Pair of silk stockings PDF

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Summary of Pair of Silk Stockings by Kate Chopin...

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Lindsay Correia Ms. Cadete ENG4U1-04 Sunday, October 23rd, 2016 A Pair of Silk Stockings In the 1890’s once a woman got married she was expected to dedicate her life to being a wife and a mother, she was meant to put everyone’s needs ahead of her own. After reading “A Pair of Silk Stockings” by Kate Chopin, it is clear that the protagonist Mrs. Sommers longs for her old lifestyle after feeling the effects of society’s expectations. When the opportunity arises and Mrs. Sommers comes into a small fortune, she makes a quick decision to treat herself in order to feel the freedom she felt she once had before marriage. Analyzing the societal expectations of marital status in the 1980’s can help give a better understanding of Mrs. Sommers’ mindset. The 1890’s was very different compared to modern day society, in this time women were not given the same opportunities as men and were seen as objects whose only use was at home. Societal expectations for women were very strict and included maintaining the household, nurturing the children, and keeping the husband happy. An article written about Kate Chopin describes the idea of a happy home as, “the single spot of rest which a man has upon this for the cultivation of his noblest sensibilities.” (Chopin, 2009) This shows how a clean and welcoming home was essential in this era, and women who couldn’t provide this for their husbands were seen as inferior. The article also describes women who pursued opportunities outside of the home were seen as “selfish desires”, and seen to devalue “the role of motherhood and housewife.” It is through the examples shown here why Mrs. Sommers feels pressured into using the money she

found on her family instead of towards herself. It is clear that she is aware of these expectations when the author writes “She did not wish to act hastily, to do anything she might afterward regret.” Her biggest concern is upholding her image of being a good wife and mother. After looking at all the expectations that the era of the nineteenth century opposed with women, it is easy to believe that these expectations had deep effects on them. One of these could be seen as severe internal-conflict, were women might feel negatively about acting on their own desires while the men could do as they pleased and receive no repercussions. This is clearly illustrated in Kate Chopin’s story. On instinct, when Mrs. Sommers’ finds the money, she immediately begins planning and rationing how she’s going to distribute the money amongst her children. It is a task she later refers to as a “laborious and fatiguing function.” However, once she decides to use the money on herself and begins shopping, she describes this as “to have abandoned herself to some mechanical impulse that directed her actions and freed her of her responsibility.” This helps us to understand why she ends up spending all the money on herself and not her children. It was not to be selfish, but because she enjoyed taking a break from all her daily responsibilities. It reminds her of the days before she devoted herself into marriage, motherhood, and home life. Days where she had time to revel in the things she wanted or needed. When Mrs. Sommers thinks of her past days, Kate Chopin writes “She herself indulged in no such morbid retrospection. She had no time—no second of time to devote to the past. The needs of the present absorbed her every faculty.” This quote shows just how much Mrs. Sommers believed that she was not important and was not allowed to indulge in time for herself. When analyzing why Mrs. Sommers feels like she is unimportant, it is clear that one thing can contribute to it, that being her marriage. It is because of her marriage why she can’t do all the things she hopes and wishes for, and why she neglects herself for the sake of her family.

Besides never getting to shop for herself she describes forgetting to eat due to “getting the children fed and the place righted.” Before she stops to treat herself to lunch, she explains her usual routine where “she would have stilled the cravings for food until reaching her own home.” All of Mrs. Sommers’ resources have always been put towards her family, never leaving anyone to do the same for her. Once Mrs. Sommer’s reaches the cable car and relives how she spent her day, Kate Chopin describes the feeling as “a powerful longing that the cable car would never stop anywhere, but go on and on with her forever.” This quote symbolizes Mrs. Sommers’ desire to feel free forever. In conclusion, Mrs. Sommers comes into a small fortune and decides to treat herself in order to feel the type of freedom she had before devoting all of her time and resources to her family. Mrs. Sommers struggles with the societal expectations of the 1890’s, lack of opportunities for women who are seen as “selfish”, and the effects of her marital status leading to her lack of freedom. Citation: "The Role of the Wife and Mother." Kate Chopin. 2009. Accessed October 20, 2016. http://www.loyno.edu/~kchopin/new/women/motherhood.html....