At the ’Cadian Ball

Content Warning: Readers should be advised that this short story uses racial slurs. They are not reproduced in this guide.

One of her earliest published short stories, Kate Chopin’s “At the ’Cadian Ball” (1892) leans heavily on the use of local color to bring her characters, setting, and plot to life. Chopin later republished this work in her book, Bayou Folk, a collection of short fiction depicting the people and culture of Louisiana’s Acadiana region. The story happens quickly, over a few hours, and follows the romantic interests of two courting couples. While natural elements (specifically, a cyclone) drive the plot forward, the overarching themes of human nature and societal expectations are teased out through the characters’ dialogue and actions.



This guide refers to the Penguin Classics edition of Kate Chopin’s The Awakening and Selected Stories, originally published in 1984.

Bobinôt, a young Acadian sugarcane farmer, is deciding whether to attend the upcoming ball where he knows his love interest, Calixta, will be. Bobinôt obsesses over Calixta, dismissing other eligible women. He ultimately decides that seeing Calixta will bring him heartache. It is later revealed that Bobinôt in the past had repeatedly expressed a desire to marry Calixta, and she rejected him. Bobinôt changes his mind about attending the ball upon overhearing rumors that Alcée Laballière will be there. He fears that liquor, or else Calixta’s beauty, will provoke Alcée to make intimate advances toward her. Because Alcée is wealthy, Calixta would attain higher social status by marrying him.

Bobinôt describes Alcée as “a young handsome planter” (180) and views him as a threat, yet Alcée faces his own romantic woes. A wealthy, upper-class creole, Alcée lives with his mother, Madame Laballière, and her stunningly beautiful goddaughter, Clarisse, whom he loves. When he confessed to her, he “clasped Clarisse by the arms and panted a volley of hot, blistering love words into her face” (181). Clarisse rejected Alcée, and two days later a cyclone ripped through his 900 acres of freshly planted rice.

On the night of the ball, Clarisse notices him ride off into the dark. She interrogates his manservant, Bruce, and learns that Alcée has been drinking heavily all day and is on his way to the ball, where he intends to find a “li’le fling” (183). Alcée arrives at the ball past midnight, and his entrance does not go unnoticed. The other men marvel at Alcée’s boldness in coming to the party so soon after disaster hit his farm. Only Bobinôt seems to recognize Alcée’s fixation on Calixta, the somewhat promiscuous belle of the ball.

A break in the dancing leads Alcée and Calixta outside for fresh air, and the pair enjoy the outdoors as the party resumes. Alcée flirts heavily with Calixta, referencing a previous affair between the two; he proposes they resume their relationship. Bobinôt appears but is unable to see the couple in the dark. Alcée comments on Bobinôt’s obsession with Calixta and asks if she plans on marrying him, to which she replies, “I don’t say no, me” (185).

Alcée is attempting a more physical seduction when the couple is interrupted by a Black man who has been looking for Alcée. Alcée dismisses the man and threatens physical violence against him, and the lovers return to their flirtations. They are interrupted a second time, but Alcée recognizes the new voice as Clarisse. Alcée stands abruptly as Clarisse lies about an emergency at home, and the two depart from the ball in a rather rude (primarily to Calixta) fashion.

Bobinôt finds Calixta sitting alone outside. After she declares that she is ready to leave, he offers to walk her home. Calixta addresses Bobinôt’s previous marriage proposals and says with extreme indifference that she will agree to marry him. Bobinôt is elated, and while he can barely contain his happiness, he asks Calixta for a kiss. She denies him, telling him “some other time” (188).

As Alcée and Clarisse travel home, he urges her to tell him about the emergency. Clarisse confesses that there is no emergency and declares her love for him. The moment makes Alcée feel as if “the face of the Universe was changed,” like everything else is distant and unreal (188). As the couple hears gunshots in the distance, indicating the end of the ball, Alcée observes that the only reality he now knows is his love for Clarisse.