In "The Storm" Kate Chopin addresses the difference between the social views of women's sexuality versus the reality of women's sexual lives, even independence, during the Victorian era. "The Storm" tells the story of a housewife who follows her desire to sleep with an old beau when he stops by her house to shelter from a storm. The atmospheric setting demonstrates both the oppressive nature of the then-prevailing social views of women as well as Calixta's climactic release from those views during the roar and thunder of the storm.
The story begins with the calm before the storm, as Calixta's husband and four-year-old son, Bobinot and Bibi, wait at the general store for a summer storm to roll in and move on. Four-year-old Bibi already expects his mother to be afraid of the storm, the same assumption Alcee makes about Calixta's reaction to the elements. But Calixta is only afraid because she does not know for sure that her son is safe. Bobinot, of course, also misunderstands Calixta when he calls her an "overscrupulous housewife" (Chopin 130). Society's view of women as only appropriate for domestic work and Calixta's assumption of that role may have fueled Bobinot's misunderstanding. But her decision to sleep with Alcee proves that the role of "overscrupulous housewife" is just that, a role Calixta plays rather than an unconscious expression of her personality.
Alcee's view of Calixta also demonstrates the oppressive nature of social ideas about women's sexuality, even as he engages in the affair with her. During the storm, Alcee believes that he can see her "sensuous desire," which left him nothing to do but kiss her (Chopin 129). Thus, Alcee blames Calixta's visible sexuality for the affair. Alcee's view reflects society's views of women who openly expressed their sexuality. To do so would certainly have run counter to the prevailing view of women as creatures who submitted to sex solely to fulfill their wifely obligatio
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