“The Storm” is set in an Acadian and Creole community in Louisiana in the late 19th century. The Acadian people are a French-speaking ethnic group from the east coast of Canada (and the northeastern United States) who migrated to Louisiana in the 1600s and 1700s after being forced off their land. Creole people are the descendants of French and Spanish people who originally settled in Louisiana. In the story, Calixta is Acadian—as evidenced by her dialect—while Alcée is Creole. Though the two communities have different cultures and speaking styles, as shown in the story, they have historically overlapped socially.
Also important to understanding the setting of the story is the large storm that hits the small community. The story takes place in Louisiana, which is part of the Gulf Coast, a geographic area plagued by hurricanes and other severe storms. In the late 19th century—when the story is set—storms posed a real threat to one’s safety, property, and livelihood. In fact, in “At the 'Cadian Ball”—the prequel to this story—Alcée loses almost all of his crops due to a storm. This explains why all of the characters are initially worried about what havoc this storm might wreak.
It is also notable that, at the time Chopin was writing, the women’s movement was starting to gain momentum. In the late 1800s, women were fighting for more freedom and equal rights to men, advocating for the right to vote, job opportunities, and more. While Calixta leads the typical life of a housewife (sewing, cooking, and doing laundry for her family), she rebels in the story by having an extramarital affair. Chopin presents this sexual encounter as one that Calixta chooses for herself so that she may remember what it was like to have a freer life before she was married.
