Complete stylistic analysis

The story under analysis "A Pair of Silk Stockings"is written by a famous American author of short stories and novels Kate Chopin. She lived and created her works in the 20-th century. Chopin is considered one of the first feminist authors of her time. Slavery and women's rights were realities that she incorporated in many of her stories and sketches, portraying women in a less than conventional manner, with individual wants and needs. Perhaps in many ways autobiographical, her exploration of women's independence was not celebrated until many years later. Chopin was in many ways, a woman before her time. Among her major works are two significant short story collections :"Bayou Folk", "A Night in Acadie",  and short stories :"At the Cadian Ball ", "The Story of an Hour", "The Storm", "A Pair of Silk Stockings”, where she depicted a real life of women of that time.

The story portrays a woman, Mrs. Sommers, who caught between different roles. She struggles with herself with what to do with 1500 dollars that she finds herself in possession of.  Mrs. Sommers decides to buy a pair of silk stockings. Sommers spends all the money on herself and wishes that she didn’t have to return to her real life.

The main theme of the story is that people who are oppressed will do strange and unexpected things to gain personal freedom.

The events in the analysed text happen in 1890s in a city large enough to have a department store, a restaurant, a theatre, and cable cars. The setting is important because it was a time of oppression for women. During this period of time social class was also significant.

From the point of view of presentation the text is the 3^rd person narrative.

The main character we meet in the text under analyses is Mrs. Sommers.  She is a wife and mother. Her family is very poor, and she is trying to pick up a few items of clothing for her children. She is an expert at finding bargains and saving money, always looking for a good sale. She is very caring as she kept on planning late night about the use of money for her children. But she finds a pair of silk stockings that she desires for herself. After buying Mrs.Sommers becomes self-centered as Kate Chopin writes “She wanted an excellent and stylish fit, she told the young fellow who served her, and she did not mind the difference of a dollar or two more in the price as long as she got what she desired”. She forgets about the family needs and spends money for her own.

The types of speech employed by the author of the analysed short story are narration and description. "A Pair of Silk Stockings" is rather narration than a description.

In order to portray the characters, to describe the setting and to reveal the main idea of the story the author resorts to some devices.

Kate Chopin describes Mrs. Sommers’ concerns about her cheerless life using simile: “a vision of the future like dim, gaunt monster sometimes appalled her”; “she smiled just as if she had been asked to inspect a tiara of diamonds” portrays Mrs.Sommers’s feelings when she is doing shopping; “she felt like lying back in the cushioned chair”, which describes her impressions from being fitted and dressed; “it was like a dream ended” shows the end of the best day in Mrs.Sommers’s life; “and feel them glide serpent-like through her fingers” describes Mrs.Sommers’s feeling when she holds the stockings.

There are some cases of hyperboles: “she had no time - no second of time to devote to the past” and “she was not thinking at all” are used to represent the state of mind of Mrs.Sommers; “The damask was even more spotless than it had seemed through the window, and the crystal, more sparkling.” is used to describe the interior in the restaurant.

Epithets which are used in the story depict the main character’s seeing of wealthy life: “soft stepping waiters”, “shining crystal”, “spotless damask ”,“ gaudy woman”.

There are also cases of personification: “her stockings and boots and well-fitting gloves had worked marvels” and “the impulse was guiding her” show Mrs.Sommers’s desire to spend money for her needs; “women who had gone there to kill time” is used to show the carelessness of rich people.

The case of irony represent Mrs.Sommers’ scrupulousness: “She didn't want a profusion, she craved a nice and tasty bite - a half dozen blue-points, a plumb chop with cress, a something sweet - a creme-frappe, for instance, a glass of Rhine wine, and after all a small cup of black coffee.”

Summing up the analysis of the given story one should say that Kate Chopin brilliantly uses similes, personification, hyperboles and irony which help indirectly reveal the main character’s nature.