Kate Chopin didn’t receive the positive criticism and recognition she deserved until the 1960’s when “the widespreading awakening of women’s consciousness” allowed our culture to be “prepared to see Kate Chopin’s dreams as anything but nightmares” (Bender, Twentieth-Century 158). Conformity to the popular “local colorist” theme and to social conventions allowed Chopin’s earlier work �

It seems, through reading other works of Kate Chopin, that local color was not her goal in writing, but a pathway leading to the possibility of writing her true ideals to the public. Barbara Ewell goes as far as to say that Chopin had “consciously exploited [local color themes] for commercial success” (107) in Bayou Folk. Since female professionalism was viewed as unladylike in her time, Chopin’s social life and literary career were put under additional stress. Despite the extra tension received, Chopin still slightly contrasted local color in “At the Cadian Ball” with untypical descriptions of women (Calixta’s forwardness), and the mocking of certain ideas (Calixta has to resort to being unhappy and marry within her own class). This contrast, or “fraying at the edges” (107) as Barbara Ewell describes it, was accepted probably because it was an interesting twist to the played out local color trend. The “fraying” of traditional ways obviously would pose somewhat of a threat to a society that was so used to the same unchanging ideals. In order to make sure that “At the Cadian Ball” would be fully accepted, it seemed Chopin would make up for her story’s fraying ends by having her characters conform to the conventions of her time by the end of the story.

Coincidentally, marriage in “At the Cadian Ball” serves two purposes in its support of social convention. In addition to it being Calixta’s “punishment,” it also distinguishes the boundaries between social classes. Having a prominent role in the functioning of Southern society, social classes were almost religiously preserved. Nineteenth century novels “obsessively inscribe” class structure as “absolute and impermeable and in constant danger of dissolution” (Kaplan 869). Therefore, Chopin displaying the risk of the high class Alycee mixing with the little vixen, but then “coming to his senses” and marrying the proper lady, appeals to social readers because it reassures them that their social structure is safe. Alycee and Calixta obviously have chemistry and show desire as they “talked low, and laughed softly, as lover’s do” (Chopin, “Cadian Ball” 149). When Clarisse arrives, and interrupts them, he is described as “one who awakes suddenly from a dream” (Chopin “Cadian Ball” 149). This dream signifies the possibility of Alycee and Calixta actually being able to be together, but the voice of a woman of his own class makes him realize his place. It seems that the only reason Alycee picks Clarisse is because that is what the social conventions of the time called for; no other alternative would do. The men are more concerned with “’owning’ a beautiful wife from the highest social stratum possible” although the two women obviously “feel no passion for their prospective husbands” (Skaggs 91-92). Chopin does manage to allow some questioning of this adherence to convention by not completely dissolving the passion between the two lovers. Also, both women are unhappy with their choice in marriage partners. Barbara Ewell supports this contention by stating “ the unpredictability of passion and the barriers of class complicate and unsettle the neat symmetry of the final couplings”(107). Not allowing this “unpredictability” to be too prominent allowed “At the Cadian Ball” to be socially accepted, but its sequel displays the passions repressed, and defeats the conventions forced upon it.

With depictions of regional flavors, descriptive settings, and perhaps a little romance, local color had been one of the most popular genres of fiction through out the nineteenth century. In Chopin’s “At the Cadian Ball,” she wonderfully describes the robust local colors within the Louisiana Bayous. She describes the courting ball filled with fiddles, dancing, and cards; going into as much detail as to describe the traditional nursery, or “parc aux petitis.” Filled with a full range of stereoty

Some topics in this essay:
Kate Chopin, Cadian Ball”, Kate Chopin’s, Anne Scott, Calixta” Chopin, Alycee Calixta, Cleverly Chopin, Robert Arner, Barbara Ewell, Storm” Alycee, cadian ball”, “at cadian, nineteenth century, “at cadian ball”, local color, kate chopin, “cadian ball”, “the storm”, chopin “cadian ball”, chopin “cadian, “cadian ball” 149, nineteenth century’s, chopin “the, “the storm” 29, chopin “the storm”,