, on the way home, Bobinôt takes great care to scrape the mud off his and Bibi’s clothes, extending his uncomfortable journey in an attempt to accommodate his wife’s preference for a tidy home.

Bobinôt Quotes in The Storm

The The Storm quotes below are all either spoken by Bobinôt or refer to Bobinôt. 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:
Sex, Gender, and Liberation Theme Icon
).
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.

Related Characters: Bobinôt (speaker), Bibi (speaker), Calixta, Sylvie
Related Symbols: The Thunderstorm
Page Number: 267
Explanation and Analysis:
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.

Related Characters: Calixta, Bobinôt, Bibi
Related Symbols: The Thunderstorm, The Color White
Page Number: 267
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3 Quotes

Bibi was the picture of pathetic resignation. Bobinôt was the embodiment of serious solicitude as he strove to remove from his own person and his son’s the signs of their tramp over heavy roads and through wet fields. He scraped the mud off Bibi’s bare legs and feet with a stick and carefully removed all traces from his heavy brogans. Then, prepared for the worst—the meeting with an over-scrupulous housewife, they entered cautiously at the back door.

Related Characters: Bobinôt
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 271
Explanation and Analysis:

“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!”

Related Characters: Calixta (speaker), Bobinôt (speaker), Bibi
Related Symbols: Shrimp
Page Number: 271
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Storm LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Storm PDF

Bobinôt Quotes in The Storm

The The Storm quotes below are all either spoken by Bobinôt or refer to Bobinôt. 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:
Sex, Gender, and Liberation Theme Icon
).
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.

Related Characters: Bobinôt (speaker), Bibi (speaker), Calixta, Sylvie
Related Symbols: The Thunderstorm
Page Number: 267
Explanation and Analysis:
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.

Related Characters: Calixta, Bobinôt, Bibi
Related Symbols: The Thunderstorm, The Color White
Page Number: 267
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3 Quotes

Bibi was the picture of pathetic resignation. Bobinôt was the embodiment of serious solicitude as he strove to remove from his own person and his son’s the signs of their tramp over heavy roads and through wet fields. He scraped the mud off Bibi’s bare legs and feet with a stick and carefully removed all traces from his heavy brogans. Then, prepared for the worst—the meeting with an over-scrupulous housewife, they entered cautiously at the back door.

Related Characters: Bobinôt
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 271
Explanation and Analysis:

“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!”

Related Characters: Calixta (speaker), Bobinôt (speaker), Bibi
Related Symbols: Shrimp
Page Number: 271
Explanation and Analysis: