Ryan Jones

Dr. Elizabeth Beard

ENGL 3072 — American Literature II

04 December 2022

Necessary Context: Why Chopin’s “The Storm” Feels Less Complete Without the Context of

“At the ‘Cadian Ball”

Kate Chopin’s stories “At the ‘Cadian Ball” and “The Storm” are both subtle

commentaries on married life in the South during the 19th century. In those days, one of the

primary concerns of marriage was how individuals might wed to obtain the most prestigious

status from their union, while aspects such as common goals or sexual compatibility between

couples were relegated to an afterthought. Through a feminist lens of realistic characters, Chopin

explores how society’s emphasis on the ‘respectability’ of one’s union is ironically the very

catalyst for Alcée and Calixta fundamentally disrespecting each of their marriages by seeking

extramarital sexual gratification with one another; Though, in an ironic twist, at the end of “The

Storm” it is revealed that the adultery has been restorative to both relationships, not detrimental.

This is Chopin suggesting that an affair between these two would have been unnecessary had

society not influenced their romance lives in the first place—a sentiment which, for me

personally, was only reachable with the added context of “At the ‘Cadian Ball.”

As Lisa A. Kirby asserts, “both ‘At the ’Cadian Ball’ and ‘The Storm’ are stories

innovative in their questioning of traditional societal expectations of gender and marriage in that

they offer powerful representations of feminist characters” (Kirby 1). It is imperative to

remember that the old South is a domain in which social class and heritage matter just as much
as race. Therefore, Calixta can be viewed as a feminist character despite the sin she shares with

Alcée because at the end of the day, she is a colored woman who refuses to let society regulate

her passions, ultimately pursuing what she wants regardless of morality and affirming to the

reader that Calixta is firmly rooted in her sense of self—in other words, she knows who she is

and loves herself anyway. Calixta laughs while she is sleeping with Alcée, thereby implying that

she feels neither guilt nor remorse for what she is doing: “They did not heed the crashing

torrents, and the roar of the elements made her laugh as she lay in his arms” (Chopin 12). Ergo,

Calixta’s adulterous fling with Alcée during the events of “The Storm” and her prior flirting with

him during the events of “At the ‘Cadian Ball” is Chopin trying to sexually empower women of

the early 19th century by presenting them with a protagonist who herself is not afraid to

unapologetically refute the values and societal norms of the era.

In “At the ‘Cadian Ball,” the reader is presented with the romantic entanglements that

will eventually lead into “The Storm.” Alcée and Clarisse are both established as rich, white, and

clearly of higher socioeconomic status than the humble, brown Bobinôt and the boisterous

Calixta. Though in the modern day, most people generally dismiss factors such as financial status

or ethnicity as trivial, society during Chopin’s era was far more scrutinous of how individuals

chose to live their lives; thus, in the eyes of society at the time, a union between two well-off

whites is more ‘respectable’ than would be a marriage between a rich white man and a poor

Hispanic girl. Lisa A Kirby suggests that

Alcée’s choice in this context reinforces the idea that choosing Clarisse instead of Calixta

is a decision very much based on societal expectations of propriety and proper pairing.

Calixta may provide passion for Alcée, but Clarisse will, more importantly, help him

maintain his place in the social hierarchy, helping to fortify his American-ness. (Kirby 1)
Consequently, Calixta and Alcée were both forced to go on to betroth themselves to the partner

society has deemed appropriate for them instead of being true to their hearts.

As Lawrence Berkove argues, “Although their situations change, [the] characters do not.

They grow older but do not grow up. It is therefore essential to see how their characters are

established in ‘At the 'Cadian Ball’” (Berkove 1). Like Romeo and Juliette, Alcée and Calixta are

star-crossed lovers, destined to be kept apart by societal expectations despite their authentic

chemistry. Six years later, this leads directly into the events of “The Storm,” during which Alcée

and Calixta finally break the sexual tension established prior during a passing affair that parallels

a heavy thunderstorm, lasting only a brief moment and then dissipating as quickly as it began.

