Free Essay

The Purple Dress

In: English and Literature

Submitted By mari1202
Words 411
Pages 2
The Purple Dress
(Critical Essay)

The Purple Dress is a story by O.Henry, written in 1905. O.Henry is famous for his short stories and one of the well-known one is about friendship and sacrifece.
The story is about two single woman who are clerks and sell accessories. At the start of the story thse two woman Maida and Grace discuss their favourite colors- purple and red. Both thinks that their colours are the best. Thanksgiving party is approaching and ladies are doing their best to look pritiest at their store party. Maida decides to wear a purple dress, which the tailor Schlegel is going to sew for only $8. Maida had saved $18 in eight months. Grace decides to buy a red dress in a store, she thinks if a ladie has a a figure vevrything fits great on you. Both of them tries to please Mr. Ramsay, the head clerk. The only single man in the store. The day before Thanksgiving Maida is going to leave to take her dress from the tailor, she founds her friend in tears. Grace has no money to pay the rent, she already spent her money on the dress and she needs exact same amount of money as Maida has to take her dress from the dressmaker. She sacrifes it and and helps friend to pay the rent. At Thanksgiving Maida does not want to go to the party, "I was set on my purple," said Maida. "If I can't have it I won't go at all”.At the afternoon she goes to the tailor and tells that has no money to pay. But Schlegel gives her the dress and says to bring money when shen can. Maida runs to the store party in her new dress but suddenly it stars to rain, but nothing can chande her mood. Near the store she sees Mr. Ramsay who is amazed by her look and behaviour. At the end they takea walk in rain.
The story takes place in Mr. Bachman store, where once a year, in Thanksgiving the owner makes a party for his emplyess. We can see that everything happens during Thanksgiving, I think the author choose this time of year on purpose, because the idea of Thanksgiving is to be thanktfull what we have and and help who needs it. The story is about frinship and selfless act. Maybe a little miracle which happens whenyou at least expect it.

Similar Documents

Free Essay

21st Birthday

...My 21st birthday was a wonderful day full of love, attention and excitement. Birthday breakfasts are family traditions that have been around all my life. They are always only family. Omelets are my favorite breakfast food. My mother makes the lightest, fluffiest eggs I have ever had. She always makes your personal breakfast a great big deal. Extravagance is abundant at these events. Purple is my favorite color so all the decorations are purple. Dishes are purple with purple flowers as garnishes. Breakfast meats, such as bacon, sausage, ham and Canadian bacon, are on large platters all over the table. Of course the smoky, sweet meaty essences of smells are hanging in the air. Mixed into this meaty smell is a sweet cinnamon fragrance of the sweet rolls. At our family gatherings alcohol is ever present. Orange juice and champagne, otherwise known as mimosas, are prevalent. Mom always brings out the beautiful crystal champagne flutes to use. I always feel so special drinking out of these glasses. My two sisters are there. They came in from out of town for the occasion. I don’t get to see them often anymore so it was a special treat that they were there. After the meal we do the gifts and presents opening. We always try to get the person something they can use but wouldn’t get for themselves. My mom gets me a gift card to a spa for a day. It is awesome and includes a facial, massage, pedicure and manicure. My sisters have gotten me a gift card for the mall, any...

Words: 1218 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

The Vernissage

...The Vernissage This short story was written in 2008, so it is a quite new one. It is about Alex and his family. At the beginning of this short story, Alex’ mother is picking him up from school; they are talking about everyday experiences about his school and her new bought dress. The mother has bought a new dress for the Vernissage she is going to attend to with her husband the following evening. Therefore Alex is going to stay home and doing his homework with company of his babysitter Anne-Marie. At six o’clock his father is coming home. At this hour Alex is laying in his parent’s bedroom underneath his parent’s bed listening to his mother getting ready for the coming evening. When his father gets in to the room a conversation with few words begins. At the ending Alex’s parents walks out and he goes into the bathroom and begin brushing his teeth even though he is soon going to have dinner. As we already know has Alex been for school and he gets into his mother’s car with a bit trouble because of the group of mothers waiting outside the school gates. He is still a boy who loves banana sandwiches. Yet he still wants to grow older and no longer be considered a child (p. 2, l. 48) “There was something about banana sandwiches, sweet and soft, that made him think of babyfood. Maybe he was getting too old for banana sandwiches,” He loves his mother and has a better relationship to her than he has to his father, he talks and has a lot more contact to his mother shown throughout...

