Comparison and Contrast of “The Storm” and “The Story of an Hour”
In Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” and “The Story of an Hour”, the reader can see two women that have some similar characteristics. The stories present a married couple in a different situation. The characters from The Storm are Calixta, Bobinôt and his son, and Alcée and his wife, Clarisse. In the other side, the characters from The Story of an Hour are Louise and Brently Mallard, Louise’s sister Josephine, and Brently’s friend Richards. Despite the fact that the same author writes both stories, many differences characterise them. Whereas the theme is the secret adultery at marriage in The Storm, the theme in The Story of an Hour is the secret of the joy the woman feel because of the death of the partner. In both writings, we can find aspects that have in common between them. Comparing and contrasting both stories with the help of some literary elements like Theme, Setting, and Dramatic Irony will be helpful to analyse both.
Theme: Forced Marriage & Hidden desire
I found that both stories have a theme that is the life of a forced marriage where the couple is together by a commitment and in both cases, there is a hidden desire of freedom by the two women. Both characters, Calixta from The Storm and Louise from The Story of an Hour are stuck in marriages with husbands they did not love.
In The Storm, the author presents the betray of one of the couple. She had been married for five years with Bobinôt. The woman saw another man and seems like she loves him. She wanted to be free and be with other man named Alcée. During the storm, Calixta and Alcée reignite their passion. Chopin wrote:
“As she glanced upon at him the fear in her liquid blue eyes had given place to a drowsy gleam that unconsciously betrayed a sensuous desire.” (Pg. 122).
On the other hand, the author presents the apparent death of the husband in The Story of an Hour. The woman named Louise is shown as a wife who has lived with her husband lovingly. However, this was false. Mrs Mallard’s grief because of the death of her husband change to joy.
“She did not stop to ask if it were not a monstrous joy that held her.” (Pg. 180)
She was careless of the happiness that comes to her because of the death of Brently. She was enjoying that moment. She saw this as the hoped freedom.
“She said it over and over under her breath: “free, free, free!”…” (Pg. 180)
For example, I can relate this picture with the protagonists. In the image, a woman is embracing a man closely, but she is looking to another thing. It looks like the woman is interested in something because of her eyes. I think her eyes show a shine of desire. Both protagonists are looking at another way. They look at a path to freedom. Calixta saw a path of liberty to have sex with a married man. Louise saw a new path to live free the coming years “that would belong to her absolutely.”
There is a trailer below for the movie The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013) animated by the Japanese film studio: Studio Ghibli. In this movie, the protagonist wanted to live a happy and great life on the Earth. Although, she had to go back from where she belongs. In the trailer, the adoptive father of the princess says “You must prepare yourself quickly to be married to the prince.”(min. 0:37–0:40) I think this could be something Louise or Calixta lived before get married. They maybe were hurried to marry and did not think about this. They did not consider to marry because they were in love with the other person. As Louise said when she realized she was happy with the unexpected event: “And yet she had loved him- sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter!”(Pg. 180)
Setting: Spring
Also, the setting is considered essential for both stories. The setting gives meaning to the stories. We can see that the developing of the two stories are during spring. The difference is that the reader can see there is set a big storm with rain in The Storm. Bobinôt, the husband, was outside with his son during the storm. At the same time the wife, Calixta, is at home. During the storm is when the woman committed adultery with Alcée. When the storm passed, Alcée leaves the house with a smile.
“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.”(Chopin, 122)
When the husband arrives at home, and the marriage continues “the storm passed and everyone was happy” (Pg. 123) In the other one, the story presents a setting where outside the house of the seeming widow is sunny and it is during the spring. Louise was looking out the window:
“She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life.” (Chopin, 180)
The spring day is like the rebirth of the woman. She feels like she is free to live as she wants. In both stories, the author makes the reader feel that when it is sunny, there is happiness and a new life, as the past experiences have never happened. I relate this whit the next article.
In the article by the Live Science Contributor: Nola Taylor Redd, the author mention what is Spring. It says that “Spring is the season of new beginnings. Fresh buds bloom, animals awaken and the earth seems to come to life again.”(Redd, p.1)This idea of the New beginning is like I mentioned before. It is a new start, and in both stories, we can see it. Calixta makes possible this new beginning when her husband come back to home.
“…when the three seated themselves at table they laughed much and so loud that anyone might have heard them…” (Chopin, 123)
“Spring may also boast storms, as warm air from the equator combines with still-cool air farther north or south.” (Redd, p. 8 )We can see that in both stories there is a mention of rain. In The Storm, some part of the story is during the fall of rain. An in The Story of an Hour Louise mention that she can feel the”delicious breath of rain” that it is in the air.
Irony: Enjoyed freedom
Finally, we can identify in both stories the presence of dramatic irony when the two women had enjoyed to be free, and the other characters did not find out this. In the TED-Ed video “In on a secret? That’s dramatic irony”, of Christopher Warner published in 2013, is explained the different kind of irony and gives some examples. We can see that the dramatic irony is used in horror movies and comedy. As Warner said “Dramatic irony is when the audience seems to know more about an event, a situation, or a conversation than the characters in the movie, on the show, or in the book do.”(min 0:43- 0:52) In both stories, the reader knows something about what happens with the protagonist that other characters did not know.
After clarifying what dramatic irony is, we can comprehend better where we can find it in both stories. The irony in The Storm is that we know Calixta committed adultery with Alcée and Bobinôt did not know this. The audience it is waiting for the moment the husband and the son came after the storm to the house and see what it is the reaction of Calixta. Bobinôt and Bibi were worried because how they look.
“…prepared for the worst- the meeting with an overscrupulous housewife, they entered cautiously at the back door.” (Pg. 123)
The result is that she was not angry. She was satisfied with their safe return. The husband and the son get relaxed because Calixta did not scold them. “Bobinôt and Bibi began to relax and enjoy themselves…”. At the end, they spend a great time at the table and laughed a lot without knowing of the betray. This is something the spectator know and the character of Bobinôt did not understand what happens. It stays as a secret for the others characters, also the wife of Alcée, Clarisse, did not know about this.
In the other story, the protagonist Louise was enjoying the apparent death of Brently, her husban, in the railroad accident. She had been happy because she was dreaming about the next years of freedom that will come to her. She had prayed for having a long life.
“She breathed a quick prayer that life, might be long.” (Chopin, 180)
As we know now she ends up dying. Her husband had not died in the accident. He returned to the house and for the surprise of this Louise died. The dramatic irony here is that everybody thinks that she died because she was happy because her husband did not die and he was still alive.
“When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease- of joy that kills” (Chopin, 181)
But, the reader know that Lousie was enthusiastic with the idea of no having a husband that controls her. She thought that she will be living a long life that will belong to her. Nobody knows that she died because of the surprise of the broken dreams of being free for the rest of her life.
In conclusion, these two Chopin’s writings are similar because of the theme, setting, and dramatic irony. We saw that the protagonist of the two stories where hidden the joy of be free of the marriage. One enjoy the freedom to be with another man. And the other, enjoy to be alone and have a coming life for herself. In both stories are forced marriages and hidden desires. The setting is similar and in both stories this gives meaning to what the story is telling to the readers. Moreover, the dramatic irony is in the two writings. At the end, you can see the theme is important to appreciate the similarities and differences of both. There is no true love inside the marriage. In The Story of An Hour the wanting of be free of the partner is the principal idea, and in The Storm the adultery and the desire of being with other is the principal idea. As we can see both stories are a great demonstration of the result of using literary elements. They are a great work done because of the effort of Kate Chopin. I think they are important in order to appreciate a good writing.
