The Purple Dress Flashcards
by O. Henry — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: The Purple Dress
Why is Maida saving money for eight months?
She is saving $18 to buy the materials for and have a tailor-made purple dress made for the Bee-Hive Store's annual Thanksgiving dinner.
How much does Schlegel charge to make the purple dress?
Schlegel charges $8 total. Maida pays $4 upfront and owes the remaining $4, which she plans to pay the day before Thanksgiving.
Why does Grace need $4 from Maida the night before Thanksgiving?
Grace spent her rent money on a red dress and the landlady has locked her out and put her trunk in the hall. She needs $4 to pay the overdue rent.
What sacrifice does Maida make for Grace?
Maida gives Grace her last $4, which she had been saving to pay the tailor for her purple dress, leaving herself unable to pick up the finished dress.
How does Maida end up getting her dress despite not having the money?
The tailor Schlegel insists she take the dress on credit, saying he has watched her pass his shop every day for two years and trusts her to pay when she can.
What is Maida doing while the Thanksgiving dinner takes place?
She sits alone by her window in her old cheviot skirt and blue waist, imagining the dinner festivities she is missing.
What happens when Maida finally walks outside wearing her purple dress?
She walks through a heavy rainstorm and encounters Mr. Ramsay, who praises her appearance and admires her for braving the weather, which aligns with his health-crank beliefs.
What physical details does the narrator give about Maida?
She has big brown eyes and cinnamon-colored hair. She works as a shop girl at the Bee-Hive Store.
What distinguishes Grace from Maida in terms of personality and choices?
Grace is impulsive and vain, spending her rent money on a ready-made red dress. She follows fashion trends and cares about what men on Fifth Avenue prefer, while Maida is patient and chooses what she personally loves.
Why is Mr. Ramsay considered a desirable match by the shop girls?
He is a gentleman who treats the girls respectfully, never pinches their arms in dark corners, and old Bachman plans to make him a business partner the following year.
What is Mr. Ramsay's notable eccentricity?
He is a health crank who believes people should never eat anything good for them, opposes wearing overshoes or taking medicine, and admires anyone who braves bad weather.
Who is old Bachman and what role does he play in the story?
He is the proprietor of the Bee-Hive Store who hosts the annual Thanksgiving dinner for his employees and reminds them of it on every subsequent workday to boost their morale.
How does the story illustrate the theme of sacrifice leading to unexpected reward?
Maida gives away her dress money to help Grace, which causes her to miss the dinner, but her later walk in the rain leads to a private encounter with Mr. Ramsay who admires her more than he would have at the party.
What does the story suggest about the relationship between generosity and trust?
The story creates a chain of generosity: Maida trusts Grace will repay her, and Schlegel trusts Maida will pay later. Each act of trust is based on knowing someone's character rather than financial guarantees.
How does "The Purple Dress" explore the dignity of the working poor?
It shows how Maida's eight months of saving for a single dress represents a yearning for beauty and self-expression that wealthier women take for granted, yet her pride and joy in that dress surpass anything money can easily buy.
What is ironic about how Maida wins Mr. Ramsay's admiration?
She impresses him not at the party she planned for, but by walking through a rainstorm, which perfectly appeals to his health-crank philosophy that braving bad weather is admirable.
How does O. Henry use the intrusive narrator in this story?
The narrator directly addresses the reader, interrupts the plot to introduce Mr. Ramsay ("Oh, bother! I should have mentioned Mr. Ramsay first"), and editorializes about the characters' choices, creating a warm, conversational tone.
What role does situational irony play in the story's ending?
Maida's misfortune of missing the dinner becomes her advantage, as walking through the rain triggers Mr. Ramsay's admiration for her "sense and intelligence" in braving the weather -- the opposite of what one would expect.
How does O. Henry use color symbolism to contrast Maida and Grace?
Maida chooses purple, associated with royalty and individuality, while Grace chooses red because it is trendy and men seem to like it. The colors reflect their personalities: Maida is authentic, Grace is conformist.
What is the effect of the final line, "And Maida blushed and sneezed"?
It blends romance with comic realism in classic O. Henry fashion, deflating the fairy-tale moment with a sneeze that reminds the reader she is soaked in a cold rainstorm.
What is a "fichu" as mentioned in the story's fashion descriptions?
A fichu is a woman's triangular scarf or shawl, typically made of lace or muslin, worn draped over the shoulders and pinned at the chest.
What does "galloon" refer to in the context of Maida's dress?
Galloon is a narrow ornamental braid or trimming, often made of metallic thread, lace, or embroidery, used to decorate clothing.
What are "gigot sleeves" in the description of the purple dress?
Gigot sleeves (also called leg-of-mutton sleeves) are sleeves that are wide and full at the shoulder and narrow from the elbow to the wrist, popular in the early 1900s.
Who says "Sly boots!" and what does this repeated phrase imply?
Grace says it to Maida while she describes her dress. It implies Grace sees through Maida's claim that she simply prefers purple, teasing her that the real reason is to attract Mr. Ramsay.
What does Mr. Ramsay say when he encounters Maida in the rain?
He says she looks "simply magnificent" in her new dress, that he was disappointed not to see her at dinner, and that she shows "the greatest sense and intelligence" by braving the weather.
What is the significance of the narrator's statement that "A starved heart must have one crumb during a year"?
It captures the story's central emotional truth: for a working girl who sacrifices all year, one beautiful dress is not vanity but a basic need of the spirit that wealthier people cannot comprehend.