A Pair of Silk Stockings
Mrs. Sommers, a middle-aged widow, is out shopping one day when she comes across a pair of silk stockings. She has never owned anything so luxurious before, and she impulsively decides to buy them. She takes them home and puts them on, feeling a sense of pleasure and excitement. The stockings remind her of her youth, when she was young and carefree. She remembers the days when she was able to go out and enjoy herself, and she begins to feel a sense of longing for those days. She decides to spend the day indulging herself, and she goes out to the theater, buys herself a new dress, and has a nice lunch. At the end of the day, Mrs. Sommers is exhausted and realizes that she has spent all of her money. She is filled with guilt and regret, and she realizes that she has been foolish and irresponsible. She takes off the stockings and puts them away, vowing never to be so impulsive again.
By Kate Chopin · First published 1899 · Genre: Realism, Feminism, Short Story · 1,918 words
First lines
Little Mrs. Sommers one day found herself the unexpected possessor of fifteen dollars. It seemed to her a very large amount of money, and the way in which it stuffed and bulged her worn old porte-monnaie gave her a feeling of importance such as she had not enjoyed for years.
What this Textopian page supports
A Pair of Silk Stockings is listed on Textopian as a short story by Kate Chopin, dated 1899 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Kate Chopin
- Date: 1899 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Realism, Feminism, Short Story, Regionalism
- Length: 1,918 words
- Structure: 1 section, 33 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for A Pair of Silk Stockings by Kate Chopin
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering A Pair of Silk Stockings?
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- Where does Realism first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Realism — The story is set in a realistic setting and follows the protagonist's everyday life, making it a realistic story.
- Feminism — The story follows a female protagonist and explores themes of female independence and autonomy, making it a feminist story.
- Short Story — The story is a short story, as it is a brief narrative with a single plot and a limited number of characters.
- Regionalism — The story is set in the American South, making it a regionalist story.
Tags
feminism · identity · materialism · self-discovery · society · class · desire · independence · consumerism · gender roles · urban life · transformation