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Definition of Tone
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical, and so on. For instance... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical... read full definition
Tone
Explanation and Analysis:
The tone of "A Pair of Silk Stockings" is straightforward and unadorned, ultimately striking a balance between a certain playfulness and a sense of sorrow or longing. A third-person narrator guides the reader through the story. There's almost a slight feeling of humor at the beginning of the story, when the narrator presents Mrs. Sommers in simplistic but vaguely comedic terms, saying:
Little Mrs. Sommers one day found herself the unexpected possessor of fifteen dollars. It seemed to her a very large amount of money, and the way in which it stuffed and bulged her worn old porte-monnaie gave her a feeling of importance such as she had not enjoyed for years.
This paragraph almost reads as gently patronizing, especially with the phrase "Little Mrs. Sommers," which lightly undercuts Mrs. Sommers by presenting her as somehow insignificant or inconsequential. And yet, as the story goes on, it becomes increasingly clear that this condescending tone is quite intentional, as Chopin uses it to criticize the sexist expectations that late-19th century society has for women. To that end, the idea that Mrs. Sommers is "stuffed and bulged" with money sets up a sense of excitement and impending calamity, as if she somehow won't be able to handle the money—which, of course, ends up coming to pass, at least to a certain extent. And yet, by the end of the story, this judgmental tone transforms into something much more fraught and genuine, as it becomes clear that the narrative isn't mocking Mrs. Sommers but instead exploring the societal and familial pressures that have made her so unhappy.
This is evident in the final lines of the story, when Mrs. Sommers has spent all of her money and no longer feels the thrilling release of consumerism:
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.
The man with "keen eyes" studies her face as the reader might study her actions throughout the story. But to both, there remains something beyond what meets the eye. Mrs. Sommers does not simply desire to continue her lavish spending. She wants independence and freedom, and this wish permeates her every action. She strives for distance from her normal life through consumerist escapism, and the narrative distance helps to reinforce this point. As a result, the story ends on a complex and rather sad note.
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