On the Awakening of Female Consciousness in A Pair of Silk Stockings

劉好

【摘要】凱特·肖邦是美國“女性文學”的第一代作家，她在19世紀末的美國社會具有重要的地位，也被現代的文學批評家們稱為美國“現實主義作家的先鋒者”。凱特·肖邦生活在父權專制的社會，女人一生都局限在家庭中，她們應當扮演的角色是賢妻或者良母。《一雙絲襪》里的桑莫斯太太，在覺醒以前，和同時代的婦女一樣，只為自己作為妻子和母親這一身份而存在，卻忘記自己作為一個自然人，也需要自然成長和自由生活。但是，由于漸漸受到外界或內心沖動的刺激，女主人公做出了一些有違常規的行為，以表達自己為自己而存在的愿望！凱特·肖邦認為，女性作為母親和妻子，雖有著家庭責任，但作為個體在社會中，更有著自我價值。凱特肖邦呼吁女性個性解放。

【關鍵詞】覺醒 女性意識 自我實現

I. Introduction

Until today， issues like women's status in society and family and how they could achieve their identity， are still the focus of society in the 21st century. “As early as in 1792， Mary Wollstonecraft completed the first feminist theoretical work A Vindication of the Rights of Woman in the history， which was a very important step in the history of feminism”.With the development of feminism， women gradually realize that they should have the equal rights to mens and this later becomes a focus of debate in the feminist movement. All these have a great influence on the later feminists thinking.

In the 19th century， women's rights movement in America was surging forward vigorously. As a result， feminist theory including general theories about the origins of inequality and the social construction of sex and gender emerged from these feminist movements. Feminism is mainly focused on women's issues， and seeks for gender equality. “Many passionate feminists held the view that women should be endowed with the same rights that men own. Women were as equal as man， and they could obtain social， political， and economic rights”. Some female writers， such as Margaret Fuller， Susan B Anthony， and Elizabeth Cady Stanton， even appealed in their works and speeches to women to strive for their independence. Women should break away from the traditional images of a good wife and loving mother in the patriarchal society.

Born in 1851， Kate Chopin was an unconventional and famous female writer in the United States. She played “a very important role in American feminist literature and made a great contribution to American literature”. Growing in a Louisiana family， Kate Chopins life experience had a great impact on her literary works. The “inconsistency between training and experience contributed to the irony of her own happy marriage with the creation of her feminist female characters who felt trapped in their marriages”. The inconsistencies in her life made her become independent through her writing， and even exhibit some unconventional behaviors. Kate Chopin was bold enough to take on writing these subjects， such as women's lives within the boundaries of the patriarchy， womens continual struggles for their own identity and the awakening of their awareness. Various kinds of life styles throughout her whole life brought Kate Chopin much material for her future writing.

Kate Chopin is now considered to be a forerunner of feminist authors of the twentieth century， and her feminist views are embodied in her descriptions of female characters in her short stories. By reading and analyzing Kate Chopin's short stories， readers will come to see how women at that time fight for their own life under the background of the patriarchy. In A Pair of Silk Stockings， Mrs. Sommers experiences the awakening of their female consciousness. In the end， she gives their desires up. The outcome reveals the reality of society at that time.

Ⅱ. A Pair of Silk Stockings—self-seeking and family responsibilities

Published in 1896， A Pair of Silk Stockings is one of Kate Chopins excellent short stories. The author's narrative skill is natural and plain. The descriptions of Mrs.Sommers temporary shopping experience show her conflict between the family responsibility and self-seeking as a good wife and loving mother. This conflict reflects womens wish to live for themselves.

A. Mrs. Sommers awakening

Fifteen dollars means a large amount of money for Mrs. Sommers， and she is totally absorbed in the proper use of the money. She has never thought of herself， on the contrary， she plans to buy clothes， caps and stockings for her children and dress them clear and tidy. During the period of her shopping， she is attracted by a pair of silk stockings. This pair of silk stockings breaks the original plan and also causes Mrs. Sommers awakening.

1. Mrs. Sommers life before awakening

Mrs. Sommers is a virtuous wife and good loving mother. “The unexpected possession of fifteen dollars” made her live in “a dreaming state” for a few days. She wants to think up a perfect plan for the use of the fifteen dollars. She is going to spend all the money on children. Fifteen dollars gives Mrs. Sommers “a feeling of importance such as she had not enjoyed for years”. Mrs. Sommers feels unimportant for several years. “Mrs. Sommers was one who knew the value of bargains； who could stand for hours making her way inch toward the desired object that was selling below cost”. Living in a poor family， Mrs. Sommers has to be a thrifty person. In order to buy goods of high quality and at low price， she could wait for a long time without any complaints. As a married woman， her name is unknown in the whole story， and people just call her Mrs. Sommers. Her identity is not herself， but a wife or a mother. She is physically occupied by the family responsibilities， and she exists for her husband and children.