Literary Techniques Used In Kate Chopin's 'The Storm'

KATE CHOPIN’S “THE STORM” RESEARCH PAPER I believe that most talented authors and artist use their life experiences to contribute to their work or projects. In the case of Kate Chopin I found it interesting that she used her past experience of an affair with Albert to ignite the story “The Storm.” Kate Chopin linked the use of names and setting with the stories she wrote based on her actual life experiences. Kate Chopin uses devices such as irony and symbolism, as well as her feminist mindset to project her ideas to the readers in the story “The Storm.” Kate Chopin was born in St. Louis, Missouri on February 8, 1850. She was the second child of Thomas O’Flaherty and Kate’s mother’s name was Eliza Faris. At the age of 5 years old Kate’s family

Kate Chopin used the storm as a form of symbolism. “A bolt struck a tall chinaberry tree at the edge of the field.” In this sentence, Kate Chopin wrote this to describe the intense relationship that was going on in the story, leading to an affair that had been ignited between Alcee and Calixta. Kate Chopin then adds on, “They did not heed the crashing torrents, and the roar” and “The generous abundance of her passion, without guile or trickery, was like a white flame which penetrated and found response in depths of his own sensuous nature that had never yet been reached.” Kate Chopin describes how the storm got progressively stronger and so did the intimate encounter between Alcee and Calixta. This paints a vivid picture for the reader to imagine the intensity and passion Alcee and Calixta experienced in the story. Once the storm has subsided so did the intimate encounter between the two leaving the readers with “So the storm passed and everyone was happy.” The irony in the storm was that Calixta felt no regrets for her intimate actions with a married man. If anything she felt more sexually relieved and happy from this affair