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Characters in The Storm and The Scarlet Letter

Kate Chopin's short story "The Storm" and Nathaniel Hawthorne's romance novel The Scarlet Letter are different genres in literature, but each tells the story of a woman who engages in an adulterous affair. In Chopin's short story, Calixta is married to Bobinot and has a son Bibi. However, she is unfulfilled by her lack of expression other than the roles of wife and mother. During a stormy afternoon when her husband and son are away, Calixta has an affair with a married family man, Alcee.

In Hawthorne's novel, Hester Prynne is married but her husband, Roger Chillingworth, is absent. Hester engages in an affair and has a child to Arthur Dimmesdale, a local preacher. Though she has sinned, Hester struggles to live a life of repentance and dignity with her daughter Pearl despite the condemnation of her Puritan community. Despite temporarily giving in to their passion, both women recognize the futility of their desire. This analysis will compare and contrast the characterization of Calixta and Hester Prynne, in order to demonstrate that their exploration of sexual fulfillment outside of marriage stems from the confining existence each lives in societies that are dominated by men that limited women's freedom and expression.

Both Kate Chopin and Nathaniel Hawthorne use symbolism to help define their respective characters of Calixta and Hester. In "The Storm," a severe storm is brewing that symbolizes the storm inside of Calixta. Calixta, somewhat unknown to herself, is repressing all of the passion and desire she cannot express as a woman living on an isolated farm and serving only in the roles of wife and mother. Like the storm comes on suddenly, so these emotions will suddenly erupt when Calixta is confronted with Alcee's visit who takes refuge from the storm. Initially, however, we see even Calixta is unaware of this repression as symbolized by Chopin's (1) depiction of her lack of consciousness r...

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Characters in The Storm and The Scarlet Letter. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 06:23, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/2000083.html