Passage from the text.
"The leaves were so still that even Bibi thought it was going to rain. Bobinot, who was accustomed to converse on terms of perfect equality with his little son, called the child's attention to certain sombre clouds that were rolling with sinister intention from the west, accompanied by a sullen, threatening roar. They were at Friedheimer's store and decided to remain there till the storm had passed. They sat within the door on two empty kegs. Bibi was four years old and looked very wise." (1)
Response to the text.
9) Something that I appreciate about this portion of the text is the character development. Since this text is the very first paragraph in the story, the reader is able to immediately create an image of both Bobinot and Bibi and how the two interact with each other. Bobinot is portrayed as a man that is likely less intelligent than the average man, but nevertheless, he seems to be a lovable character, and he seems to honestly care about his young son. This image of Bobinot is accurate and remains true throughout the story and he frequently proves to the reader that he not only takes very good care of Bibi, but that he also cares for his wife Calixta as well. In the line, "Bobinot, who was accustomed to converse on terms of perfect equality with his little son" the reader learns that Bobinot isn't always aware of what is going on around him as later the reader finds out that,"Bibi was four years old and looked very wise.". This assumption that Bobinot is unaware of his surroundings proves to be true later in the story as he never realized that his wife has had an affair while he and Bibi were away at the store. The phrase, "Ignorance is bliss" comes to mind when I think about Bobinot's experiences in the story because he will be much happier and live a much more carefree life if he remains blissfully unaware of what occurs around him. The exposition of the storm itself also proves to describe the coming of Alcee further on in the story. "Sinister intention" and "threatening" are all words that could describe Alcee's role as Calixta's lover. By associating Alcee with the coming storm, we see that the storm is coming from the west. Although this is meteorologically accurate, the west symbolizes newness, opportunity, and prosperity in western culture. To Calixta, Alcee can symbolize all of these ideas in her life.