Kate Chopin portrays realism in her three short stories: “Regret,” “The Story of an Hour,” and “The Storm. ” The author makes her fictional work to represent stark of realities in life. The author uses symbols of forthcoming change, heart trouble, and emotional response in the short stories. She tries to find her identity in the stories. She depicts unconventional issues that women were going through during that time. She highlights that women were bound by conventional domesticity and took care of the household. However, through the description of her characters, the author defies the conventional role of the women as free and independent.
In her short stories “Regret,” “The Story of an Hour,” and “The Storm,” Kate Chopin employs symbolism and metaphoric description to explore women’s natural rights to live independent, fulfilled lives, including the rewards of motherhood, freedom from constraints imposed by repressive social mores, as well as the exploration and release of sexual passion. In the short story, “The Storm,” Kate Chopin packs the story with several symbols. The storm is a symbol of the forthcoming change in the lives of the characters. Chopin brings up a raging storm that foreshadows occurrence of great harm.
However, the author also foreshadows good virtues. She states that the forthcoming storm is an indication of a positive change in the lives of the Calixta and Alicee. The storm bounds the life of Calixta and helps her release her frustrations making her end up a happy woman. The author depicts the storm as a good and fulfilling thing in the relationship between Calixta and Alicee. Besides, the author uses the white color of the bedroom to show that the affair between Calixta and Alcee is pure and sanctified. However, the society is against the affair and regards it as sinful.
Chopin reiterates that Calixta uses a red lip balm with shining hair to show her appeal to Alcee. The colors hold symbolic values of physical attraction. Furthermore, the author posits that lightning struck the chinaberry to foreshadow great change that is about to occur. The author uses lightning to show the challenges that comes in women’s life. The lightning is one of the causes of death and Chopin uses it to make women widows before empowering them. Furthermore, Chopin associates the shrimps, which Bobinot buys for his wife to his fear of her disapproval and to please his wife.
The author also depicts Calixta’s displeasure as a housewife by highlighting the mud on the shoes, which his son tracks into the house. She thinks that despite all symbols depicting positive change, mud shows that relationships are not always smooth (Toth 2). She thinks that despite all symbols depicting positive change, mud shows that relationships are not always smooth. The author highlights that women ought to go through several hurdles in life. The mud symbolizes various problems that women go through. Also, the storm highlights the changes that women undergo in the society.
She acknowledges that life has several hurdles that families ought to go through. Generally, women in the story, “The Storm,” depict change and progression in life. In “The Story of an Hour,” Chopin uses Louise, the main character, to highlight various symbols and metaphors. Chopin depicts Louise confined to her room after listening to the bad news about Bentley’s death. The death is a metaphor representing life course. Louise realizes that she has subjugated herself for locking herself away. However, she seeks pleasure and declares her personal independence.
She gazes through the open window to show opportunities and freedom after the death of her husband. Chopin describes that Louise sees treetops, blue sky, and fluffy clouds through the open window (82). She also hears melodious songs and smells of the forthcoming storm. Louise feels the first hints of elation when she ponders about the sky. She also feels that the open window provides new life. The open window provides bright and clear future that is obstructed by other people’s demands. However, the author highlights that Louise loses her freedom after she leaves the open window. The author highlights the difficulties that women go through.
She depicts Louise as a true woman who goes through hard times after her husband’s death. However, she finds consolation in the open window. Chopin further highlights the place of women in the society by illustrating how death and rebirth of Louise fixated on the blue sky symbolizes her new personal prospects. She states that the death of Louise’ husband empowers her. Louse realizes the missing husband and takes the roles of a mother and father. In this case, Chopin elevates the status of Louise from repressed woman to a self-affirmed individual. She depicts Louise as a self-affirmed woman who naturally seeks her own way to happiness.
Chopin acknowledges that little knowledge and understanding among women can impact their lives negatively. In the story “Regret,” Chopin shows how Aurelie makes life decisions due to lack of life experience. Aurelie decides to remain single despite rejecting several proposals for marriage from several men. The author depicts the changes in Aurelie’s life when she highlights her experience with Odile’s children. She states that life is interesting, and a heartless person can change and become caring. Chopin expounds on Aurelie’s maternal extinct after she stays with Odile’s children for two weeks.
The re-emergence of Aurelie’s instinct is very clear in the story . Chopin opines that Aurelie starts wearing an apron and takes care of her neighbor’s children. She rocks one child to sleep and feeds the other. She enjoys taking good care of the children and she feels bad when Odile returns. The laughter and chatter that Aurelie is accustomed to ceases when Odile interrupts her routine. The return of Odile is unannounced and unexpected. Aurelie is agitated by Odile’s intention to take her children back. The author uses the symbol of children to posit the happiness that unmarried women miss.
She presents how lonely Aurelie is after her neighbor takes her children back. Aurelie realizes that children are vital in making the home vibrant. She comes to terms with reality and regrets her choice in life. The author uses Aurelie to represent other women who choose to remain single yet they do not know the repercussion of their choice. Chopin proposes that women ought to have children to make their homes lively. The symbol of children makes Aurelie realize her mistake in life. In conclusion, Chopin represents various life and social affairs through symbols and metaphors.
The author portrays the woman as someone who continually goes through several life cycles. Women in Chopin’s short stories undergo various life issues that they later manage to address. The author has depicted heart trouble in the story “The Storm” to highlight various changes that the women go through. She uses the short story ‘The Storm’ as a depiction of value in a woman’s life. She brings out her characters as a representation of goodwill. Women in the story, “Story of an Hour” go through emotional problems to highlight the daily life of a woman who is mandated to go through traumatic life experiences.
Besides, Chopin tries to find her identity in the stories. She depicts unconventional issues that women were going through during that time. She highlights that women are bound by conventional domesticity and take care of the households. However, the author through the description of her characters defies the conventional role of the women as free and independent. She uses the artistic values to represent her own life experience. She empowers women by depicting that women easily change and become responsible if subjected to change.