Girl Power

I am a bit of a feminist at times. I just love stories where women are in control and have all of the power. Women of all time periods and countries of the world really have all the power. No matter if they are repressed or, they still own everything in the end. Kate Chopin seemed to agree with that little fact as well. Her stories reflect her own ideas of feminism well in her stories. One great example of this is the story, The Storm. The story is about a woman named Calixta who is left at home when a storm hits. Her husband and son are trapped in town because of it. The story starts out simple enough. But then Calixta’s former lover, Alcee, shows up. Needless to say, they end up having an affair in bed together during the storm. This story to me is remarkable for many reasons. One, there is a story about adultery without any morals to it. This would be unheard of during the Victorian era of America. The fact that it is woman committing such a sin makes it even more shocking. But, it shows that a woman is in control in the story, not the man. Second, there is no guilt at all in the whole story. When it is all said and done, Calixta feels no guilt for what she has done at all. She is able to get what she wants and still manage to keep her simple little life as a wife and mother without a single starch. The best line that illustrates that is this, “So the storm passed and every one was happy” (Pg. 534) Calixta gives what she wants for at least one night and no one gets hurt in the end. Just that simple. That is true girl power hiding in the scandal.