The Storm

by

Kate Chopin

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Storm makes teaching easy.

The Thunderstorm Symbol Analysis

The Thunderstorm Symbol Icon

The thunderstorm that unfolds alongside the story’s action symbolizes the sexual encounter between Alcée and Calixta, two former lovers who are married to other people, ultimately implying that sex and sexual desire are natural and positive aspects of human nature. Caught within the wild rush of a severe thunderstorm, the sexual chemistry between two former lovers reaches a peak. Specifically, Chopin describes Calixta’s energy alongside the stages of a thunderstorm. First, right before the storm hits, the weather is hot and Calixta’s sweats over her sewing machine. Like the incoming clouds, Calixta is full of pent-up tension. Then, as the thunderstorm rolls in and the lightning strikes, the presence of Alcée triggers a charge of sexual arousal for Calixta. When the clouds burst into heavy rain, Calixta’s tension gives way to pleasure. As the thunderstorm ends and the rain slows, Calixta collapses in exhaustion alongside Alcée, indicating a complete release of tension. With the thunderstorm over and tensions released, a relaxed Calixta happily returns her attention to her family, obviously refreshed. In nature, thunderstorms provide a vital function by releasing energy into the atmosphere. Like a thunderstorm, sex between Alcee and Calixta serves as a means to release bound-up energy, and actually gives the two lovers more energy to then interact with their respective families. In “The Storm,” Chopin makes the radical claim that, just as thunderstorms maintain ecosystems, sexual affairs can provide an outlet necessary for the maintenance of marriage. Further, Chopin’s use of a cyclical natural event to symbolize the relationship brings up the possibility that the incident will, like a thunderstorm, reoccur.

The Thunderstorm Quotes in The Storm

The The Storm quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Thunderstorm. 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:

“My! what a rain! It’s good two years sence it rain’ like that,” exclaimed Calixta as she rolled up a piece of bagging and Alcée helped her to thrust it beneath the crack.

Related Characters: Calixta (speaker), Alcée Laballière
Related Symbols: The Thunderstorm
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 268
Explanation and Analysis:

He pushed her hair back from her face that was warm and steaming. Her lips were as red and moist as pomegranate seed. Her white neck and a glimpse of her full, firm bosom disturbed him powerfully. As she glanced up at him the fear in her liquid blue eyes had given place to a drowsy gleam that unconsciously betrayed a sensuous desire.

Related Characters: Calixta, Alcée Laballière
Related Symbols: The Thunderstorm, The Color White
Related Literary Devices:
Page Number: 268
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Storm LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Storm PDF

The Thunderstorm Symbol Timeline in The Storm

The timeline below shows where the symbol The Thunderstorm appears in The Storm. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1
Sex, Gender, and Liberation Theme Icon
...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 terms of perfect equality with his little... (full context)
Part 2
Sex, Gender, and Liberation Theme Icon
Sex and Nature Theme Icon
Marriage and Infidelity Theme Icon
With the thunderstorm at its peak, Calixta and Alcée find themselves in the “dim, mysterious chamber” and lie... (full context)