Kane Prestenback
English 210
Section 17
3/23/99
The Wonderful World of Color: Examples of Colors and Shading in Kate Chopin
In many of the written works of Kate Chopin, colors and shading are used toward
exhibiting symbolism. Colors, such as those found in that cardboard box of Crayola
Crayons, and shading, like the shadow cast by the sun, or darkness and light, have many
different symbolic meanings throughout Chopin’s works. The author also uses these
elements for the purpose of setting a mood, or even hinting to the reader how he/she is
supposed to feel about a certain event. Chopin has even used the process to foreshadow
future events that will occur in her stories.
The first evidence of symbolism in shading comes from “Emancipation.” When
the animal was born, he was born in an iron cage which “air and light [came through the
iron bars] from without.” (“Emancipation," 177) The teaming of air and light give cause
to the belief that the light is to be considered a good thing. Air is what sustains life. Since
the light came with the air, light is consequently a life affirming substance. This goes
back to an old belief that darkness represents evil, and light represents all that is good.
“And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and
men have loved darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil.
For every one who does evil hates the light, and… he who does what is true
comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been
wrought in God.” (John 3:19-21)
The previous excerpt from the Holy Bible justifies that the belief of light being
synonymous with good has existed for millennia. Chopin may have used this belief
because she was an honor roll student at the Sacred Heart Academy, an all girl catholic
school, in St. Louis. (Toth, 114) The verse was probably instilled in Chopin’s mind
during her attendance, and the values taught through it are seen in many of her stories.
In “Emancipation,” when the cage opened, and the animal slowly and carefully
observed the opening, more light became visible. “…[The animal] goes to the open door,
seeing each time more Light.” (“Emancipation," 177) By capitalizing light in this
sentence found in the fourth paragraph, light is then transformed into a character in the
story guiding the animal from the dark cage into more light. Where there is more light,
there must be more good. The evidence for this statement is provided by the increase in
activities to please the animal, such as the true instinctive ability to “live, seeking,
finding, joying and suffering.” (“Emancipation," 178) The light in the story guided the
animal toward its own life of simplicity in nature, as opposed to a world behind a cage.
The animal chooses to remain outside forever, in the good light.
Color too is used in making symbolic references to traditional beliefs. In “A Pair
of Silk Stockings,” the lead character, little Mrs. Sommers had “found herself the
unexpected possessor of fifteen dollars.” (“A Pair of Silk Stockings," 262) She purely
intended on buying things for her family, but in the process of shopping, she had come
across a bundle of silk stockings. The color of choice that Mrs. Sommers selected was
black. Black is a color synonymous with evil and wrongdoing. As Mrs. Sommers
examined the various stockings, she felt them “glide serpent-like through her fingers.”
(“A Pair of Silk Stockings,” 263) This adds to the evil personification bestowed upon the
stockings by alluding to the serpent in the story of Adam and Eve. The Bible confirms
that “... the Snake was sneakier than any of the other wild animals...” (Genesis 3:1) This
firmly constitutes that the stockings should be viewed as a bad omen. Mrs. Sommers
purchased the silk stockings and immediately went to the ladies’ waiting room where she
“exchanged her cotton stockings for the new silky ones.” (“A Pair of Silk Stockings,"
264) The changing of cotton, which is generally white in its market form, to the black
stockings symbolized a change in attitude for Mrs. Sommers. The physical change of
white to black represents the personal change from giving to greedy and the spiritual
change from good to evil. The stockings black influence caused Mrs. Sommers to
abandon her original plan and follow a path of temptation.
Later in “A Pair of Silk Stockings,” Mrs. Sommers goes into a theatre. In it she
notices “brilliantly dressed women...[who were displaying] their gaudy attire.” (“A Pair of
Silk Stockings," 266) Gaudy is commonly associated with clothing of many colors that
seem to clash. Scientifically, black is a pigment created when a texture absorbs all the
other pigments, for instance mixing different colors of paint together will eventually
produce a shade of black. The people in the bright flashy colors were said to be absorbed
by Mrs. Sommers. The absorption of these colors by Mrs. Sommers would produce an
added aura of blackness to her. The reference to the gaudy woman conversing with Mrs.