Words: 772 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

How to Coordinate Colors

...coordinating your outfits by color. Part 1 of 3: Knowing Your Colors 1. ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- 1 ------------------------------------------------- Use the color wheel. All the color wheel does is tell you how best to combine colors.There are particular color combinations in the color wheel that are particularly pleasing to the eye, called color harmonies. The basic primary colors of red, yellow, and blue are used to create the secondary colors. Tertiary colors are created by mixing primary and secondary colors together.[1] * There are warm colors and cool colors. Warm colors tend to be orange, red, yellow, etc. and cool colors are greens, blues, and purples. Mixing warm colors with warm colors and cool colors with cool colors can be a good way for a color coordination novice to get comfortable with the colors. * White, black, and grey are neutral colors (and are very important for properly coordinating clothing). * When a color is tinted that means that it's getting lighter (has white added to it) and when it is a shade it is getting darker (has black added to it). Tones in a color are created by adding grey. When you're coordinating clothes you'll need to see how different tints, tones, and shades work with one another. 1. ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- 2...

Words: 1551 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Feminism: the Notions of Gender

...My paper will focus on how Alice Walker’s The Color Purple questions the notions of gender. In the article “Feminism” Carolyn Perry states that “Feminism differs from the women’s movement in that it moves beyond the political and economic issues at heart of the women’s movement…, such as tearing down the hierarchical structure of sex and gender roles and changing the way people view men, women, and gender”(255). She believed that it wasn’t a such thing as “a women’s place”(255). In The Color Purple Alice Walker shows us that women can over come oppression and become stronger if they believe they can. Unlike Celie in The Color Purple, Alice Malsenior Walker had a fairly happy childhood. She was the last of eight children born by her parents. She began 1st grade at the age of four and was very successful. She was very happy with her life “…until an accident (a brother shot her with a BB gun) blinded her in one eye and made her feel ugly”(Taylor2614). After the accident her grades began to fall because she was unhappy and the children at her school began tease her. After having surgery on her eye, She regained her confidence and graduated valedictorian of her class. The Color Purple took place in a time where women believed that the man was in charge. Back then women weren’t allowed to express their opinions. In the first sentence of The Color Purple, Walker shows us how Celie’s stepfather would rape her and threaten her to do what he wanted. “You better not never tell no...

Words: 1137 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Poncho

...using low-key tones, black, grey, dark purple and dark yellow. Suggesting desperate clawing’s, and as if the paint is melting. The Pope is dressed fully, except for the subject’s face; furthermore the subject is wearing what appears to be a collared and long sleeved cream dress, which incorporates light pink tones to create texture in the portrait. On top of the dress, the Pope is wearing a purple poncho, which covers until the elbow of either side of the Pope’s arms. The Poncho is button up and finishes at the top of the collared long sleeved dress. This particular uniform, clarifies the Pope’s role and Church authority, as well as the matching purple zucchetto placed on the top of the subject’s head. Focusing on the facial expressions of...

