Similarities and differences between Calixta and Mrs. Mallard in Chopin's fiction

Kate Chopin's short stories "The Storm" and "The Story of an Hour" both offer messages of hope for women trapped in patriarchal relationships. The two short stories are framed with a feminist social commentary, while offering completely different perspectives on the ways women can achieve self-determination within the dominant culture. The two main characters of "The Storm" and "The Story of an Hour" are married; but their relationships are noticeably different. Calixta in "The Storm" is young, a new mother, and described in terms of her supple good looks and "vivacity," (Sec. 2). Mrs. Mallard, on the other hand, is a more mature woman than Calixta in terms of her years. Their age differences are paralleled by different social norms that are explored and explained in the two short stories. Moreover, Calixta's youth makes it apt that her character discovers self-liberation through sex; whereas Mrs. Mallard's liberation is achieved via staring out of a window contemplatively. Their relationships with their husbands is also depicted differently in "The Storm," and "The Story of an Hour." Both Mrs. Mallard and Calixta are strong female protagonists who discover self-liberation independently from the patriarchal social structure.

The age difference between Mrs. Mallard and Calixta is a significant elements distinguishing the two characters from one another. In "The Story of an Hour," Mrs. Mallard's age is not explicitly mentioned, but given her title, her lingering thoughts of the past, and her sudden demise at the end of the story, it can be assumed that the protagonist is beyond middle age. "The Storm"s protagonist Calixta, on the other hand, is frankly young and vibrant. Her youthful spirit corresponds with vibrant physical as well as sexual energy. Their respective ages determine Mrs. Mallard's and Calixta's reactions to their husbands' absence.

Thus, the leaving of the husband is the core symbol in both "The Storm" and "Story of an Hour." Representing the extrication of the self from patriarchy, the absence of the husband is what allows both Mrs. Mallard and Calixta to sojourn for self-discovery. They are both able to shed, even if just temporarily, their identities as "wives," and for the intervening hours of their independence, become who they truly are without the confines of the marital social structure.

Mrs. Mallard, however, is in a traditionally misogynistic patriarchal relationship with her husband compared with that of Calixta and Bobinot. As she contemplates her independence, Mrs. Mallard muses, "There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature." Calixta does not feel as though she is "trapped" as Mrs. Mallard is, in a confining or constraining relationship. Instead, Calixta is in an egalitarian relationship in which the husband shares in the child rearing. Bobinot is described as being "accustomed to converse on terms of perfect equality with his little son," highlighting the egalitarian social roles and norms expressed in "The Storm." The husband has equal responsibility for the child rearing. When Bobinot and Bibi return home, Calixta warmly welcomes them, and she demonstrates a caring attitude when her husband and child are away during the storm. She does not view her role as being overbearing, either. When they first leave the house, "Calixta, at home, felt no uneasiness for their safety." She does not suddenly feel "free, free, free!" As Mrs. Mallard does in "The Story of an Hour."

However, Calixta does fee and act freely; just in different ways from her counterpart. Because of their different ages and generations, Mrs. Mallard and Calitxta express their independence differently: Calixta through lovemaking and Mrs. Mallard through daydreaming about what she will do with her life. The fact that Chopin gave her characters English vs. French cultural contexts underscores the different attitudes towards sexuality the stories represent. For Calixta, her sexual interlude was a moment of pleasure that was spontaneous, real, and harmless. The affair does not interfere with her daily life, which is in the pursuit of happiness in a family context. In fact, Calixta has successfully distinguished between marriage and patriarchy by the end of the story; whereas Mrs. Mallard has not. For Mrs. Mallard, her marriage is a prison. Mrs. Mallard does not welcome her husband when he comes home, as Calixta welcomes hers by "springing up" as they came in (part III). Instead, Mrs. Mallard dies.