Chopin's A Pair of Silk Stockings: Mrs. Sommers
Mrs. Sommers, of Kate Chopin's "A Pair of Silk Stockings" faces a major
Man-vs.-Society conflict. She is a perfect example of how humans are tempted by material gain, "the life of luxury", and the vicious way society judges things (or people). Society views people who live in the lap of luxury as
"gods", they are above those who are not so fortunate. Anyone can fall prey to this common societal problem, even innocent "Little Mrs. Sommers". This is evident when she can feel the fifteen dollars in her porte-monnaie and she says
"it gave her a feeling of importance such as she had not enjoyed for years".
At first Kate Chopin portrays Mrs. Sommers as an innocent little lady who believes in "family first". This is apparent when Mrs. Sommers "walks about in a dreamy state" contemplating what to buy and ends up with a huge plan to make her little brood look "fresh and dainty". To those around her, Mrs.
Sommers is this innocent family lady. However, the minute she buys the silk stockings is the minute she becomes a different Mrs. Sommers. All of a sudden everything she has in not good enough, she looks at her shopping bag as
"shabby" and "old". Her parcel is "very small". At this point, she wants more.
She begins to think without reason, and loses her sense of respon...
stepping stone she had climbed, and that gave her worth, so she could feel at
emotions onto the paper she was able to find a sort of peace with her
...les she had set for herself but she feels that she did a good job at her project. She was alarmed by the way that some of her co-workers lived and felt that she learned a lot from her experiences.
In the story “A Pair of Silk Stocking” by Kate Chopin, she uses indirect characterization to describe Mrs. Sommers, as a mother who wants to relive her old rich lifestyle, but is instead trap in a new life struggling with money. For Example, as Mrs. Sommers goes shopping for her children, “she would buy so-and-so many yards of percale for new shirtwaists for the boys and Janie and Mag” (437). Kate Chopin's uses action, a method of indirect characterization, by showing her concerns for her children necessity needs. As well of trying to use as less money she had for her children than herself. Behaving very much differently than her original self, where rather she would spend the money on herself blindly than anyone else. Furthermore, when Mrs.
This quote shows how she thinks that she was used as a trophy and as a
a passage from the letter she is writing to add a personal feel to the
Because of the way she is raised, Miss Emily sees herself as "high society," and looks down upon those who she thinks of as commoners. This places her under the harsh scrutiny of the townspeople who keep her under a watchful eye. The only others who see Miss Emily as she sees herself are the Mayor Colonel Sartoris, and Judge Stevens.
“She reflected back on her time at the Grand Isle and she tried to discover wherein this summer had been different from any and every
Previously, the narrator has intimated, “She had all her life long been accustomed to harbor thoughts and emotions which never voiced themselves. They had never taken the form of struggles. They belonged to her and were her own.” Her thoughts and emotions engulf her, but she does not “struggle” with them. They “belonged to her and were her own.” She does not have to share them with anyone; conversely, she must share her life and her money with her husband and children and with the many social organizations and functions her role demands.
Contrastingly, Mrs. Darling, his wife, is portrayed as a romantic, maternal character. She is a “lovely lady”, who had many suitors yet was “won” by Mr. Darling, who got to her first. However, she is a multifaceted character because her mind is described “like the tiny boxes, one within the other, that come from the puzzling East”, suggesting that she is, to some extent, an enigma to the other characters, especially Mr. Darling. As well as this, she exemplifies the characteristics of a “perfect mother”. She puts everything in order, including her children’s minds, which is a metaphor for the morals and ethics that she instils in them. Although ...
I’ve noticed that the characters tend to blame the gods for problems that occur in their life. The characters are not taking in to a count for the consequences of their own actions. The choices that are made can cause sorrow and pain to another. This can cause tension and fights between characters. It’s stated in the beginning of the book by the god Zeus how the humans blame the gods for their recklessness behavior. This tells me that the gods are not favored by the characters throughout this book. With the gods having higher power the characters think that they can control everything that happens. Telemachos blames the gods for his father’s disappearance. He is grieving in pain and he needs someone to blame for why Odysseus never came back.
Her family life is depicted with contradictions of order and chaos, love and animosity, conventionality and avant-garde. Although the underlying story of her father’s dark secret was troubling, it lends itself to a better understanding of the family dynamics and what was normal for her family. The author doesn’t seem to suggest that her father’s behavior was acceptable or even tolerable. However, the ending of this excerpt leaves the reader with an undeniable sense that the author felt a connection to her father even if it wasn’t one that was desirable. This is best understood with her reaction to his suicide when she states, “But his absence resonated retroactively, echoing back through all the time I knew him. Maybe it was the converse of the way amputees feel pain in a missing limb.” (pg. 399)
...her to feel despair. Her misery resulted in her doing unthinkable things such us the unexplainable bond with the woman in the wallpaper.
The myths which prove the contradictory behavior of the gods, acting as both benefactors and tormentors of man, can readily be explained when viewed in light of the prime directive for man, to worship the gods and not “overstep,” and the ensuing “Deus ex Mahina” which served to coerce man to fulfill his destiny as evidenced by the myths: “Pandora,” “Arachne, and “Odysseus.” Humankind and it’s range of vision over the gods beauty and power portrayed them to be benefactors but unseemingly it depicted their affliction towards humans.
...ree for his problems and treats her with disrespect. The issues and problems in Kate Chopin?s stories also connect with issues in today?s society. There still exist many men in this world who hold low opinions of women, are hypocritical in their thoughts, dealings, and actions with women, and treat honorable, respectable women poorly, just as Charles and Armand did in Chopin?s stories. Women in ?Desiree?s Baby? and ?A Point at Issue? strive for personal freedom and equality which equates to modern times in that some women are still paid less for doing the same job as men and in some countries, women still cannot vote. The relationship between men and women in Chopin?s stories still, in some effect, directly apply to today?s world.