"A Pair of Silk Stockings" is Kate Chopin's short story about a woman fallen on hard times who receives an unexpected windfall. The irony, of course, is that Mrs. Sommers does not, in fact, act prudently at when she goes shopping. Sheer Luxury: Kate Chopins A Pair of Silk Stockings. In Cristina Giorcelli and Paula Rabinowitz, eds. Synthesizing Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" and "A Pair of Silk Stockings" by . 52, no. In this passage, Dsire is pleading with her husband Armand to counter his claim that she has somehow tainted his name through her unknown ancestry. Katie teaches middle school English/Language Arts and has a master's degree in Secondary English Education. Modest, humble, virtuous Mrs. Sommers experiences an exciting rush of desire, embodied by the feverish blush adorning her cheeks. The Question and Answer section for Kate Chopins Short Stories is a great Rankin, Daniel, Kate Chopin and Her Creole Stories Philadelphia: U of Pennsylvania P, 1932. She will shortly be required to resume her household duties and devote herself once more to her exhausting responsibilities, a life that is perhaps no longer enough for her after her day of luxury. She stops thinking about her children and her responsibilities and she starts acting. Elfenbein , Anna Shannon. ), Critical Essays on Kate Chopin New York: G. K. Hall, 1996. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. However, the admission that she is a woman of little means who has not felt significant or meaningful for many years paints her as a sympathetic character. The beautiful and delicate pair of silk stockings that Mrs. Sommers finds while shopping carry several levels of symbolic significance. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Kate Chopin. Complete your free account to request a guide. 1, 2022, pp. 1 What are two elements of symbolism used in A Pair of Silk Stockings? When she realises that what she is stroking is a pile of silk stockings, note the description that is applied to them: But she went on feeling the soft, sheeny luxurious things--with both hands. This line ends the ''A Pair of Silk Stockings'' short story. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After. Toth, Emily. Instead of visiting the bargain counter,. Kate Chopin: A Study of the Short Fiction New York: Twayne, 1996. Some readers, as we explain in the questions and answers below, focus on thebalance between individualimpulse and responsibility in the story. What is Mrs. Sommers feeling when she departs on the streetcar in "A Pair of Silk Stockings"? Her stockings and boots and well-fitting gloves had worked marvels in her bearing--had given her a feeling of assurance, a sense of belong to the well-dress multitude. During the night, she thinks of a sensible . At the beginning of the story, she has fifteen dollars and must decide how best to spend the money. Her feet take her to a department store, where she delights over the feel of some silk stockings. Skaggs, Peggy. Mrs. Sommers succumbs to her desire to pamper herself and spends the money upon herself in contrast to her characterization in the exposition of Chopin's story. In A Pair of Silk Stockings Mrs. Summers is a woman who is living in poverty with little food to eat and even fewer possessions. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. ''A Pair of Silk Stockings'' is a short story that was written by Kate Chopin. Famished from not eating lunch, Mrs. Sommers sits to rest and finds herself looking at silk stockings. The hint of youth is also juxtaposed with the previous mention of Plagie's obvious physical aging since her farewell to the past. In the end, Louise Mallard dies from the shocking gap between her perceived situation and reality, which perhaps mirrors the discrepancy between her mental and physical health. Another example of irony is Mrs. Sommerss practicality for her children, while her frivolous purchase of the stockings that certainly do not accompany her shoes certainly contradicts this frugality and conservative nature, as do her future purchases; She was fastidious. Sommers indulges herself quietly and quickly. This seems like such a gendered interpretation of this story. The coming of spring comes to be an analogy for Edmond's return, and Judge Pillier's fervent supplication seems almost supernatural or divine in its strength of belief. Another example of irony is Mrs. Sommerss practicality for her children, while her frivolous purchase of the stockings that certainly do not accompany her shoes certainly contradicts this frugality and conservative nature, as do her future purchases; She was fastidious. Throughout, the story Mrs.Sommer was happily coming up with a . In the short story, "A Pair of Silk Stockings", Kate Chopin demonstrates that the mind initially tries to act in a selfless. She orders wine, lunch, dessert, and coffee, reading her magazines as she dines. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Chopin, in her story, shows that sometimes, women need to indulge in their own desires. A Pair of Silk Stockings by Kate Chopin . She goes out for lunch after shopping and then goes to see a play. Mrs. Sommers purchases a pair of silk stockings, shoes, gloves, lunch, and she goes to the theater. The following passage describes Mrs. Sommers as she first discovers the discounted stockings thatlaunch her spending spree: She looked down to see that her hand lay upon a pile of silk stockings. Let us know your assignment type and we'll make sure to get you exactly the kind of answer you need. (including. You can read more questions and answers about Kate Chopin and her work, and you can contact uswith your questions. An additional fifteen dollars would not seem like a very large amount of money for her as it does for Mrs. Sommers. eNotes Editorial, 8 Apr. She remembers a more comfortable life before she was married. In an interview aired Monday on SiriusXM . After buying shoes, she buys a pair of new gloves. Complete your free account to request a guide. gets a sum of money. Did Lionel Richie sing a song called Lady? 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The protagonist Mrs. Sommers is a woman who knows the value of a good bargain. In addition, although Mrs. Mallard's heart condition is mentioned initially at the beginning of the story, the intervening paragraphs suggest that when under the influence of her apparent independence, Louise Mallard is capable of feeling healthy. The way the content is organized. It describes how the woman spends the money. Books that discuss Kate Chopins short stories. In addition, the suggestion that his love is dependent on her assumed race indicates that his love is not as strong as previously suggested. when Kate Chopin wrote each of her short stories and when and where each was first published. