Kate Chopin
1850-1904
Naturalism in “The Storm”
“ So the storm passed and every one
was happy” (Chopin 143).
See Holman and Harmon
Handbook for more.
Sometimes naturalism is used in exchange for
“realism,” but should refer to literature in the late
19th and early 20th centuries in America, France
and England.
Basics of Naturalism

Literary use of Scientific Determinism

All that happens is determined by natural
forces

One thing happens, causing another thing,
causing the next thing to happen . . .

There is no free will; we cannot choose; we
just react to natural forces and events.
Naturalism's Determinism

People's actions are determined by

Physical, mechanical forces

Biological forces

Economic and social forces

Subconscious (psychological) forces

Environmental forces
You can see determinism at work today in the way we
explain people's behavior based on

How they were raised

A psychological illness

A chemical imbalance

Where they grew up

What their parents were like

A major life experience
Naturalism gives less attention to

Personal responsibility

Personal freedom or choice

Personal ability to change

The human soul
Chopin's “The Storm” lets us begin to investigate
some of these aspects of Naturalism and
Realism. The story, and Chopin's other writings,
go beyond Naturalism, as she is concerned with
characters who seek to break out of their social
and environmental circles. “The Storm”,
however, is enlightening in its suggestion that
natural forces may not be controllable. We can
start here with Naturalism and go farther when
we get to London's “To Build a Fire”.
Look for natural forces

The affair is framed by the storm

The rain that tries to force its way under the
door (139)

The lightning that “filled all visible space with
a blinding glare and the crash seemed to
invade the very boards they stood upon”
(140).
Can the two resist?

Do they weigh the moral question of the affair?

Is the affair planned?

What sudden occurrence throws them
together? Could it be prevented?
The force of the storm, and Chopin's
presentation of the affair as sudden, with no time
to think or choose, points to the idea that Chopin
would say the affair is
Natural
Inevitable
A-moral or at least not immoral.
Your book points out that Chopin had an affair
after her own husband died. Her writing reflects
her belief that affairs are not harmful to marriage.
In making this literary argument, Chopin is
writing as a Realist as well as a Naturalist.
She is challenging traditional belief with what she
perceives to be a realistic vision.
Do you agree that the story is realistic?
Feminism
One reason we might NOT say Chopin is a
Naturalist is due to her celebration of women
who seek to find their own identity and refuse to
conform to the social norms laid out for them.
In “The Storm” Calixta is not the typical weak
heroine who is swept away, or overpowered by a
lover. Instead, she participates in the affair as
fully as Alcee, and has no regrets.
Or, and here the question will be left for you to
answer,
Does Chopin believe affairs are natural and
inevitable?
Does Chopin believe that it is as UN-realistic to
expect fidelity from women as men?
How do you see Chopin's presentation of men
and women as more realistic than the traditional
social view of her day?
How doe you see her presentation of men and
women as less realistic?
Your Assignment Part 1 of 2

Please post a response to both parts of the
question on the previous slide, namely:
How do you see Chopin's presentation of
men and women as more realistic than the
traditional social view of her day?
How doe you see her presentation of men
and women as less realistic?
Assignment Part 2 of 2


Please post a reply to one of your classmate's
responses.
Remember to be respectful and polite in your
reply even when disagreeing.