Analysis of the atmosphere in "The Tempest" Merriam Webster's dictionary defines the atmosphere as a) "the entire mass of air surrounding the earth" and b) "the overall aesthetic effect of a work of art." Kate Chopin integrates these two definitions together effortlessly in her short story "The Tempest." The meteorological atmosphere parallels the literary atmosphere with the rising tension, climax and consequences. When the storm and the story begin, the reader can almost feel the tension in the air. Calixta is at home alone, busy sewing, while her husband Bobinôt and her son Bibi wait for the storm to pass in the shelter of the grocery store. Calixta "does not notice the approaching storm" (108) until the sky becomes threatening, at which point she begins to hastily prepare. As she quickly reunites in the laundry room, a former love named Alcée Labaliére asks if she can take shelter in his house until the storm passes. She invites him in, and in doing so his voice "[startles] her as if from a trance" (108). Once inside, Calixta demonstrates her anxiety...