They did not
heed the crashing torrents, and the roar of the elements made her laugh as she
lay in his arms. She was a revelation in that dim, mysterious chamber; as white
as the couch she lay upon. Her firm, elastic flesh that was knowing for the
first time its birthright, was like a creamy lily that the sun invites to
contribute its breath and perfume to the undying life of the world. 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. When he touched her
breasts they gave themselves up in quivering ecstasy, inviting his lips. Her
mouth was a fountain of delight. And when he possessed her, they seemed to
swoon together at the very borderland of life's mystery.
2. A Curious Ending: a regret, a compromise, or a freedom from the conventional morality?
The rain was over; and the sun was turning the
glistening green world into a palace of gems. Calixta, on the gallery, watched
Alcee ride away. He turned and smiled at her with a beaming face; and she lifted
her pretty chin in the air and laughed aloud.
...
Bobinot and Bibi began to relax and enjoy themselves,
and when the three seated themselves at table they laughed much and so loud
that anyone might have heard them as far away as Laballiere's.
...
As for
Clarisse, she was charmed upon receiving her husband's letter. She and the
babies were doing well. The society was agreeable; many of her old friends and
acquaintances were at the bay.
And the first
free breath since her marriage seemed to restore the pleasant liberty of her
maiden days. Devoted as she was to her husband, their intimate conjugal life
was something which she was more than willing to forego for a while.
...
So the storm passed and
everyone was happy.
3. Questions;
- Is this story suggesting a liberation or a compromise?
-Pursuing female sexuality outside the marriage is itself a liberation for women?
-Does this story support or contradict Ortner's idea of a woman as a "cultured" being like any other man?
4. Comments from Per Seyersted, a Chopin biographer.
“sex in this story is a force as strong, inevitable, and natural as the Louisiana storm which ignites it.” The conclusion of the story, Seyersted adds, is ambiguous, because Chopin “covers only one day and one storm and does not exclude the possibility of later misery. The emphasis is on the momentary joy of the amoral cosmic force. Kate Chopin was not interested in the immoral in itself, but in life as it comes, in what she saw as natural–or certainly inevitable–expressions of universal Eros, inside or outside of marriage. She focuses here on sexuality as such, and to her, it is neither frantic nor base, but as ‘healthy’ and beautiful as life itself.”
They did not
heed the crashing torrents, and the roar of the elements made her laugh as she
lay in his arms. She was a revelation in that dim, mysterious chamber; as white
as the couch she lay upon. Her firm, elastic flesh that was knowing for the
first time its birthright, was like a creamy lily that the sun invites to
contribute its breath and perfume to the undying life of the world. 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. When he touched her
breasts they gave themselves up in quivering ecstasy, inviting his lips. Her
mouth was a fountain of delight. And when he possessed her, they seemed to
swoon together at the very borderland of life's mystery.
2. A Curious Ending: a regret, a compromise, or a freedom from the conventional morality?
The rain was over; and the sun was turning the
glistening green world into a palace of gems. Calixta, on the gallery, watched
Alcee ride away. He turned and smiled at her with a beaming face; and she lifted
her pretty chin in the air and laughed aloud.
...
Bobinot and Bibi began to relax and enjoy themselves,
and when the three seated themselves at table they laughed much and so loud
that anyone might have heard them as far away as Laballiere's.
...
As for
Clarisse, she was charmed upon receiving her husband's letter. She and the
babies were doing well. The society was agreeable; many of her old friends and
acquaintances were at the bay.
And the first
free breath since her marriage seemed to restore the pleasant liberty of her
maiden days. Devoted as she was to her husband, their intimate conjugal life
was something which she was more than willing to forego for a while.
...
So the storm passed and
everyone was happy.
3. Questions;
- Is this story suggesting a liberation or a compromise?
-Pursuing female sexuality outside the marriage is itself a liberation for women?
-Does this story support or contradict Ortner's idea of a woman as a "cultured" being like any other man?
4. Comments from Per Seyersted, a Chopin biographer.
“sex in this story is a force as strong, inevitable, and natural as the Louisiana storm which ignites it.” The conclusion of the story, Seyersted adds, is ambiguous, because Chopin “covers only one day and one storm and does not exclude the possibility of later misery. The emphasis is on the momentary joy of the amoral cosmic force. Kate Chopin was not interested in the immoral in itself, but in life as it comes, in what she saw as natural–or certainly inevitable–expressions of universal Eros, inside or outside of marriage. She focuses here on sexuality as such, and to her, it is neither frantic nor base, but as ‘healthy’ and beautiful as life itself.”
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