Many short story writers have written about gender and the role of women in society. Some of these stories express what Barbara Walter calls "the cult of true femininity", that is, the separation between men and women in the social, political and economic spheres. To be considered a “real woman,” a woman had to meet the standards she was given. Women were expected to live by the four main virtues: piety, purity, submission, and domestication. In Kate Chopin's short story, “The Tempest,” Calixta, the female protagonist, departs from “The Cult of True Femininity” when she has a sexual encounter with her past lover, Alcée. The storm goes through many twists and turns that tie into their adulterous actions. Although she strays from the four main virtues, she is ultimately considered to be a pure innocent at heart because the action in which she occurred happened instantly and, white as she was, was taken away by her innocence. Bobinôt is a loving and caring husband and father and, despite the storm, takes on the role assigned to him at the wedding. The story begins with Bobinôt and Bibi stuck in the rain at the local shop. Bibi, Calixta and Bobinôt's four-year-old son is worried about his mother staying at home and wonders whether or not she would be okay. Although the first section of the story is quite short, there are many key indicators that express the commitment that Bobinôt has towards his son and his wife. Lawrence I. Berkove states that “Bibi symbolizes marriage, the mutual commitment and trust it should imply.” (190). An image of these ideals appears at the end of the first section with the sentence: "Bibi placed her little hand on her father's knee and... halfway through the paper... declared: "she hurried out to pick them up before they fell." the rain” (176). It's pretty clear that she's tamed and doesn't abandon her roles. Although dominion serves as the primary sphere to keep the woman away from the corrupt and sinful world, this does not mean that the home cannot be corrupted by external forces. Alcée, planter and man of the outer sphere, enters Calixta's domain with good intentions. Alcée, a man who has much respect and honor for Calixta, greets her and recognizes that she is a married woman. He greets her by name and rightly asks permission to wait out the storm on her porch. She properly addresses him as “M'siur Alcée” when she greets him. Alcee, who lived nearby, could have ridden during the storm, but didn't. Instead, as Lawrence I. Berkove argues, Alcee's "desire to escape a bath in Calixta's house is" innocent” (90).