The Storm

In the short story "The Storm", it's quite clear to see how much effort the author put into thoroughly describing the setting. It was easy to see that the story obviously took place in a French speaking area a long time ago due to the names and language the characters use throughout. The setting, however, was not the most surprising aspect of the story to me.

Considering the fact that the story was written in 1898 during Chopin's lifetime, I found it rather surprising to read what events took place. The plot begins with a man and his son shopping at a corner store when a violent storm erupts. This keeps them from returning home, where the man's wife frantically awaits the return of her husband and son. While she prepares the house for the storm, a lover of her past shows up on his horse, and tries to wait out the storm outside. Due to the severity of the storm though, he ultimately ends up coming inside of her home. This is when things get interesting.

Being that they once shared feelings for one another long ago, it's rather expected that things would be awkward between the two. This definitely was not the case . As the storm increases in intensity, so does the attraction between them. Eventually, the storm rises to a climax and the two fall into an affair with one another. When the storm subsides, so too does the relations between the two, as Alcee rides his horse off into the distance. In time, her husband and son would return home to have a quiet family dinner.