Both of these short stories reflect the historical context of women in the late 1800s. At this time, marriage provided a means for a woman's survival, since few opportunities existed for them to gain substantial employment outside their homes. Women therefore married as a means of necessity but not necessarily out of love or because they were particularly romantically inclined toward their husbands.
When Mrs. Mallard receives news that her husband has died, she is filled with joy. She finally feels a freedom rising within her that she has not felt before. She reflects that "she had loved him—sometimes. Often she had not." She feels that love is a far less intense emotion than the freedom which she now sees before her: the freedom to choose her own path. No longer will she be forced to submit to a "powerful will bending hers." There is no indication that Mrs. Mallard...
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feels lustful toward her husband at all. In fact, the sight of him at the end of the story causes her sudden death.
Calixta, meanwhile, seems to be devoted to the idea of marriage and to her husband. He takes care to choose a treat that he knows she will enjoy, and she sits at the window waiting for him and her son, worrying for their safety. She takes pride in her housekeeping and in the home they share together. Yet this sense of dutiful commitment contrasts with the passion she feels toward Alcée. He awakens within her an intense desire that she hasn't felt since they last met in Assumption. Calixta gives no indication that she wants Alcée to remain with her, laughing with satisfaction as he rides away. The encounter seems to strengthen her marriage; when she later enjoys dinner with her husband and son, she laughs loudly, filled with new energy from her sexual rendezvous.
These two stories show that women sometimes commit themselves to the institution of marriage for reasons other than love or lust, particularly in a context when marriage provides a means of survival.
Kate Chopin’s two stories offer different portraits of marriages at the turn of the twentieth century. “The Story of an Hour” is largely told from Louise Mallard’s perspective in the absence of her husband, Brently. She thinks of him as “kind” and recalls that he always considers her with love. Louise reacts with extreme emotion to the news of Brently’s death, but the feeling is one of liberation rather than grief. Within their marriage, Louise felt “repressed,” and her “heart trouble” could mean an absence of love. The author offers no information on the role that lust played in their life. Beyond the sexual association, her joy and racing pulse upon being liberated from marriage could be construed as lust for freedom.
“The Storm” offers a complex view of three romantic relationships, as two marriages are connected when one husband has an affair with the wife of the other couple. Alcée and Calixta had previously been involved but had parted and each had married someone else. Years later, they have a brief but torrid liaison. Lust seems to be the driving force bringing them together, but there also seems to be lingering love. Rather than destroy their marriages, the sexual encounter brings them a deep satisfaction, which translates into a deeper love or appreciation for their marital partners. Although Alcée seeks continued distance from his wife, Clarisse, she is also glad to have some time apart.