Abstract This paper takes a look at the book "The Storm" written by Kate Chopin by focusing on the relationship dynamics which result from the stress of the storm approaching the town, especially between husband and wife.
From the Paper "Kate Chopin's The Storm is a short story chronicling the approach of a storm in Louisiana. The main protagonist is Calixta, a young wife. There are also, in the story's cast of characters, a man whom she is begins an affair with named Alcee Laballiere, Calixta's young son Bibi, and Calixta's husband Bobinot. Alcee's wife makes a brief appearance in a letter at the tale's end. In the second part of the story it is clearly suggested that Calixta is a selfish woman. She feels no concern for her husband and her young son, although they are likely to be caught in the wake of an approaching storm. ?Calixta, at home, felt no uneasiness for their safety,? the narrator says. Rather, Calixta is more focused on her own physical discomfort, the sweat on her brown and the fact that she is overheated in the humid weather. Only when the sky begins to grow dark and it is almost too late does she begin to take precautions for the approaching inclement weather by closing the doors and windows of the house."
Tags: Calixta, Bibi, Bobinot, social, stress, marriage
Abstract This paper examines how Thomas Mann's "The Child Prodigy" effectively explores differences of perspective among a group of individuals, all of whom are experiencing the same phenomena. Through an analysis of the different characters, it discusses how Thomas Mann contends that a separation between persona, the person we present to others, and the genuine person who dwells within is an inescapable part of being a human being.
From the Paper "Unlike Bibi, the reader meets the impressario "in the flesh" only once in the story, and never gets to enter his thought or hear him talk to himself. We only get to see him through the other characters' eyes. Long before we meet him, we learn he is a clever showman who knows all the tricks of the trade. Only he knows Bibi's real name, for example, and keeps it a secret because the babyish name is more profitable than an adult name, which might not attract interest so effectively. He also knows how to create the impression that the child is a great artist and writes about Bibi in the style of an objective critic who "wrested these concessions from his critical nature after a hard struggle." He presents himself as a person of wealth and culture by wearing "large gold buttons on his conspicuous cuffs." The critic notes that the affection the impressario displays for Bibi is part of the show, designed to trigger a frenzy of emotion."
