Chopin uses tactile imagery to communicate the profound effect that a single pair of silk stockings has on Mrs. Sommers. This moment marks a turning point in the story:
She wore no gloves. By degrees she grew aware that her hand had encountered something very soothing, very pleasant to touch. She looked down to see that her hand lay upon a pile of silk stockings.
Chopin chooses touch over the other senses because it is more powerful, and here it imbues the scene with unexpected intimacy. Mrs. Sommers's hand seems to encounter the stockings of its own accord. Only then does she become aware of the stockings "by degrees." Their "soothing" and "pleasant" texture implicitly call to mind a comfortable past. The whole scene seems to occur beyond Mrs. Sommers's control; it also suggests that the rest of the story is likewise driven by an inexorable desire for comfort and pleasure.
This moment also marks the beginning of a pattern. Each purchase or experience (at the shoe store, the restaurant, and the theater) begins with the realization of a desire. First Mrs. Sommers is delighted by the feel of the stockings. Then she is charmed by a pair of boots. Then she is led by her hunger to a restaurant, and then by her craving for entertainment to a theater. All of these scenes encourage readers to consider the power of material experience to satisfy Mrs. Sommers's desires. Chopin's imagery effectively conveys the seductive aspect of material comfort and explains the superficial motivation for Mrs. Sommers's actions (as the deeper motivation is a general dissatisfaction with her family life).
Visual and auditory imagery join the tactile imagery of the silk stockings as Mrs. Sommers lunches at a restaurant. In this passage, Chopin orchestrates a scene of perfect contentment:
The damask was even more spotless than it had seemed through the window, and the crystal more sparkling. There were quiet ladies and gentlemen, who did not notice her, lunching at the small tables like her own. A soft, pleasing strain of music could be heard, and a gentle breeze was blowing through the window. She tasted a bite, and she read a word or two, and she sipped the amber wine and wiggled her toes in the silk stockings.
This scene conveys how physical comfort creates a momentary illusion of affluence and independence. Mrs. Sommers knows deep down that she must eventually return to her role as a mother and wife. She also understands the importance of being frugal. Yet, on this particular day, luxury takes on a heightened sensuousness. The room's decorations are "more spotless" and "more sparkling" than Mrs. Sommers thought when she considered them through the window. As if to acknowledge the catalyst of her hedonistic spree, she wiggles her toes in her stockings. She does not regret spending money on food and clothing, instead reveling in the escapism offered by fine dining. The visual imagery of the "sparkling" crystal, the auditory imagery of the "soft, pleasing" music, and the tactile imagery of the "gentle breeze blowing through the window" all combine to create a pleasant, lulling atmosphere in which Mrs. Sommers feels momentarily at ease.
