A Pair of Silk Stockings

Mrs. Sommers is the protagonist of “A Pair of Silk Stockings” and the story follows closely her experiences through the course of a day. The third person narrative voice most often concentrates on describing her actions and experiences in the moment but avoids an internal monologue style. This means that the reader learns about Mrs. Sommers as the story unfolds and must glean information about her, rather like an onlooker might do in life. In this way, the character of Mrs. Sommers grows as the reader understands more about her through accumulated information. Simultaneously, her character develops in response to the action of the story as she becomes more confident and more in touch with herself as an individual. These choices are essential to Chopin’s exploration of identity and self-expression and carry the reader with Mrs. Sommers as she progresses through the narrative: The reader learns about her as she learns (or remembers) what it is to be herself.

It is significant that Chopin does not give us a description of Mrs. Sommers physical appearance, other than calling her “little.