Chopin, Houston and the Power of Sex

In both Kate Chopin's "The Storm" and Pam Houston's "How to Talk to a Hunter," sexuality plays a very integral role in drastically different ways. Pam Houston analyzes sex from the varied viewpoints of men and women, while Kate Chopin uses the act of sex as a necessity both men and women need to survive. Joseph Rosenblum, a literary scholar who analyzed both works separately, pinpoints the needs men and women feel for one another as well as the problems that may arise when those needs are met.

Pam Houston's story is a very simple narrative of a woman whose lover is her complete opposite. For instance, he's a republican and she's not, he's a hunter and she would never kill an animal. She's so enamored by him she even allows him to photograph her nude, wrapped in a moose hide. Despite these differences, she still feels affection for him. The hunter also has girlfriends on the side and because the narrator spends so much time at his home, he's unable to listen to messages they leave for him. Because of the great need she feels for a companion, especially one as strong as the hunter, the narrator forgoes getting upset by his infidelity.

Chopin's "The Storm" follows a family temporarily split, figuratively and metaphorically, by a storm. The wife and mother, Calixta, has a sexual encounter with a former admirer who happens to stop by to get out of the rain. After the storm the visitor leaves and her family returns. Life continues uninterrupted and Calixta is content and satisfied. The last line of the story sums it up in, "So the storm passed and everyone was happy"(996).

In "The Storm," sex is liberating and enjoyable. Calixta and Alcee, the visitor, are taken over by lust and their passion for one another. Chopin has a very open opinion of the power of sex and uses it unabashedly. Houston, on the other hand, uses sexuality as a tool to illustrate many intimate differences between men and women. The narrator misinterprets the sex for love and the hunter obviously uses it as a means of pleasure and a way to boost his confidence. The opinions the narrator's male and female friends share further Houston's observations.

The male friend's actions, like sleeping with the narrator, solidify the major difference between the sexes; that men are disappointing but necessary. In contrast, the female friend criticizes, "So what did you think? That a man who sleeps under a dead moose is capable of commitment?" (Chopin 1075). The narrator also sleeps under the moose hide and like the hunter is unfaithful, but she justifies her actions.

The relationships examined in both stories are unfaithful. Chopin does not frown upon infidelities though. Even though Calixta and Alcee are married, no one is hurt by their actions because no one knows. Like the storm that rages around them, the sky quickly clears and little damage is done. Bobinot, her husband, is relieved to find her in such a mood and Alcee's wife Clarisse is relieved when her husband tells her to stay out of town longer if she likes.

The unfaithful actions in "How to Talk to a Hunter," are the complete opposite. For one, the narrator knows of the affairs. The hunter does little more than hide the fact that his new "friend" Patty Coyote is a woman. To him, according to Rosenblum, "sex does not imply a world-without-end bargain" (3). The narrator also admits early in the story that "A man desires the satisfaction of his desire; a woman desires the condition of desiring" (Houston 1075). In other words, they can both benefit from the arrangement despite the inconstancies.

"The Storm," was clearly written in support of the institution of marriage. Joseph Rosenblum points out the fact that none of the characters "rebel (against) marriage" (2). Despite their infidelities, it is easier for Calixta and Alcee to stay in their relationships only after they have an affair because they're unfulfilled in their marriages. For Alcee, Calixta had "lost nothing of her vivacity" (Chopin 993) and she felt her body know "for the first time its birthright"(Chopin 994).

On the other hand, Houston observes marriage and exclusive relationships as unnecessary. As the story progresses, it becomes more and more obvious that the relationship with the hunter is not going to last. When the narrator confesses her love for the hunter, his only response is, "I feel the exact same way"(Houston 1077); and when she talks to him about monogamy, he informs her about being hurt in past relationships. In Joseph Rosenblum's opinion "When spring comes, the narrator will reclaim her independence" (2). What she has with the hunter is temporary and even though she's unhappy, she maintains the relationship out of necessity. It's winter and constantly dark, and a man is a commodity. When the weather changes, so will her demeanor.

The men portrayed in both stories are also very contrasting. Bobinot and Alcee both feel love for Calixta and Alcee has no problem showing his emotions through his passion. He is also very respectful in his own marriage to Clarisse because she wants to forego "intimate conjugal life"(Chopin 996) and he does so without complaint.

The men in "How to Talk to a Hunter" are looked upon in a much more negative light. The hunter is selfish, keeping the narrator around without wanting to commit to her. He is much more cunning with words than he admits and keeps another lover in the wings (Rosenblum 3). The narrator's male friend, one who often gives her advice regarding her relationship with the hunter, excuses the hunter's actions for his own gain. He too takes advantage of her needs and sleeps with her despite knowing her desire for a committed relationship.

In Kate Chopin's "The Storm" and Pam Houston's "How to Talk to a Hunter," sexuality is a literary tool. While Chopin uses the sexuality of her characters in a positive and liberating way, Houston is much more conservative. In her opinion, sex can only be a good thing if emotions don't get in the way. For Chopin, sexuality can be enjoyable with or without the emotional attachment. For both writers, one thing is clear; without sex and affection, men and women are all lonely and desperate. When we have the affection and emotions without the sex and satisfaction we crave, many of us resort to desperate measures.

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate "The Storm." Literature The Human Experience. 9^th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2006. 992-996

Houston, Pam "How to Talk to a Hunter." Literature The Human Experience. 9^th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2006. 1075-1079

Rosenblum, Joseph "How to talk to a Hunter." Masterplots II: Short Story Series. Revised Edition Salem Press, Inc. 2004

Rosenblum, Joseph "The Storm." Masterplots II: Short Story Series. Revised Edition Salem Press, Inc. 2004