The Misleading Message of the Tempest by Chopin "The Tempest" by Kate Chopin focuses on two simultaneous and related storms, one a ferocious storm of the natural world with rain, wind and the expected lightning, and the thunder, the other a cyclone of the mind and heart that results in a brief love story between the two main characters. With her husband Bobinot and son Bibi stranded in the city by the storm, Calixta finds herself home alone when an old lover, Alcee, arrives. The storm, the worst in the last two years, pushes the two into the house, where, although they have not met for five years, they soon embrace. As the storm outside reaches its peak, the emotions in the house reach a fever pitch and, although not directly stated, it is implied in the narrative that the two have sexual relations. As the storm passes, Alcee leaves and we are told that everyone, including the uninvolved spouses, is improved and benefited by the romantic engagement. Kate Chopin wrote this story in an era when Christian and Victorian morality was still respected, at least in name, and extramarital affairs were widely condemned in public. Thus, although Chopin had written many other well-received pieces, The Tempest, written after the controversial The Awakening, remained unpublished during his lifetime. The fact that this particular work of Chopin is more widely accepted today is perhaps a poor reflection on the literary tastes of our society, as The Tempest is neither a realistic depiction of life nor the result of male-female relationships. The main problem with this work is its total lack of realism in the representation of the effects of the rel...... middle of paper ...... there is no possibility of Alcee marrying her, considering that she doesn't he saw fit when an even better opportunity presented itself earlier in his life. Perhaps Clarisse, if she really hates her husband, will not care too much about the situation, but such a relationship would create an awkward marriage between her and Alcee, and divorce at that time was not yet conducive to making you popular in good society. Finally, it would be unlikely that Bobinot would not find out, and, from the brief sketch presented of the good but unimaginative man in The Tempest, it would probably destroy him to lose his wife, and to what acts such disenchantment would lead, no one could say. Considering everything that has been mentioned, perhaps a more accurate ending for the story would be: the storm had passed, only to return again, and everyone was worse off because of it..