Calixta is Not A Sinner

張佳音

Kate Chopin is known as an author with strong views on woman， sex and marriage， which are in advance of her times. In the short story The Storm， Kate Chopin narrates that a married woman named Calixta reaches out impulsively with her old lover who has to avoid the rain under roof accidentally. Her writing challenged the American literary tradition by the bold expression of woman's longing for sexual and personal freedom， which makes Calixta feel liberated and not as a sinner. By the feminism theory， the aim of the study is to present the theme in three aspects： the symbolic name， the beautiful progress of the affair， and the meaning of the affair.

I. The Symbolic name

Through the whole story， Chopin uses flower to express Calixtas beauty. Firstly， the floral imagery extends into Calixtas name and drops a hint— “calyx” ， the botanical term of the outer protective covering. A woman named after flower usually makes the reader subjectively have a good impression on her. Afterwards Chopin compares Calixta to a “creamy lily”（284） that conveys majesty， honor and purity， especially the white lily. As a result， the floral thing suggests the authors attitude towards Calixta， at least positive rather than disagreeable.

II. The Beautiful Progress of the Affair

Chopin， as a sensitive and bold woman writer， describes this sexual affair in several dreamy poetic scenes. Firstly， the sexual scene is amidst the storm， and the world indoor is in parallel with the world outside. The storm comes very fast and fiercely， and Alcee happens to take a shelter. As the cyclone keeps up， Calixta begins to worry the levees， and Alcee comforts her. Then they have the orgasm along with the “crashing torrents”. At last， with the thunder passing away， Calixta watches him ride away and laughs aloud. The sexual process is combined with the rise and fall of the storm， and it forms a unique aesthetic effect， full of natural energy and passion. Secondly， Calixta is portrayed with a totally white impression. At the beginning she wears a white robe. When she is held by Alcee， her white neck shows. Then she “as white as the couch she lay upon”（Chopin 284）， and her passion is “l(fā)ike a white flame”. Chopin produces a unique image of the heroine who is full of vivacity and purity as a young maid. Thirdly， in order to show the perfect sex， Chopin uses beautiful and delicate metaphors that offering reader both visual and sensual pleasure. Calixtas lips are “as red and moist as pomegranate”（Chopin 283） and her mouth is “a fountain of delight”； they seem to “swoon together at the very borderland of lifes mystery”.

III. The Meaning of the Affair

It is known that womens interests were always subordinated to males interests in the nineteenth century. The first important feminine voice was from Mary Wollstonecraft in A Vindication of the Rights of Women， in which she disagreed that woman “must be subordinate to the former （man）” （95）. Married women often had “a sense of being imprisoned within the wedlock， willingly or unwillingly， consciously or unconsciously” （Wang Jing et al. 15）. Undeniably， Calixtas life centers completely on Bobin?t and Bibi， and her daily work at home is to be a housewife. The domestic pressure on women can be also seen in Clarisse that her trip is the “first free breath since her marriage” （Chopin 286） and it “restores the pleasant liberty” before marriage. So evidently， these two women are held tightly by family.

While along with the flourish of the women liberation movements in the nineteenth century， the Enlightenment feminism claimed that woman should be “rational being”. Chopin， as a pioneer who “took an individual step for womens liberation” （Zafer 275）， pushes women in front of peoples eyes and sticks to represent the inner world of women for the sake of womens emancipation. Though Calixta goes against her society's principle of virtue， she has an unprecedented fulfillment that comes from the release and emancipation， which seems to trigger readers lust for liberation either. So Calixta is not a sinner but a woman once has liberty.

Overall， “The Storm” has provided a pretty enjoyable sexual experience， and with a sense of liberation Calixta is not regarded as a sinner. Chopin breaks through the social shackles of women and makes a declaration of liberation of women， which is why she is highly praised nowadays as a predecessor of feminism.

References：

[1]Chopin，Kate.The Awakening and Selected Stories.London： Penguin，1976.

[2]Wang Jing，Zhang Yan，Liu Wenjing.“A Feministic Comparison between‘The Stormand‘Yellow Women.”Academic Research.106（2012）：15-17.

[3]Wollstonecraft，Mary.A Vindication of the Rights of Women.New York：Cosimo，2008.

[4]Zafer，Sema.“The Birth of A New ‘Self and A New ‘Identity In Kate Chopin's Short Stories.” Social Sciences：Comprehensive Works.27（2012）：271-276.