question : In Chopin’s “The Storm,” the parallel between changes in weather and plot development. How does the storm function as a symbol?
-the text i need to rewrite as my answer to the question
The storm is a major symbol in Chopin’s short story. It represents the sexual drive of Calixta and Alcée and the repercussions of this drive. Chopin’s choice to
use a storm as a symbol connects with her idea about Victorian morality. During the Victorian era, people used marriage to contain and often repress
sexuality. As a result, a person’s sexual nature could become bottled up under increasing pressure until it bursts free. A storm conveys this sudden, fierce
drive of nature. Both Calixta and Alcée seem to be involved in marriages where sex isn’t very important except for having children. However, when they are
together, their sexuality comes forth with a strength that is alarming. The storm doesn’t frighten Calixta or Alcée any more when they are in each other’s arms
because they, in a way, have become one with the gale. They are expressing the storm of their passion. In fact, Chopin states, “the roar of the elements made
her [Calixta] laugh as she lay in his arms.”
In addition the storm and Calixta’s and Alcée’s sexual passion are both potentially destructive. During the storm, a bolt of lightning strikes down a chinaberry
tree. It’s this bolt that causes Calixta to jump and stagger back into Alcée’s arms. The storm’s destructive act leads to the two protagonists having sex, which
will most likely have a destructive effect on their marriages. Adulterous affairs rarely go undetected, especially in small towns. If Bobinôt finds out about the
affair, it will destroy his relationship with Calixta. He adores his wife, and such a revelation would crush him. In addition, Bibi would undoubtedly be scarred by
his mother’s infidelity. The same is true for Alcée’s children. The literary critic Lawrence I. Berkove states, “If the affair between Alcée and Calixta blows up o…