Question

What is Naturalistic about Chopin's two stories, "The Story of an Hour" and "A Pair of Silk Stockings"? Provide textual evidence to support your claim.

Answer 1

We can say the following about Naturalism in Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" and "A Pair of Silk Stockings":

• Both short stories are Naturalistic in the sense that they are both pessimistic. They do not provide happy endings, and their take on life is quite negative.

• The evidence such pessimism is the ending of each story. In "The Story of an Hour," the main character thinks she will finally be a free, independent woman, but she ends up dying. In "A Pair of Silk Stockings," the main character has to go back to her fastidious, poor life after a moment of happiness.

Pessimism in literature:

• A characteristic of Naturalism in literature is pessimism. Naturalist authors believed in determinism, which establishes that we are the product of our circumstances. A poor person will likely remain poor, for example.

• That leads to pessimism, which is a negative attitude toward life. In Naturalism, happy endings are quite uncommon. As a matter of fact, endings are mostly tragic and sad.

Pessimism in Kate Chopin:

• The two stories we are analyzing here are pessimistic, which makes them Naturalistic, among other things. Their endings are quite far from happy.

• In "Story of an Hour," Mrs. Mallard is told her husband has died. Instead of being sad, she is happy that she will finally be free of the constraints of marriage.

• However, in the end she is the one who dies. She has a heart condition and, upon finding out that her husband is very much alive, Mrs. Mallard has a heart attack.

• A similar sad ending takes place in "A Pair of Silk Stockings," in which Mrs. Sommers allows herself to live a little after a very long time of sacrificing herself.

• As a poor mother, she is often saving money and doing her best to provide for her children. One day, however, she has a delights herself buying some fancy stockings, shoes, and gloves, and eating at a fancy restaurant.

• Her tragedy is that, after a brief moment of happiness, she must return to her poor, difficult life.

Learn more about Kate Chopin here:

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