The Male and Female Characters Explored in Kate Chopins At the Cadian Ball
Kate Chopin has always been known for her colorful and passionatecharacters. Many of her stories revolve around men behaving foolishly inthe name of love and women behaving quite sensibly while in love. Such isthe case with the characters in the short story, "At the 'Cadian Ball."While the men in this story are depicted as foolish in love and the womenare strong and independent when it comes to love, we get the impressionthat these characteristics are not the ideal. This contrast allows Chopinto illustrate perceptions of men and women of her time. Calixta represents a sexual, independent woman in the story. ForBobinot, she is also symbol of passion and danger. We are told, "There hadeven been a breath of scandal whispered about her [Calixta] a year ago,when she went to Assumption" (Chopin). Clearly, she has a reputation thatis, at best, questionable. In addition, the incident was well worthremembering because we read that "Fronie threw it up to Calixta when thetwo quarreled and fought on the church steps after mass one Sunday, about alover" (Chopin). This statement tells us that Calixta's actions were worthfighting over, at least to Fronie. In addition, while at the ball Calixta
Of the men, above all, with their ways and theirmanners; their swaying of fans like women, and dandling about hammocks"(Chopin). One oldgentleman, who was in the habit of reading a Paris newspaper and knewthings, chuckled gleefully to everybody that Alcee's conduct was altogetherchic, mais chic" (Chopin). While Calixta and Bobinot are depicted as the lesscolorful of the characters, they are still rewarded in the end with of thestory with love. It is interesting that while they thought he possessed greatnerve for showing up at the ball after the cyclone, they also "felt it tooka brave home to stand a blow like that philosophically. Hewas not going to attend the ball until he discovers that Calixta would bethere. Her action at the end of the story is surprising but itchanges her life and Alcee's forever. Surprisingly, when shethinks that Alcee loves Clarisse, she decides to marry a man that she doesnot love. From these descriptions, we can see that Calixta doesnot exactly fit the definition of an ideal woman. His determination and passion seem to be directed on a differentpath than what anyone expects. In a sense, while she is passionate, she is also acting with asense of self-preservation by choosing to marry Bobinot. We are also told that she is "cold and kind andcruel by turn, and everything that was aggravating to Alcee" (Chopin). Chopin's characters appear to be unpredictablebecause they reflect the social customs of her day. In contrast to Calixta, Clarisse is described as "Dainty as a lily;hardy as a sunflower; slim, tall, graceful, like one of the reeds that grewin the marsh" (Chopin). "At the 'Cadian Ball" illustrates the clashes that sometimes arise fromstrong personalities and socially acceptable behavior. When it comes to work, Alcee works like a mule and has an iron will--but this is not the case when it comes to Clarisse.
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