Words: 1027 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Business Markwting

...Working Wardrobe Working Wardrobe AUTUMN 14 EDITORS LETTER IT’S TIME ONCE AGAIN TO UPDATE YOUR AUTUMN STYLE…. SO HERE TO HELP YOU IS THE NEW AUTUMN 2014 WORKING WARDROBE STYLE GUIDE, BRIMMING WITH USEFUL TIPS AND IDEAS TO HELP YOU LOOK GREAT AND CONTINUE TO REPRESENT THE BRAND WITH STYLE! BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND IS THE ‘NEED TO KNOWS’ SECTION, THERE TO HELP YOU AND YOUR TEAM SELECT GREAT PIECES FOR THE SEASON AHEAD. BE INSPIRED BY THE ‘KEY PIECES’ SECTION SHOWCASING MUST HAVE PIECES THAT NO WORKING WARDROBE SHOULD BE WITHOUT! THERE ARE ALSO SOME NEW ADDITIONS TO MAKE SURE YOUR STOCK TEAM ARE LOOKING GREAT! LOOK OUT FOR FURTHER UPDATES IN WINTER 1, FILLED WITH INSPIRATIONAL IDEAS FOR YOUR WINTER WARDROBE. AND REMEMBER... ALL PURCHASES THROUGHOUT THE SEASON WILL NEED TO BE AGREED BY A SENIOR MANAGER AND WHEN POSSIBLE ORDERED IN THROUGH THE ORDERING FACILITY. AIM TO INJECT NEWNESS AT EVERY PHASE AND ENSURE ONCE ANY ITEM OF YOUR WORKING WARDROBE STARTS TO LOOK WORN-OUT OR TIRED YOU MAY NEED TO REPLACE THEM. NAME BADGES MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES ENSURING THEY ARE VISIBLE TO CUSTOMERS. NEW FOR THIS SEASON! TEMPORARY STAFF WILL ALSO RECEIVE NAME BADGES—MORE DETAIL WILL FOLLOW FROM RETAIL DEVELOPMENT! …….AND FINALLY MAKE SURE YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE NEW AUTUMN DIRECTORY OR CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE www.next.co.uk FOR MORE GREAT FASHION IDEAS! es Deadlin … ASED AN E PURCH AV OULD H G EAMS SH WORKIN ALL T IR NEW . FOR THE ...

Words: 1155 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Other

...of foreshadowing of the ending. In the course of this story, O'Connor uses strong imagery to foreshadow the people and the events in this story. There are three significant times she uses this technique. They are the description of the grandmother's dress, the death of the family, and the conversation between the Misfit and the grandmother. The grandmother did not want to go to Florida; she ironically dresses in her Sunday best. She was dressed very nicely with, "A navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print. Her collars and cuffs were white organdy trimmed with lace and at her neckline she had pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet." (11). A strong foreshadowing imagery can be seen in these lines. Knowing the ending of the story, the grandmother's elaborate dress Is this essay helpful? Join OPPapers to read more and access more than 550,000 just like it! ------------------------------------------------- get better grades symbolizes a preparation for her coffin. When a person dies, they are usually dressed in their best outfit, just like the grandmother was dressed in what seemed to be in her Sunday best. A stronger foreshadowing is when O'Connor states the reason for the grandmother's beautiful dress, "In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady." (11). She herself predicts her own death. Unfortunately, she does not know this yet. Not only does O'Connor foreshadow the grandmother's death...

Words: 2075 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Stella's Adventure

...Stella’s Adventures was written for children between the ages for 7-9 years old. The book is intended to show kids that traveling to another country can be very fun, even if not a lot their classmates are traveling out of the country. Even though Stella’s classmates were all going to Disneyland, Stella found out that there were other things that could be better than Disneyland. She experience “Disneyland” in her own culture, giving her a better experience. The theme of the book is traveling to another country. Being born in the United States, many children are accustomed to the American lifestyle. Traveling outside of the country may not sound like a fun idea to children because of the far venture. In this story, Stella, the main character does not want to go to China for her family vacation because all of her classmates are going to Disneyland or Disneyworld. They are telling Stella that she isn’t going to have fun because she isn’t going to be at Disneyland. The resolution of the story is that Stella actually has a lot of fun, and ends up going to an amusement park with a Disney theme. When she comes back to school, and all the children tell their stories of what happened during their summer vacation, Stella tells them the full-detailed story about her vacation, and the bully, Marvin, actually says the he wishes he can go to China. Stella starts off as an ignorant child, only thinking about herself and what her classmates think of her. She does not consider what her family...

