At the ’Cadian Ball

Structured as a “local color” work of fiction, the story’s setting, events, and characters are chronicled in a straightforward and unromantic fashion. The third-person omniscient narration provides an outsider’s perspective, viewing and critiquing each of the four main characters and the customs of the Cajun region of Louisiana.

“At the ’Cadian Ball” examines the relationships of two couples, Alcée and Clarisse, and Bobinôt and Calixta. Bobinôt and Calixta occupy a lower social class than Alcée and Clarisse. However, it is rumored that Calixta and Alcée previously had an affair in a location aptly named Assumption, and they reunite at the ’Cadian ball, where they engage in intimate conversation.

Alcée never considers Calixta as anything more than a “li’le fling” most likely because of her social standing. With that said, he runs to her in his time of need, grasping her hand and not letting go, passionately brushing his lips against her and proposing that they resume their affair. This more heated interaction, which is immediately contrasted with the serious and cold marriage agreement between Calixta and Bobinôt, comments on the shortcomings of marriages confined by social class. By using realistic characters from this region, Chopin criticizes the lack of passion within unions that are primarily concerned with society’s stamp of approval.

All four main characters exhibit uncontrollable passions, often symbolized by elements from the natural world. When giving in to their desires, the characters are often described as “crazy” and “fools” who are not thinking clearly. The characters allow passion to dictate their actions. Bobinôt, for example, at first decides not to attend the ’Cadian ball to avoid seeing Calixta, but once he hears a rival suitor might be in attendance, “wild horses could not have kept him away” (180).

Alcée shows a similar lack of control. The narrator says he “must have been crazy, the day he came in from the rice-field, and, toil-stained as he was, clasped Clarisse by the arms and panted a volley of hot, blistering love-words into her face” (181). This display was unwelcome to well-mannered and tidy Clarisse, who then adjusted “the careful toilet that he had so brutally disarranged” (181).

Calixta gives in to her emotions as well when Alcée kisses her, and the narrator says her “senses were reeling” (186), and “they well-nigh left her when she felt Alcée’s lips brush her ear like the touch of a rose” (186). Clarisse also exhibits a lack of control when she rides into the night alone to chase Alcée. She confesses, “I got wild. An’ then I knew if you did n’t come back, now, tonight, I could n’t stan’ it—” (188). All four characters are driven by their emotional and sexual urges for their romantic partners.

Ultimately, the characters pair with the person of their social class: Calixta with Bobinôt, and Clarisse with Alcée. This would have been considered the most appropriate outcome for these characters; however, because of the passion and intimacy in the interactions between Calixta and Alcée, the happiness of the marriages remains ambiguous.

Will Alcée be satisfied with Clarisse after his affair with Calixta? Chopin answered this question in the form of a sequel: “The Storm.” In this story, years have passed, and both couples have children. Escaping a volatile thunderstorm, Alcée retreats to Calixta’s home while Bobinôt happens to be at the market with his and Calixta’s child. Alcée and Calixta engage in passionate sex. The story ends with letters between Clarisse, who is away on vacation, and Alcée, who suggests that she extend her vacation for a month. Clarisse is happy to do so, the narrator notes, as their marital intimacies have been somewhat of a burden to her. “The Storm” finalizes Chopin’s critique of passionless marriages that are arranged by social class. The story suggests it is as impossible to control someone’s passions as it is to control a cyclone, and entering a marriage devoid of passion opens the door to adultery.

“At the ’Cadian Ball” earned Chopin praise, while “The Storm” was labeled vulgar and immoral. Although both stories deal explicitly with romantic passion, the ending of “At the ’Cadian Ball” is conventional. Both couples marry, and they marry the person of their social class. “The Storm,” by contrast, shows two different transgressions—marital infidelity and class solidarity. By seeming to value emotional fulfillment above social stability, “The Storm” challenged Chopin’s audience in a way her earlier story had not.

Both stories contain similar themes, “At the ’Cadian Ball” can be classified as “local color,” while “The Storm” leaves out the elements of regionalist fiction and focuses primarily on passion and sex. Although the literary critics of Chopin’s time found “The Storm” offensive, later readers came to praise Chopin as a bold and daring feminist for delving into these sensitive but important issues about sex and marriage.