The Storm

In Kate Chopin's' short story, The Storm, there is a dilemma faced by the main character, Calixta that is identical to a situation I recently faced in my own life. The conflict in the story isn't as clear as some may like it to be. On the surface it appears that this short story is about a woman with no conscience that cheats on her husband, but in reality, it is much deeper than that. It is about a woman who is seeking passion- a woman who wants to feel desire. This passion and desire isn't necessarily sexual, although it comes across that way in the story. This woman is me, in the form of a narrative character.

I am a very passionate person. I love my life and those who surround me with all of my heart. I would do anything for any one of my friends and family. I think Calixta felt the same way. She loved the life she had chosen for herself and loved everyone in it, but there was still something missing. Some part of her that she almost forgot existed until that fateful night in the storm, where she fell into the arms of her lost love one last time. I have been in the very situation Calixta faced and I am not ashamed to say that I too responded emotionally, the way she did.

The fall of my freshman year at Gonzaga University was a very difficult time for me. My best friends and family were all hundreds of miles away while I was in Spokane, Washington on a quest to "find myself" and receive an education at the same time. I was very lonely and simply wanted someone to hang out with all the time. The girls I was friends with all had boyfriends and thought it logical I follow in stride and get a boyfriend as well. We all knew of a few boys who were interested in me and everyone in the group urged me to date one of them. They explained it would help us to "all hang out together", but I thought the idea was dumb. I had recently broken up with my boyfriend of four years and wasn't really interested in any kind of relationship that wasn't strictly platonic. After a while, however, the idea started to sound better and better. I was alone more frequently because my "friends" were off with their boyfriends and I didn't want to be the tag along. Finding other friends wasn't really an option at this point either because my dorm was so small and I didn't seem to really "click" with the other girls; I wasn't wild enough for the party girls or mellow enough for the girls who stayed home and did homework on the weekends. Finally, I conformed. I accepted my fate and dated Tom.

Tom was a really nice guy. He wasn't as cute as I'd like, but what he lacked in the looks department he definitely made up for with his personality. Everyone loved him and celebrated the fact that we were now a couple and could do things with everyone else. But deep down inside, I knew this wasn't right. I would never love Tom; I knew that from the beginning. I also knew that I could learn to really like him, but that wasn't really what I needed to be doing. I was confused; as I'm sure Calixta was in the story. She genuinely cared about her husband and loved their child, but she lacked the same passion in her marriage that I lacked while dating Tom. Caring about someone and genuinely loving and being passionate about that person are completely different. I knew by being at school I wasn't seeing everything as clearly as I could be so I opted to go home for a weekend. Once I was away from the situation, I felt I could evaluate my life status and make very important decisions.

As soon as I crossed the Ellensburg bridge I felt myself at home. I could see the city lights from Yakima and knew this was where I belonged. Already, just by arriving in Yakima I felt myself more at ease and much more relaxed. That night I got home, walked into my room, which my mother had not altered at all, collapsed on my bed, and fell into a very deep sleep. Upon awakening, I felt refreshed and ready to figure out what I was doing with my life and with this boy. I decided nothing would make me feel any better than going to my high school track and working out.

Once at the track I began running laps and noticed someone pull into the parking lot. Not giving it much thought, I continued to run my three miles. Midway through someone passed me on the