Words: 752 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Media Studies

...year old women and the secondary audience of 25+. Firstly, the costume appeals to the primary audience because in the moving image her dress was very open showing her cleavage although then at the back her dress flows this implies she is a feminist and it could also represent female promiscuity. It also appeals to the secondary audience because even though first looking at the dress it could not appeal to their taste they then may feel like they want to look young and beautiful again. The model is also wearing a range of tiaras and expensive looking jewels this is to represent that she is a princess. Moreover the dress is bold with simple pale colours which will directly stand out to the primary audience making them feel more feminine. This draws the attention of the secondary audience because older women having a wide range of jewellery and being able to change it up will show a representation of feminity. Nerveless the different range of jewellery a women has represents feeling more feminine. Also in the moving image the makeup on the model is neutral which portrays natural beauty this will bring the attention to the primary audience of 15-25 year women because it will them feel beautiful and this will also appeal to the secondary audience. In the Vera Wang moving image there is a lot of different shades of colours such as: pale pink, gold, purple, and light shades of colours this illustrates that the company are trying to appeal to a wide range of audience...

Words: 361 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

School Locker Research Paper

...cocoa with this mug that is full of character. A ceramic mug is painted with The Grinch's face on the front and Max wearing antlers with "Grinch" written in blue, red and yellow on the bottom. This Grinch will warm your heart. You want to go lots of places. Take this tritan water bottle wherever you walk, run or fly to hydrate your journey. The water bottle is painted with artwork from the classic story with the title "Oh! The Places You'll Go!" written in yellow. Dress up as your favorite My Little Pony with this set of arm and leg warmers. The pink fabric is trimmed with hot pink glitter hooves for perfect Pinkie Pie pony style. The light pink also has a wide stripe of two shades of darker pink hues. The top of each is embellished with blue and yellow balloons. The bell-bottom design adds to fun look. Dress up as your favorite My Little Pony with this set of arm and leg warmers. The purple fabric is trimmed with dark purple glitter hooves for perfect Twilight Sparkle pony style. The light pink has wide stripes of purple, pink and blue at the bottom.. The top of each is embellished with a pink starburst. The bell-bottom design adds to fun look. Get fun style that moves with you with cool black cat tail. The fluffy black tails really moves. A wired remote control with 3 buttons for different movement settings is attached to the tail. Get fun style that moves with you with these fierce cat ears headband. The fluffy black ears with pink middles really move. A button at the top activates...

Words: 1531 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Cultural Immersion

...formal. On Wednesday the same service was performed but it seemed more relaxed and many people came in with a group or with friends to receive ashes on their foreheads. The front of the church where the priest stood was very intricately decorated and very clean. I noticed the ornate paintings on the ceiling and the stained glass in the front center of the church that let in a great amount of light. I also noticed many holy crosses on the outside of the building and on the inside of the building which is a reminder of God’s love in sacrificing his own son for humanity. The priest stood in the center and it was obvious by observing the area that the church was a sacred place. I also noticed the color purple to be incorporated a lot and after the mass was over I learned that the color purple symbolized mourning and penitence. It is the color for the...