Sommers would have therefore symbolized this woman donating her colors to Mrs.
Sommers’ persona, as did all of the extravagant women at the theatre. Finally, enough
blackness was absorbed so that when the play was over, and the day was coming to an
end, Mrs. Sommers felt a “powerful longing that the cable car would never stop
anywhere, but go on and on with her forever.” (“A Pair of Silk Stockings," 266)
Chopin’s short story, “Desiree’s Baby,” provides perfect evidence of Chopin's use
of colors to foreshadow events. Desiree was often associated with things of white. Even
at the very beginning of the story, she is said to be “left by a party of Texans, whose
canvas-covered wagon, had crossed the ferry.” (“Desiree’s Baby," 189) The wagon was
covered in canvas, which resembles a pale off-whitish sort of hue. In the next paragraph,
she is found asleep against a stone pillar. When thinking of great stone pillars, it is
common to visualize the majestic columns of the Roman Forum, or even those of our fair
Northwestern State University: white. Desiree also is described as laying on a couch in
her soft white muslins and laces. This is another example of the Desiree-white
association. Armand, on the other hand, when spoken of, was connected to dark colors.
Armand owned a yellow stuccoed house, which alluded to the color of certain AfricanAmerican servants, such as the Aubigny’s nurse servant. The roof of the house he lived in
was black. Shadows were cast by the “thick-leaved far-reaching branches” of the oak
trees strewn because of heavy shrubbery. (“Desiree’s Baby,” 190) He was regarded as
having a “dark, handsome face.” (“Desiree’s Baby," 191) When the child is found not to
be purely white, and Desiree is accused to be part Negro, the color association sticks with
the characters. When Desiree walked off into the bayou, she was still wearing white
garments. In the end, we find out that it was in fact Armand who was part black, not
Desiree. The color association was supposed to hint at this twist ending ever since the
introduction of the prime character.
Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, also utilizes the production of symbolism
through colors. Throughout the novel, Chopin refers to a “lady in black.” She is not a
main character, however she does convey a specific idea. That idea is a feeling of danger
or death. Women usually wear black in times of mourning, also attributed to death. The
lady is usually paired with two lovers. The woman is slowly creeping up on the lovers,
always following them wherever they may go. These lovers, who pay no attention to their
surroundings and go on being happy, symbolize Edna and her attitude towards life. The
lady symbolizes the idea that if Edna is not careful, the end, based on the black clothing,
may creep up on her. The entire existence of the lady in black may have been to
foreshadow Edna’s suicide. On another viewpoint, the lady in black may have represented
dangers in relationships. The lady in black would signify the fact that an ominous cloud
hangs over the relationship of men and women. (Bendor, Online)
Kate Chopin was a prolific writer, with many ideas to share with the world. Many
times, she chose metaphors of color as the method to share these ideas with her readers in
a way that would both inform the literary expert and entertain the imagination.
Works Cited Page
Bendor, Jordan. “Lady in Black.” Online. Dovesoft. Online. Internet. 17 March, 1999.
Available: http://www.dovesoft.com/~stardog/7.html.
Chopin, Kate. “A Pair of Silk Stockings,” The Awakening and Selected Short Stories. Ed.
Sandra Gilbert. New York: Penguin Books, 1983, pp. 262-266.
Chopin, Kate. “Desiree’s Baby,” The Awakening and Selected Short Stories. Ed. Sandra
Gilbert. New York: Penguin Books, 1983, pp. 186-194.
Chopin, Kate. “Emancipation,” The Awakening and Selected Short Stories. Ed. Sandra
Gilbert. New York: Penguin Books, 1983, pp. 177-178.
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. Ed. Margo Culley. New York: W. W. Norton &
Company, 1994, pp. 3-109.
King James Bible. Genesis 3:1.
King James Bible. John 3:19-21.
Toth, Emily. “A New Biographical Approach,” The Awakening. Ed. Margo Culley. New
York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1994, pp. 113-119.