The Storm vs A Rose for Emily

           The main character in “The Storm” is Calixta. Author Kate Chopin describes Calixta as being “… a little fuller of figure than five years before when she married; her blue eyes still retained their melting quality; and her yellow hair…” (Chopin 109). While she is now a mother, it appears that she is still very beautiful. On the other hand, Faulkner describes the main character in “A Rose for Emily” as, “Miss Emily a slender figure in white…” when she is young, and “… a small, fat woman in black…” (Faulkner 30, 32) when she was older. While the main characters of the two short stories are not similar in appearance they are similar because they both commit crimes of passion.   

In the stories, “The Storm” and “A Rose for Emily” the two protagonists, main characters, are women who have committed a crime of passion. This was not acceptable behavior at the time. Calixta is married, with a child, and has an affair with Alcee. Calixta is forced to stay in the house with Alcee, her lover, because of the rainstorm while Babinot and Bibi are stuck at the store. During the storm, Calixta becomes frightened; it is at this time that Alcee takes it upon himself to comfort her. “She would not compose herself…Alcee clasped her shoulders…” (Chopin 110).They used to be old lovers and this reunion brings back memories. “The contact of her warm, palpitating body…had aroused all the old-time infatuation and desire for her flesh” (Chopin 110). This fateful moment triggers their strong desires for one another, again. One thing led to another and they both satisfied their fleshly desires. The storm ends as did their interlude. “He stayed cushioned upon her, breathless,...” (Chopin 110).

Although Emily was not married, she was involved with Homer. “Presently we began to see him and Miss Emily on Sunday afternoons driving in the yellow-wheeled buggy…” (Chopin 32). “A Rose for Emily” does not state that Emily and Homer were sexually involved. At the same time, it does not state that they were not sexually involved. Regardless, of what happened between them something made Emily mentally break down, so that she killed Homer. “I want some poison,” said Miss Emily (Faulkner 33), as the story comes to its climax it is learned that Homers dead body is in a room upstairs. While the body is decomposing in the room Emily was sleeping next to it. This can be seen when the townspeople notice the, “…second pillow was the indentation of a head… we saw a long strand of iron-gray hair.”(Faulkner 35). Emily’s crime of passion was murder. Her love for Homer, and the idea that he was going to leave her, causes her to have a mental break down.

Neither woman was remorseful, or apologetic, for her behaviors. Calixta appeared amused by what she had done, “ …she lifted up her pretty chin in the air and laughed aloud,” stated Chopin (Chopin 111). Emily’s behavior, of lying next to a dead man, suggests that she is not remorseful. “The man himself lay in the bed….What was left of him, rotted …” (Faulkner 35). They both appeared to have strong natures when it came to what they wanted, one could even say that they were selfish. This is seen in the acts that they commit. Whether a marriage is a happy one or not it is still a commitment that should be honored. Even though times have changed, and divorce is acceptable, having an affair is unacceptable. To violate that commitment for fleshly desires is selfish, in that, the feelings and consequences to the spouse are not being taken into consideration. The people during the time period of Calixta’s affair would not have tolerated her indiscretion. To kill a person because they do not want to be with you is selfish. How can Emily’s life be worth more than Homers? If her life was that bad and she needed a way out why not end her own life?

Neither of the characters seems to hold a job outside of the home. However, this is a reflection on the women, as it is a sign of the times when the stories were written. It does appear that the women were raised differently when it came to association. Calixta met Alcee five years earlier at a social gathering. After their meeting, she marries to Bobinot. Chopin portrayed Calixta as being personable, friendly, and approachable.  Whereas “None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such”, (Chopin 32) she was never married. The feeling portrayed by Faulkner, of Emily, was that she was reclusive, had no friends, and is resistant to change.  

Is there a lesson to be learned from these stories? Are they accurate portraits into the way humans are behaving? Obviously, there are some aspects of truth in these two stories. Consider the stories to be an awareness into the human soul. It shows that all of us have the ability to commit a crime of passion.

 

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate. “The Storm.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. 6^th Compact ed. Ed. X. J. Kennedy, and Dana Gioia. New York: Longman, 2010. 108-111. Print.

Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. 6^th Compact ed. Ed. X. J. Kennedy, and Dana Gioia. New York: Longman, 2010. 29-35. Print.