Plot Summary Of 'The Storm'

Trailing back on the history line, adultery which can be referred as sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse (Dictionary.com, 2010) has been regarded as an offense by many cultures and religions due to its negative impacts to the legal and committed-lifetime bond between a man and a woman through a term that is known as marriage; thus allowing open interpretations and views for writers, poets and dramatizers in the literature world to focus on adultery as their subject matter and one of the literary works is Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” a short story that takes place in Louisiana, which is written in five short sections by Kate Chopin in 1899 (Kirszner & Mandell, 2007, p. 281). This essay therefore summarizes the plot and foreshadowing of Chopin’s “The Storm” by addressing the following questions:

Who are the protagonist and antagonist of the story?

How are the stages of plot being developed?

Which quotes indicate foreshadowing and what are foreshadowed?

This plot summary of “The Storm” in a process essay focuses on these three questions.

Who are the protagonist and

antagonist of the story?

The main characters of Chopin’s “The Storm” are Calixta, Alcee, Calisse, Bibinot and Bibi, whereby, Calixta whose roles as Bibinot’s spouse, Bibi’s mother and Alcee’s previous lover is the protagonist. The antagonist, on the other hand, is a storm which is a natural disaster that challenges Calixta’s sexual desire.

How are the stages of plot

being developed?

The point of conflict is introduced in the second section of the short story just when the storm starts to develop as “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” (Chopin 282). The complications of the conflict are further expanded when the storm worsens as Calixta’s old flame; Alcee, who apparently to be passing by her house requesting for a shelter though they have not personally met each other since Calixta’s marriage. Owing to the consent given by Calixta, both of them have led themselves to interact passionately, reflecting their somewhat naïve relationship several years ago and as the storm wraths outside “The rain was coming down in sheets obscuring the view of far-off cabins and enveloping the distant wood in a gray mist. The playing of the lightning was incessant. A bolt struck a tall chinaberry tree at the edge of the field. It filled all visible space with a blinding glare and the crash seemed to invade the very boards they stood upon. (283) so as their interactions which turn into a sexual intercourse, “Now-well, now-her lips seemed in a manner free to be tasted, as well as her round, white throat and her whiter breasts” (283) revealing the highest point of tension of the story in the same section in which it is introduced. The conflict then starting to slump from the third section of the story as soon as, “The rain was over; and the sun was turning the glistening green world into a palace of gems. Calixta, on the gallery, watched Alcée ride away. He turned and smiled at her with a beaming face; and she lifted her pretty chin in the air and laughed aloud” (284). The conflict finally reaches its solution in the fourth and fifth sections as Chopin reveals Alcee’s marital status who is actually married to Clarisse with several children who is so thankful to be departed from her husband and the constraints of their marriage by making visiting friends as an excuse.

Which quotes indicate foreshadowing

and what are foreshadowed?

In Chopin’s “The Storm”, several examples of natural occurrences foreshadowing can be derived throughout the story namely the storm, the rain, a bolt struck and a chinaberry tree which are eventually exposed to have great significance of the plot.

Firstly, the first example of foreshadowing can be quoted from the first section of the story;”The leaves were so still that even Bibi thought it was going to rain. Bobinôt, who was accustomed to converse on terms of perfect equality with his little son, called the child’s attention to certain sombre clouds that were rolling with sinister intention from the west, accompanied by a sullen, threatening roar.” The abrupt climate change-the storm, foreshadows the first signal to the readers of Calixta’s emotions in general, enabling the readers to sense the movement of Calixta’s emotions simultaneously with the storm.

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Secondly, the next example of natural occurrence of foreshadowing can be found in the second section; “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”. Here, the rain foreshadows Calixta’s ‘joyous’ cry or happiness because for several years she hasn’t met Alcee, her old flame. Thus, the readers would be able to determine a particular outcome of the foreshadow, presumably Calixta is actually delighted with Alcee’s surprise turnout.

Thirdly, quoting from the second section of the story either; “The rain was coming down in sheets obscuring the view of far-off cabins and enveloping the distant wood in a gray mist. The playing of the lightning was incessant. A bolt struck a tall chinaberry tree at the edge of the field. It filled all visible space with a blinding glare and the crash seemed to invade the very boards they stood upon”. From these lines, a bolt struck foreshadows the long lost love chemistry between Calixta and Alcee and a tall chinaberry tree meanwhile foreshadows Alcee, Calixta’s old flame whom still she loves deep down inside her heart though she is somebody’s wife, Bibinot. Hence, from both foreshadows, readers would be aware of particular details on how the highest point of tension of the story achieves.

In a nutshell, Chopin successfully develops the plot of his literature work “The Storm” using natural occurrences foreshadowing to express his view on adultery outstandingly, creating and retaining such captivating experiences for the readers to focus, attain and appreciate Chopin’s view comprehensively.