The Symbolic Use of White in “The Storm”, Research Paper Example

Kate Chopin’s short story, “The Storm,” demonstrates how the convergence of events–namely a storm, a husband’s absence, and the sudden arrival of a former lover–can result in a brief passionate tryst.  The author uses the color white to symbolize the innocence, vulnerability, and passion of her female protagonist, Calixta.  Chopin contrasts Calixta’s white clothing and skin against the darkness of the storm and the mud encountered by her husband and son on their journey home, effectively illustrating how the twin forces of desire and obligation are often at odds.

The color white has often been used in Western culture to signify innocence, virginity, and marriage (Roher, 2011).  This makes Chopin’s use of white in relation to Calixta’s encounter with Alcee particularly notable, as their relationship is based entirely on sexual desire and conquest.  Prior to Alcee’s arrival, Chopin describes Calixta as she “unfastened her white sacque at the throat” (Chopin, 2010), a symbolic revealing that illustrates both her vulnerability and her willingness to free herself from social constraints.  It is doubly symbolic that Calixta chooses to undress, thereby revealing her pale throat, at the moment in which the storm begins to descend.  Chopin writes that “it began to grow dark, and suddenly realizing the situation [Calixta] got up hurriedly and went about closing windows and doors” (Chopin, 2010).  The contrast between light and dark, calm and storm, demonstrates the pull experienced by Calixta between the obligations of her home life and her own personal desires for sexual freedom; although she can close the doors and windows to her house as easily as she might button up her white sacque, she is unable to prevent passion from overtaking her.

The war between desire and responsibility is further illustrated by Chopin’s description of Calixta’s bedroom.  She writes that “the door [to Calixta’s bedroom] stood open, and the room with its white, monumental bed, its closed shutters, looked dim and mysterious” (Chopin, 2010). Again, Chopin uses the color white in a conflicting manner, utilizing its relationship to serenity and marriage to illustrate the risks that Calixta takes by breaking her marriage vows in such a sacred place.  Calixta’s “white, monumental bed” (Chopin, 2010) represents her relationship with Bobinot.  By inviting Alcee into a space normally reserved only for her husband, Calixta is breaking down social and emotional boundaries, further demonstrating how the appearance of the sudden storm  allows for a temporary suspension of normal rules and obligations.

The storm is used by Chopin as a catalyst through which Calixta has the opportunity to experience total sexual inhibition.  The quest for sexual freedom was a common theme in Chopin’s writing, marking her as an early forerunner of the Feminist movement (Kate Chopin, 2011).  Her use of the color white to both develop Calixta’s character and illustrate the significance of her actions is most notable when contrasted against darkness.  Although her husband and son are also affected by the storm, muddying their skin on their journey home, they are able to wash the darkness from their skin.  This symbolic cleansing is unavailable to Calixta, who instead must carry the impact of her transgression once the storm has passed and the normal rules of her life have reasserted themselves.  Chopin’s use of white in multiple, often conflicting, ways demonstrates her protagonist’s ambiguous emotions towards her family, her lover, and her actions during the storm.

References

Chopin, K. (2010). The storm. Faulkner University. Retrieved from             http://www.faulkner.edu/admin/websites/cwarmack/The%20Storm%20Chopin.pdf

Kate Chopin. (2011). In Encylopedia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/114375/Kate-Chopin

Roher, K. (2011). Color symbolism and culture. The Incredible Art Department. Retrieved from http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/color2.htm#symbolism