by Kate Chopin
Octavie wore a plain black dress, severe in its simplicity. A narrow belt held it at the waist and the sleeves were gathered into close fitting wristbands. She had discarded her hoopskirt and appeared not unlike a nun. Beneath the folds of her bodice nestled the old locket. She never displayed it now. It had returned to her sanctified in her eyes; made precious as material things sometimes are by being forever identified with a significant moment of one’s existence.
A hundred times she had read over the letter with which the locket had come back to her. No later than that morning she had again pored over it. As she sat beside the window, smoothing the letter out upon her knee, heavy and spiced odors stole in to her with the songs of birds and the humming of insects in the air.
What do these paragraphs reveal about a cultural experience during the Civil War?
(1 point)
Responses
1. Unmarried women were expected to dress like nuns.
2. Women were notified of the deaths of loved ones at war through letters.
3. Being overly emotional, even during times of war, was not proper for a woman in polite society.
4. Being overly concerned with material things was considered unbecoming for a woman.
1 answer
The paragraphs provided highlight a cultural experience during the Civil War, particularly the emotional and material implications of loss and mourning. The most relevant response is:
This response aligns with the context of the locket being associated with a significant moment in the protagonist's life and the letter that accompanied it, suggesting the impact of war and the communication of loss during that time.
