Analyzing “A pair of silk stockings” and “Transients in Arcadia” Through Marxist Criticism

Analyzing “A pair of silk stockings” and “Transients in Arcadia” Through Marxist Criticism

Marxist criticism is a part of a large body of theoretical analysis which aims to understand ideologies, values and feeling by which people experience their societies at various times. This type of criticism is one of the most popular and enjoyable literary theories to apply in the critique of a work of literature.  It hopes to create some sort of stability that makes the world a better and more safe place for those who have been exploited or forced. As C.R.L James says “As the class struggle sharpens in the U.S. Marxism will come into its own as a great popular study (James 1)”. Kate Chopin’s “Pair of silk stockings” and O’ Henry’ “Transients in Arcadia” both fit the category of Marxist literary criticism because they both show the social, economical and political ideas that change the main character’s world.

In both the stories, while examining in a Marxist point of view, it is shown that the lower class wishes to ascents to the upper class. The story “A pair of silk stockings” is written by Kate Chopin is about a woman who acquires 15 dollars unexpectedly which is quite a big amount of money for her. She went on a shopping spree spending it all on luxuries she couldn’t normally afford. With the amount of money she posses she bought luxurious belongings, went to a rich restaurant and then for a play. This made the people around her feel like she is from an upper class or a person of high social status. She also wishes to be rich like this forever. The author of “Transients in Arcadia” is O’ Henry. In this story a women and a man, who belong to the lower class of the society, spends their summer in one of the finest hotels, hotel lotus, with their annual earnings. They keep a good relationship and until the end of the story both never reveal about each other’s background. In this story too Madame Beaumont and Harold Farrington, who people thought was from a royal family and a higher class person, was actually from the middle class. People around the characters in both the stories judge them by the money and luxuries they posses.

In both the stories we can see that money is what that influenced the main characters to reach their goals. Whatever they gained including respect and power was made when they bought luxurious items with the money they posses. In both the stories “The pair of silk stockings” and “Transients in Arcadia” we can see how money helped the main characters in acquiring high social status. In the first story we can see Mrs. Sommers going to buy shoes. “… [Mrs. Sommers] told the young fellow who served her; she did not mind the difference of a dollar or two more in the price… (88)”. Here Mrs. Sommers is telling the young fellow that she can afford an expensive shoe and the difference of a dollar or two doesn’t really matter. With the amount of money she has in her hand, she is gaining a public respect and also makes everyone else think she is from a higher class. In the text there is an idea shown that the rich people are somehow better than poor people, and it is continued by Madame Beaumont and Harold Farrington wanting to seem rich. When analyzing the text from a Marxist perspective we can also see that in both the stories it suggest that in this time period it was wrong for a woman to spend money on herself, rather she should be spending the extra money she has on her family. But in the stories the female characters spent the money for their own purposes.

In both stories we can see that money bought them power and with their money they could manipulate people. In “Transients in Arcadia” as in the real world, those who appear to be wealthy had almost all the power and control. In the beginning of the story, Madame Beaumont and Harold Farrington have the power and towards the end when they reveal themselves and when their time in the hotel ended, they lost their power. They even allowed those people around them to look up to them as if they are somehow better. The power only came with money people posses and when the money is done the power is gone. Throughout the story “A pair of silk stockings” Mrs. Sommers has the power because she finds/ gets the money and was able spend it in anyway she wishes. She has the economic power. In the end of the story she hopes she stays like this forever. She dose not want to lose the power she has. When applying a Marxist analysis to these stories, we see that there is a great social pressure to be wealthy, because wealth means power.

The story “Transients of Arcadia” teaches us an important lesson about finding happiness in what you have, and making the most out of what is available to you. O Henry is telling us that life is not supposed to be a contest of who can use the biggest words, stay in the nicest suite, or wear the most beautiful gown. Mrs. Sommers in “A pair of silk stocking” realizes throughout the story that she doesn’t have to follow the dominant social narratives, she’s allowed to do as she pleases. In the end of the story Mrs. Sommers wishes to stay same forever and escape her real lower class life. So, while analyzing both the stories in a Marxist point of view we can see that the money bought the main characters power and they wish to be a part of the upper class. 

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate. Imprints: A pair of silk stockings, Canada, 2002. Print

Henry, O. Imprints: Transients in Arcadia, Canada, 2002. Print

Stirling Clinton Portfolio. 4. Transients in Arcadia, USA, January 6, 2014. Web. <        http://stirlingclintonportfolio.wordpress.com>

Eagleton, Terry and Drew Milne. Marxist Literary theory. USA, 1996 Print