American Literature Retold Reflection

For my American Literature, I was assigned to retell a short story we read in class. I chose to retell A Pair of Silk Stockings by Chopin.

To see how I used Instagram as my meduim to retell the story, scroll to the bottom of my reflection.

In retelling A Pair of Silk Stockings by Chopin, I chose to utilize Instagram as my medium since the original story itself centers on consumer culture and self-perception, which are two characteristics of social media. Kate Chopin’s story depicts a financially struggling mother, Mrs. Sommers, who unexpectedly receives 15 dollars and plans to spend it on her children. Instead, she impulsively ends up treating herself to a shopping spree by purchasing for herself small luxuries like silk stockings, a nice lunch out, and a cab ride. This story does not necessarily focus on what she buys, but rather how those purchases temporarily were able to restore her sense of self. 

To modernize this story, I reimagined Mrs. Sommers as a contemporary mother who is navigating digital consumer culture. Instead of 15 dollars, I decided to make it a 500 dollar deposit, which makes it more accurate in today’s world. The department store then becomes a stylish email space, and I chose to change the silk stockings to sheer tights and heels which symbolizes both femininity and sensuality. The restaurant then becomes a cafe latte moment, while the theatre experience remains the same since it represents the same cultural indulgence and escape. 

The theme of the story remained the same, as I decided to keep Mrs.Sommers beginning with practical intentions of wanting to provide for her children. I also kept the first small indulgent purchase similar by simply changing it to sheer tights, which then led into  her increasingly bold acts of self-care. The emotional arc remains the same as Chopin’s because I wanted to still convey the same emotions of hesitation, pleasure, and liberation that Mrs. Sommers feels in the story. The final Uber ride is a parallel to the cab ride Mrs. Sommers takes place at the end of the original story, which gives a bittersweet ending. 

However, I did clearly alter the way in which the narrative is delivered. In Chopin’s story, the readers have access to the internal thoughts of Mrs. Sommers through narration; however, in my version the audience only sees curated Instagram posts with captions. The hashtags such as #maincharacterenergey, #softlife, and #justforme reflects modern language that points to self-care and feminine indulgence. I wanted this retelling to present self-care as both empowering and fleeting just as Chopin displays it in the original story.

I also expanded on the theme of identity performance. Identity on Instagram is constructed visually. Choosing to utilize mirror selfies, a shot of the escalator, and latte, I was able to accurately depict how modern women document their own personal self-indulgence. Beneath the aesthetic Instagram posts I hoped to convey that same emotional question that Chopin asks in her original: is this really freedom? One major choice that I chose to remove overt guilt. Mrs. Sommers, in the original story, experiences that sense of disconnection from her responsibilities but is not condemned. I hoped that the final caption that I used, which was:  “Strangely…I am not sorry,” captured Chopin’s refusal to shame female desires. Both my version and Chopin’s simply return Mrs. Sommers into reality instead of giving her some type of punishment. 

I believe that Instagram is an effective medium for many reasons since it is a platform that encapsulates consumerism and identity. Through this retelling, I found that the themes of Chopin's story are timeless. Economic pressures, materialism, and the transformative power of even a small luxury remain deeply relevant in today’s culture, and they are seen all across social media. Although the currency and other aspects needed slight changing, the core of this story required essentially no change at all, which acts as proof of the timelessness of Chopin’s work.