There's something about "A Pair of Silk Stockings", a short story by Kate Chopin, that I love. It's simple: Mrs. Sommers receives fifteen dollars and ponders for two days on how to spend the vast sum of money (my inflation calculator says it’s at least $300 today). It starts off promising; Mrs. Sommers decides that the money is best spent on clothes and hats for her children.
But as soon as Mrs. Sommers starts shopping, the plan changes. Mrs. Sommers, someone who was once well-off, finds a pile of silk stockings and purchases one of them. Soon after, Mrs. Sommers spends the rest of the day in a whimsical, semi-Cinderella fairytale. She buys boots and kid gloves and “high-priced magazines.” She eats and drinks wine at a high-end restaurant with “shining crystal” and waiters attending to pricey customers. The rest of the money is spent attending a matinee and taking the cable car back home. The story ends with “a poignant wish” by Mrs. Sommers for the cable car to continue forever.
It’s a story that a lot of us could relate to. We have to choose between paying for what we need to pay for or for paying for something that we want. I feel that the story ended the right way; if we were to learn about what happened to Mrs. Sommers once she returned to her former life, it would lose the magic. I get the sense that it wouldn't end like Cinderella, with a hot and wealthy prince. I'm trying to be deep about this story but find myself unable to.
But as soon as Mrs. Sommers starts shopping, the plan changes. Mrs. Sommers, someone who was once well-off, finds a pile of silk stockings and purchases one of them. Soon after, Mrs. Sommers spends the rest of the day in a whimsical, semi-Cinderella fairytale. She buys boots and kid gloves and “high-priced magazines.” She eats and drinks wine at a high-end restaurant with “shining crystal” and waiters attending to pricey customers. The rest of the money is spent attending a matinee and taking the cable car back home. The story ends with “a poignant wish” by Mrs. Sommers for the cable car to continue forever.
It’s a story that a lot of us could relate to. We have to choose between paying for what we need to pay for or for paying for something that we want. I feel that the story ended the right way; if we were to learn about what happened to Mrs. Sommers once she returned to her former life, it would lose the magic. I get the sense that it wouldn't end like Cinderella, with a hot and wealthy prince. I'm trying to be deep about this story but find myself unable to.
[ vintage photo by star11950; Olivia L. from Lookbook; Montgomery ward vintage gloves; Bebe Z. from Lookbook; Vanity Fair and *Vogue covers; Kerry L. from Lookbook; A Bar at the Folies-Bergere; Sparkling champagne; A couple of Mary Cassat (love her!) paintings, One and Two; and a Casino de Paris poster
*I can't remember where that Vogue cover came from
**No progress report for Thursday 'cause there's nothing to report @.@
*I can't remember where that Vogue cover came from
**No progress report for Thursday 'cause there's nothing to report @.@
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