While one might assume two married people cheating on their spouses could only end in

disaster, the opposite occurs in this situation. The spontaneous fling seems to reignite Calixta’s

inner passion, allowing her to be a better wife and mother to her family. Simultaneously, this

emboldens Alcée to suggest his family enjoy their vacation a bit longer, for which Clarisse is

grateful as it provides her a further a break from “their intimate conjugal life, which was

something which she was more than willing to forego for a while” (Chopin 13).

While it would be easy to write off the ending of “The Storm” as Chopin simply

endorsing adultery as an inevitability, the buildup to the affair that started in “At the ‘Cadian

Ball” make it evident that this is not the case. When the storm passes, everyone is happy (13) and

order is restored yet Berkove further questions the nature of this joy:

Is [order restored] due to the fact that Calixta and Alcée have quenched their desire for

one another, at least momentarily, and can now return happily to their spouses and

families? Or does this apparent happiness arise from the sense that order has returned,

that the state of society has been preserved, that Calixta and Alcée have no intentions of
 leaving their spouses, and consequently their stations in the social hierarchy, to pursue

their passions for one another? (Berkove 1)

When Calixta’s family returns to her unscathed, she is genuinely elated to resume her role as

wife and mother, “[expressing] nothing but satisfaction at their safe return” (12) while Alcée

comes to the realization that “[the] health and pleasure [of his wife and children] were the first

things to be considered” (13). The temporary chaos has come to an end with the conclusion of

the affair and the storm. The lines of socioeconomics and race that kept Calixta and Alcée from

marrying one another to begin with are now firmly reestablished as the two go their separate

ways. Thus, their marriages effectively represent the socioeconomic forces that originally kept

the two apart, cast aside in a passionate, momentary lapse in judgement that is rectified as the

clouds clear up, both parties more dedicated to their spouses than ever for having had the

encounter.

The inclusion of “At the ‘Cadian Ball” adds a bit of necessary context to “The Storm”

because it establishes key background information about the characters, their relationships, and

the society those characters exist in. For example, I read “The Storm” prior to “At the ‘Cadian

Ball” and found myself judging Alcée and Calixta exponentially more harshly than I otherwise

may have if the stories had been consumed in reverse order. “At the ‘Cadian Ball” clarifies

crucial plot details such as a major extention of Alcée and Calixta’s romantic history, in addition

to Calixta’s original lack of interest in Bobinôt and her resulting hesitancy to marry him. Without

the added context provided by “At the ‘Cadian Ball,” the affair in “The Storm” seems almost

purely physical and opportunistic, when in reality, there are years’ worth of complex emotions at

play. While I personally do not condone the adulterous aspects of “The Storm,” I strongly

empathize with the characters and circumstances that led up to them.

 Works Cited

Kate Chopin. At the ‘Cadian Ball. Two Tales (Boston). 1892. DOCX File. accessed October 19,

2022.

Kate Chopin. The Storm. Louisiana State University Press. 1969. DOCX File. accessed October

19, 2022.

Lawrence I. Berkove. "'Acting Like Fools': The Ill-Fated Romances of 'At the 'Cadian Ball' and

'The Storm'." Short Story Criticism, edited by Joseph Palmisano, vol. 68, Gale, 2004.

Gale Literature Resource Center,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1420056304/LitRC?u=lln_alsua&sid=bookmark-

LitRC&xid=9e9e69e4. Accessed 1 Dec. 2022. Originally published in Critical Essays on

Kate Chopin, edited by Alice Hall Petry, G. K. Hall & Co., 1996, pp. 184-196.

Lisa A. Kirby. "‘So the Storm Passed …’: Interrogating Race, Class, and Gender in Chopin’s ‘At

the ’Cadian Ball’ and ‘The Storm’." Short Story Criticism, edited by Lawrence J.

Trudeau, vol. 211, Gale, 2015. Gale Literature Resource Center,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1420119415/LitRC?u=lln_alsua&sid=bookmark-

LitRC&xid=9790fe93. Accessed 1 Dec. 2022. Originally published in Kate Chopin in the

Twenty-First Century, edited by Heather Ostman, Cambridge Scholars, 2008, pp. 91-104.