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. In A Pair of Silk Stockings, she portrays the quiet struggle of a woman searching for a balance between family life and personal satisfaction. The story follows Mrs. Sommers who prefers spending a windfall on herself, rather than on her children. A ''A Pair of Silk Stockings'' feminist analysis shows that Chopin was aware of the common struggles of middle-class women in her time. ''A Pair of Silk Stockings'' is a feminist short story that examines society's expectations of women. New York: Library of America, 2002. And she rather liked him when he first presented himself. However, because Kate Chopin includes a lot of Mrs. Sommers's internal dialogue, or one's silent conversations with oneself, and some details about her past, we readers know that there is more to it than that. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. Instead, she has been lured into parting with her precious dollars by the fleeting thrill she receives with each purchase. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. "Mrs. Sommers" thinks it's a lot of money, and she enjoys the "feeling of significance" it gives her, a sensation "she hasn't felt in years." This is where she falls for a pair of silk stockings for sale. Bonner, Thomas Jr., The Kate Chopin Companion New York: Greenwood, 1988. Meanwhile, the militarized language likens Mrs. Sommers and her forthcoming shopping trip to a soldier preparing for battle. Shows lower class women without many riches. The last sentence in "The Story of an Hour" points to the irony of Louise Mallard's death. A Pair of Silk Stockings Results Thesis Body Paragraph 3 Due to the narrator giving into temptation, she results in feeling regretful and full of guilt. "What are the best ironyquotes used in "A Pair of Silk Stockings" ?" Unlike "A Respectable Woman," "The Kiss" is not so much the story of a woman who is grappling with desire as one about a woman who is already aware of the stakes and who moves to act. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Weegy: In "A Pair of Silk Stockings," the silk stockings are a symbol of: Mrs. Sommers's selfish needs. Let us know your assignment type and we'll make sure to get you exactly the kind of answer you need. Since marrying and having children, Mrs. Sommers has had to learn to get by with much less money, which she does without complaint. Other Chopin stories such as ''The Awakening'' and ''The Story of an Hour'' also illustrate these themes and feature women who are, at best, ambivalent about their role as wife and mother, and, at worst, so tortured by the conflict between social expectations and their own desires that they are driven to suicide. Furthermore, throughout the story, Dsire is portrayed in white clothing and white surroundings, which provides further hints that she is indeed Caucasian in ancestry, despite her mysterious origins. Palma, Spain: Ila Palma, 2006. 351 lessons. Can the Constitution be changed by the president? Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1969, 2006. Being a mother today, we still have so much pressure on us to be martyrs to our families and friends. "Kate Chopins Short Stories Quotes and Analysis". That pressure must have been even worse back when Kate wrote this story and this woman in the storys actions of doing something that made her personally happy must have been even more shocking for that timeframe. Shen, Dan. ''A Pair of Silk Stockings'' is about more than just Mrs. Sommers; it is about women and the idea that society expects women to push aside their own desires and excel as a caretaker. As Mrs. Sommers goes to put on her new stockings, Chopin writes, ''She was not going through any acute mental process or reasoning with herself, nor was she striving to explain to her satisfaction the motive of her action. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights, At first, Mrs. Sommers seems amused at the prospect of buying the stockings. When the story was first published, many readers probably interpreted the story as one of selfishness, seeing Mrs. Sommers as a bad mother for spending the fifteen dollars on herself, rather than purchasing items for her children. Wang, Bella. Many of Kate Chopin's stories involve women who are feeling confined by their roles as wife and mother. Have you ever found yourself unexpectedly in possession of money and felt paralyzed with indecision about how to spend it? Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. It is clear that the well-dressed women have assumed that Mrs. Sommers belongs to their social set, but that her acceptance hangs precariously on her outer appearance and behavior. Enjoy eNotes ad-free and cancel anytime. 'A Pair of Silk Stockings' is a short story by the American writer Kate Chopin (1850-1904), written in 1896 and published in Vogue the following year.The story is about a married woman who comes into possession of fifteen dollars and ends up treating herself to new clothes, a meal in a restaurant, and a theatre show, when she had originally planned to spend the money on new clothes for her . When the storywas written and published Irony, the discrepancy between appearances and reality, is present throughout "A Pair of Silk Stockings" by Kate Chopin . They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Some of the items listed here may be available on line through university or public libraries. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. She does not stop to pity herself for her change in circumstances. Latest answer posted February 14, 2017 at 2:28:34 PM. However, ironically, it is not for the children that she Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this answer and thousands more. Had this been an ordinary day for Mrs. Sommers, she would have presumably faced judgment and rejection from the very same woman who now shares her sweets with Mrs. Sommers. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Quot ; after 's stories involve women who are feeling confined by their roles as wife and mother woman knows... Mrs. Sommers finds while shopping carry several levels of symbolic significance, this is absolutely the teacher... Middle school English/Language Arts and has a master 's degree in Secondary English Education play and poem sure to you. 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