A Pair Of Silk Stockings Analysis

Both A Pair of Silk Stockings and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin, were written from a third person point of view, making the story less subjective and more objective. As a result the reader is unable to put him or herself into the story. The narrative structures of A Pair of Silk Stockings and The Story of an Hour differ in that the setting, the time and overall story plots are completely different. There is one similarity that sticks out, both protagonists are selfish. There is really strong symbolism and imagery in both stories which puts the reader inside the story. Both main characters feel a sense of freedom from oppressive lives as a result of major events, for Mrs. Sommers and the death of her husband for Mrs. Mallard. The narrative structure of Chopin’s A Pair of Silk Stockings indicates that the story takes place in a big city, most likely New York or somewhere similar. This can be assumed because Mrs. Sommers visits a department store, goes to a shoe department store, a magazine stand, and eats at a fancy restaurant. The fact that she mentions how the shoe store is across from the department store and
The shabbiness of the wallet, referred to, in which she finds the fifteen dollars is a symbol of her impoverished life. When she finds the fifteen dollars it gives her a feeling of importance which “she had not enjoyed for years.” (Chopin, Vogue 7, 1897) When she first purchases the silk stockings she puts them into what is described as her “shabby old shopping bag” (Chopin vogue 7, 1897) which could symbolize luxury in poverty and when she trades her cotton stockings for the silk pair it gives her a sense of freedom, as if she’s breaking free of her current life poverty. She then proceeds to buy a new pair of shoes and be fitted for a pair of gloves which is a nod to the more comfortable and luxurious lifestyle she had been a part of