A Pair Of Silk Stockings

Temptation Over Good Intentions In Kate Chopin’s short story “A Pair of Silk Stockings”, a woman by the name of Mrs. Sommers comes into a fair amount of money for the first time in a long while. Mrs. Sommers ponders what she will buy, but soon discovers she can afford all the luxuries she has been denied over the past several year, and uses the money on herself rather than her children or husband. Her actions show that temptation and greed will prevail over selfless thoughts. “A Pair of Silk Stockings” starts with telling the reader about Mrs. Sommers unexpectedly coming into the large amount of money of fifteen dollars, and also that Mrs. Sommers feels she has a certain air of importance now that “she has not enjoyed for years.” Mrs. Sommers
ponders what she will do with this money. At first all she thinks about are her children, of buying them new shoes, hats, gowns, and yards of percale for new shirt waists.
She becomes giddy with the anticipation of being able to provide new clothing for her family instead of the bargain or patched clothing they currently have. Mrs. Sommers arrives at the store looking for the bargain rack when she encounters the soft, smooth feel of silk stockings. It takes Mrs. Sommers a very short amount of time to decide that she must have these stockings, and takes no time in choosing a color and purchasing them. This one act of selfishness, of giving into temptation leads to a domino effect of more greediness. Mrs. Sommers went to the next store and bought a new pair of shoes and told the clerk “she did not mind the difference of a dollar or two or more in the price so long as she got what she desired.” She then bought a new, fitted pair of gloves that cost much more
than the bargain gloves she usually purchased. Mrs. Sommers then bought herself brand new books and high priced magazines. She became hungry soon after all these purchases, and instead of going home to snack on what she had in the house she went to a fancy, expensive restaurant and bought herself a full meal and wine. Mrs. Sommers realized she still had money in her purse, and instead of saving it for a rainy day or purchasing something essential, she went to a matinee performance.
Mrs.
Sommers spent all of her money in the course of a single day, and didn’t buy a single thing for her family or save a dime. She gave in to the temptation of having brand new, clean, nice objects that made her feel important. Her intentions were kindhearted at first. She wanted to treat her children to new shoes, hats, gowns, and shirts, a rarity for them, and was even excited to spend her money on them, but she couldn’t overcome her greed and felt that having nice things that other people could look at and admire trumped her children’s needs. Once she bought that first item, the silk stockings, everything spiraled out of control. She grew more and more greedy, thinking less about her family and more about herself and how nice it is to have new things. With every new item she bought, she became more greedy with the next, picking the most expensive shoes, gloves, magazines, and
books.
Mrs. Sommers’s actions throughout “A Pair of Silk Stockings” show temptation and greed can overcome even the best of intentions. The thought of having new items that people would admire and envy proved too much for Mrs. Sommers, and she very quickly gave in to the temptation. She spent her money without abandon, as if it were no object to her, and she couldn’t stop herself from purchasing more items. Her good intentions were pushed straight out her head and she completely forgot about her children in her greed-stricken mind. In the end she spent all her money on herself, on unimportant objects such as expensive magazines instead of necessities.