How we cite our quotes: (Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
The leaves were so still that even Bibi thought it was going to rain. Bobinôt, 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. (1.1)
The description of the storm sure sounds ominous. It's "still," "somber," "sinister," "sullen," and "threatening." While Bibi's a smart kid, the fact that even a four-year-old can tell that bad weather is on its way means it must be pretty bad indeed.
Quote #2
Calixta, at home, felt no uneasiness for their safety. She sat at a side window sewing furiously on a sewing machine. She was greatly occupied and did not notice the approaching storm. (2.1)
Despite the fact that even Bibi notices the storm approaching, Calixta is totally "occupied" and caught up in what she's doing, "sewing furiously." She's so focused on accomplishing her housewifely duties that she doesn't notice the bad weather that lies ahead, let alone suspect the other storm that's about to rock her world.
Quote #3
She stood there with Bobinôt's coat in her hands, and the big rain drops began to fall. (2.2)
When the storm begins to rage in earnest, Calixta is at home alone. Instead of her husband there to rely on and console her, all she has is his "coat." It's an empty shell that reminds her of him and reflects his shape, but it can't do anything to help her when "the big rain drops beg[i]n to fall."
Quote #4
He expressed an intention to remain outside, but it was soon apparent that he might as well have been out in the open: the water beat in upon the boards in driving sheets, and he went inside, closing the door after him. (2.4)
Social propriety is no match for the natural world here. Alcée would normally stay outside the house, so he and Calixta aren't alone together in her domestic space. But the weather has other plans: with "the water beat[ing] in upon the boards in driving sheets," there's no way he could stay outside. Conveniently, he has to come in to wait out the storm.
Quote #5
The rain beat upon the low, shingled roof with a force and clatter that threatened to break an entrance and deluge them there. (2.8)
The storm is practically personified here, "threaten[ing] to break" in on Alcée and Calixta and "deluge them" in Calixta's own house. Just as the rain didn't respect Alcée's commitment to social propriety, it threatens to follow him into the house where it's not wanted.
Quote #6
She went and stood at the window with a greatly disturbed look on her face. She wiped the frame that was clouded with moisture. It was stiflingly hot. Alcée got up and joined her at the window, looking over her shoulder. The rain was coming down in sheets obscuring the view of far-off cabins and enveloping the distant wood in a gray mist. The playing of the lightning was incessant. A bolt struck a tall chinaberry tree at the edge of the field. It filled all visible space with a blinding glare and the crash seemed to invade the very boards they stood upon. (2.14)
Just in case we didn't realize how hardcore the storm is, here's a reminder. The heat is "stifling." The sky is full of "rain," "mist," and "lightning." The lightning is close, too, since it hits a "tree at the edge of the field" near Calixta's house. This should eliminate any doubt that the characters are overreacting to the storm or that their fear isn't justified.
Quote #7
They did not heed the crashing torrents, and the roar of the elements made her laugh as she lay in his arms. (2.19)
Despite the danger of the storm currently raging around them, with its "crashing torrents," the two lovers feel invincible. In fact, the glow of their bond is so great that Calixta can "laugh" at the "roar of the elements" from the safe distance of Alcée's arms. While earlier she escaped his "encircling arms," here she is content to rest there – she feels protected and brave. The "torrents" might sound frightening to someone else, but not to them.
Quote #8
The growl of the thunder was distant and passing away. The rain beat softly upon the shingles, inviting them to drowsiness and sleep. But they dared not yield. (2.21)
Here Calixta and Alcée have to resist their urges to mirror what's happening outside in the natural world. The storm is "passing away," the "rain" has become "soft." The outside world is suggesting that after all the tumult and excitement – both in terms of raging weather and sexual appetite – that they succumb to "drowsiness and sleep." But sleep would put them in even more danger than the storm did: they would risk being discovered.
Quote #9
The rain was over; and the sun was turning the glistening green world into a palace of gems. Calixta, on the gallery, watched Alcée ride away. He turned and smiled at her with a beaming face; and she lifted her pretty chin in the air and laughed aloud. (3.21)
In the afterglow of their sexual encounter and the end of the storm, the whole "world" seems to have changed for Calixta and Alcée. Instead of a scary place full of lightning and "rain," they're looking out into a "glistening green world" that has become "a palace of gems." Calixta and Alcée, too, have been transformed (momentarily at least) into a pair of smiling people who "beam" and "laugh aloud." For a time, they're as beautiful and refreshed as the world around them.
Quote #10
So the storm passed and every one was happy. (5.2)
It's all over. No hard feelings – everything and everyone is fine. This final sentence shows a balance between the natural world, where the storm has concluded, and the human world, where "every one was happy." The storm has broken, and so have Calixta and Alcée's pent-up feelings.