A Touch of Freedom
Feminism Analysis of A Pair of Silk Stockings

Feminism is the ideology that women and men should be granted equal treatment and that the rights of women should not be undermined. In reality, as if born to bear the burden of domestic affairs, women tend to unconsciously make more personal sacrifices for family and children than men most of the time. In the short story A Pair of Silk Stockings by Kate Chopin, the devoted housewife Mrs. Sommers constantly prioritizes the necessities of her family before her own, but is later driven by the joy of gaining self-identity to escape from the dreary obligations of a “good” woman. In this case, the protagonist has clearly been suppressed by her social duties as a female and is unable to enjoy personal freedom. The idea that women should not be constrained by gender conformity applies feminism to the conflicts that Mrs. Sommers encounters. In A Pair of Silk Stockings, feminism is amplified through the portray of traditional gender roles of women in the society, and how Mrs. Sommers struggles to flee from the responsibilities as expected of a wife and mother. First, Mrs. Sommers submits to social pressure and constantly belittles herself, making sacrifices for family and children. Then unexpectedly, she becomes conscious of the value of self-identity and abandons her usual responsibilities that have been constraining her. As a devoted wife and mother, Mrs. Sommers sees the necessities of her family as the priorities in her life, following the virtue of “true womanhood” defined by the society. She is occupied with children caring and housekeeping, and thoughtlessly dedicates her time to satisfy their needs. One day, “between getting the children fed and the place righted, […] she [has] actually forgotten to eat any luncheon at all”. To a woman in the 1800’s, her own concerns and needs are neglectable in