In ripe Figs Chopin talks about growth and the way ripening occurs in its own time. She is able to contrast the impatience that characterizes the youth with the dignity that comes with age. Babette behavior is contrasted to Maman-Nainaine’s, her God mother. Babette yarned visit to her cousins but Maman-Nainaine insisted that she would do so after ripening of the figs. However to Maman-Naine, the ripening of the figs did not have anything to do with her postponing Babette visit; it was just her nature to do things that way.
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She says that warm rains came and strong sunshine in plenty, and though Maman-Nainaine was as patient as la Madone statue, on the other hand young Babette, was as restless as a humming bird, while waiting for summer time to finally come. It did seem like a long time to wait for Babette given the fact that the fig tree leaves were still tender and the figs seemed like tiny hard, green marble. However when summer time came and the figs ripened, Babette realized that it was not such a long time after all. This show impatience that characterizes young people in their endeavourer to make things happen some of which require sometime to so. Maman Naine laid back nature indicates her patience and wisdom that comes with age. She understood that the figs would ripen in their right time and patiently waited.
Chopin contrasts the laid back nature of the elderly and the liveliness of the youth. Instead of getting excited that the figs were finally ripe she said that they had ripened so early but to Babette thought they had taken too long.
In the storm, Chopin uses nature imagery as ‘storm’ to talk about sexuality, a taboo subject during her time in the 19th century. Calixta and Alcee – her long time boyfriend- brought passion that had lacked in their respective marriage. When Alcee embraced her following the striking of lightening and thurder it brought back memories of the love she one felt for him. The lightening and thunder here are used to symbolize the emotional attachment between the two lovers and the passion they felt for each other at that moment.
Calixta as a character is incapable of fulfilling society’s standards of virtue in spite Alcee perceiving her as pure. He professes that even if she was not as flawless dove in the past she still was inviolate. By acknowledging this he hoped to imply that just because a woman is not chaste does not mean that she does not have a pure heart.
Women have strong sexual desire just like the ranging storm and therefore it was unfair to list sex as part of household chores such as tailoring, laundry and scrubbing the floor. Like a storm, Calixta started as calm, quite and unthreatening to any man. However as her passion started to brew, she became powerful and electric. A nature driven force that was incapable of controlling her desire just as a storm is at controlling the harm it leaves in its wake consumed her
The storm gives readers a feminine view of how confining and repressive marriage can be for the women more so sexually. In a period when women were required to behave sexually and sexual enjoyment and desire was considered a thing experienced by men, Chopin endeavored to speak openly about human sexuality. Through the use of imagery she was able to bring this out well given that at the time, sexuality was a taboo subject.
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Chopin Story of an hour (1894) is another literally work in which she uses nature’s imagery to bring about emotions and contrast. It covers one Hour of Louise Mallard’s life from the time she learns of her husband, Brently Mallard, death. She is relived that he is dead since the marriage had been repressive during which she wished that life could be shorter. On learning of his death breathed a quick prayer wishing that life would be longer as she could absolutely live for her self.
Her heart trouble an imagery that Chopin uses to point Louise unhappiness with her marriage that denied her freedom. Her heart condition is what makes the breaking of her husband’s death so threatening in that as usual it is always difficult for a person with a weak heart to absorb such news. On the contrary when she reflects on her new found freedom her hers races with joy pumping blood through her vein. She kept on whispering “Free! Body and soul… free!”
The open window from which she gazes represents both the freedom as well as opportunities that the death of her husband has brought with. From the window she sees Fluffy clouds treetops and blue sky. She listens to birds singing and people talking. She also gets to experience the smell of an approaching rainstorm. This experience through her senses suggests joy and new life. The open window offers her a clear view into the distance and her own bright future which is unobstructed by another persons demand. Hence it is no coincidence that when she turns away from the window she looses her freedom as well.
Barnet, Cain, Burto. Literature for Composition. 9th ed. Addison-Wesley, 2010.
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