Setting

In this section of the study guide, we will focus on the setting of the short story “A Pair of Silk Stockings” by Kate Chopin.

Time setting

The main action of the story spans over less than a day, starting around lunch time, but the exact time setting is not mentioned.

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Physical setting

The action of the short story “A Pair of Silk Stockings” by Kate Chopin takes place in a city, probably somewhere in the US, with several specific physical settings: the fashion store with the three shops for stockings, shoes and gloves, the restaurant and the theatre hall.

The first element of the physical setting is the fashion store, which is only depicted focusing on certain aspects of it such as the “a revolving stool before a counter” of the stockings shop, upon which Mrs. Sommers rests, or the restroom where she changes her cotton stockings with the new ones:

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Social setting

Apart from the social setting reflected by the physical one, you should also consider the focus on women’s lives and status which completes the social setting.

In the story, women seem to be either shop vendors or ladies (mothers and wives).

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