1. Are there hints about where Mrs. Sommers lives? -
Yes, as she has neighbors who know of her intimately, quoting: “The neighbors sometimes talked of certain "better days" that little Mrs. Sommers had known before she had ever thought of being Mrs. Sommers.” Then the busy shopping area tells of a city or township, quoting: “She could elbow her way if need be; she had learned to clutch a piece of goods and hold it and stick to it with persistence and determination till her turn came to be served, no matter when it came.”Who tells us the circumstances of her life? –
The author tells of her life, but is “quoting” the neighbors. (
?)2. What is a porte-monnaie, and what is figured lawn? -
A porte-monnaie is a purse or wallet; a figured lawn is a house dress.3. Do we know how Mrs. Sommers came to have the $15? How did the $15 make her feel? -
From my reading, no I’m not aware of how she came by the $15. The extra money makes her feel prosperous, important.4. The silk stockings are only one purchase in the story yet, the author chose to include silk stockings in the title. What is symbolic about the silk stockings? -
Silk stockings were a luxurious item of the period and many women coveted those items over anything else in their wardrobe. 5. Before nylon stockings made their appearance in 1939, silk stockings were a luxury. In 1890 the sale price was $1.98 which today is equal to $49.82. What woman's apparel today priced at about $49.82 would you consider as luxurious and as decadent a splurge as a pair of Silk Stockings? -
For me a well fitted bra - holds everything upright and firmly, no sagging; then doesn’t cause rolls under the arms and across the back. The shoulder straps are comfortable, not digging. Finally, it’s feminine with lace and ribbons, stylish not boxy, and comes in an array of colors (not just taupe, black and white). 6. How does Mrs. Sommers see herself after she exchanged her cotton stockings for the new silk ones? -
quoting: “She felt like lying back in the cushioned chair and revelling for a while in the luxury of it. She did for a little while.” From my reading she was relishing the luxurious feel of those silk stockings; their soft smoothness, light comfort. 7. Were there good times in your past that are no longer and at times, you wish you could have a second chance, turn the clock back so to speak to have again, a taste of a delicious memory? -
I’m enjoying more good times today than in my past. If I turn the clock back it would be to change who I was then; submissive, self-doubting, and an under appreciated person. I would have pursued my law degree, my art, and would have been a farmer long before now too. 8. When Mrs. Sommers says, "She wanted an excellent and stylish fit, and she told the young fellow who served her, that she did not mind the difference of a dollar or two more in the price as long as she got what she wanted." What does this suggest about Mrs. Sommers" life? -
That she settled for what she could afford; comfort and style not an option.9. What does her day-dreamy state as the story progresses suggest? -
That having this freedom to purchase her hearts desire is not a common occurrence.10. Where is the conflict in this story? -
The conflict is whether to buy for the family or buy for herself. She at first dictates al the ways to spend the money frugally on the children. However once she reaches the stores that whole “sense of responsibility” fly’s out the window.
The other conflict I see is “appearances or first-impressions”. At first I’m introduced to Mrs. Sommers as a worldly, responsible woman struggling to make ends meet however, as the story unfolds I’m seeing a confident woman who longs for a life of more freedoms and less responsibilities. The last paragraph affirms my suspicions that she longs for gayer times, quote: “A man with keen eyes, who sat opposite to her, seemed to like the study of her small, pale face. It puzzled him to decipher what he saw there. In truth, he saw nothing-unless he were wizard enough to detect a poignant wish, a powerful longing that the cable car would never stop anywhere, but go on and on with her forever.”11. Mrs. Sommers day dreamed in the cable car that it would go on forever. Do you think she was mentally abandoning her children? Why do you think she spent the money on herself? Was that her original plan? -
Not so much abandoning her children instead longing for more gentler times without financial hardship. She spent the money on herself because its something she rarely does, instead being a responsible parent and widow. No, it was not her original plan.12. What purpose does the story seem to have? -
How life ambitions change with the circumstances life throws your way. 
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