Words: 1646 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Birthcontrol

...Date: November 20th, 2011 Dear diary, For the past week, we have been getting ready for “dweebs” son, who is coming to spend the week with us,the week of the wedding, witch is coming very soon. His son Jason is in collage. He is now going to be my step brother, sadly, he is dweebs son, which makes him a dweeb too. Dweeb should be coming tonight, but in the mean time, me and my mom are going dress shopping because, she has asked me to be the maid of honor. Me and my mom went to the best dress shop in town, it took forever to find the dress that I loved. I tried on a pink one, and a blues one, and a purple one, and I didn't like any of them, but then I found a yellow, which I loved so much, I never wanted to take it off, but then my mom made me get a bigger size, because I have been getting bigger in the chest, but before I could try the dress back on, my mom made me go buy a bra, do I really need one? I'm only in 6th grade. She bought me a black one a tan one and a white bra,when we went back to try on the dress I didn't love it anymore, it didn't feel right anymore, now I would just go to the wedding in pants, and a baggy shirt, I told my mom I wasn't going to wear it, but she bought it anyways. When we got back to the house, Dweebs son was there, dweeb and dweeb,were watching TV in the living room, but man I should not be calling Dweebs son Dweeb, because he is sure a cutie, I don't get were he got it from because Dweeb does not look like anything like his son, he must...

Words: 397 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Banquet

...Banquets have hit the event mainstream again. The nation’s love of good food, good drink and a glamorous atmosphere has lead to this indulgent communal feast dominating the events sector. And with good reason! Banquets are popular because they effortlessly give an event a focus, whether it’s a party, a ceremony or a dinner dance. The act of sitting and dining brings people together to feast and chinwag, offering somewhere relaxed and natural for people to network at ease. But how do you pull off a truly spectacular banquet when so many of them are being thrown? How do you make yours stand out from the well-dressed crowd? In this guide, we’re going to highlight everything you need to know in order to pull off a magnificent banqueting event – and how you can make yours as memorable as possible. Juggling the various tasks that come with organising a banquet can be a serious undertaking; so careful consideration and planning must be implemented from the onset of the process. Planning a Banquet: The To Do List Consider this guide your comprehensive banquet planning to-do list. Each of the below sections are aspects you need to consider during the planning process. Click on the buttons below to find out more about each section. How to Manage Your Banquet Budget Keeping to an event budget is crucial to planning success. Whether you’re a seasoned event professional, brand new to the industry, or have simply found yourself planning an event for your company or social group...

Words: 2807 - Pages: 12

Free Essay

How Society Affects Me

...televisions, internet, and cell phones while the generations above me did not. For example, if I have a question about my homework, I can email my teacher and I will receive feedback almost immediately. If I am driving somewhere I am not familiar with, I can easily enter the address into my phone and be fed directions. The need for instant feedback has taken over my life. When I go to high school sporting events, I am dressed in blue and gold, the school colors, to support my classmates. However, when I go to Detroit Tiger’s games, I dress in blue and orange to show support of my states professional baseball team. By me changing my attire to comply to the team’s colors, I am showing Ritzer’s (2015) impression management, where various techniques are utilized to control or project a particular image of an individual to others. Also, from a young age I have adjusted to childhood socialization. I have long hair, wear female associated colors such as purple and pink, I even came home from the hospital wearing a pink...

Words: 759 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

History

...Name: Course: Instructor: Date: The Dressing Benchmark Basically dressing is meant to prevent nakedness. However the way of dressing can be influenced by a number of factors like beliefs, religion, climate and social standards. How a person dresses says a lot about his character and beliefs. Most women in England dressed in silhouette and wore long gloves and shawls to cover bare shoulders and arms. The material to make the dresses was made of soft cotton which only the rich cold afford. In Rome only senators were allowed to wear garments dyed with Tyrian purple as a sign of their social status. It brought class to families and raised their social status. Wearing of lion skin in Africa by a man signified his brevity in the community. They believed that lion was the king of the jungle and by killing it a person become as brave as the lion. During the ice age era people dressed in animal skins to keep warm. These are examples of how culture influenced dressing and how different styles were adopted. In history people did not have much to choose from and kept their dressings as simple as possible. With the growth in cloth manufacturing companies affording cloths has become cheaper with other people also opting for second hand cloths. Dressing has gradually changed due to new fashion trends over the years. There are individual who major with fashion designs and designing cloths is their career. Religion practices influenced peoples clothing in...

Words: 549 - Pages: 3