Red Plaid Shirt

A detailed Summary of Red Plaid Shirt

Where are the memories of our pasts held? In scrapbooks full of photographs, or perhaps written on the pages of a locked diary? Picture though, something as simple and ordinary as a closet full of clothes. Think about its contents, where they have been worn, what they have been through, the stories attached to each item. The nameless protagonist of Diane Schoemperlen's short story Red Plaid Shirt does this as she recalls a snippet of her past life with each article of clothing she picks up. Red plaid shirt, blue sweatshirt, brown cashmere sweater, yellow evening gown, black leather jacket...each item has a tale of its very own, and when combined they reveal the full story of the main character's life.

This story is fairly unique, as it is made up of several smaller tales. It starts off simply enough, as the main character fondly recalls a red plaid shirt that her mother bought for her one summer. Schoemperlen further builds up the plot as the ma

At the story's end, the protagonist is reminiscing about her mother's green quilted satin jacket. She speaks about her childhood and how she always pestered her mother to let her wear it. After her mother has died, the she takes the jacket home as a memory. She plans on wearing it to meet her newest love interest for lunch because she knows that he would love it, but later decides to leave it behind. It seem that she finally realizes that she has to stop trying to impress people and just be herself. The jacket hanging on the back of a kitchen chair marks a new beginning for the main character, and shows that she has the courage to leave the protective armor of a false front behind.

The colour descriptions at the end of each scenario add an interesting twist. Perhaps the descriptions are what the various colours mean to the protagonist of the story, or perhaps not. Their purpose is never revealed, and it is difficult to say exactly what their place is in the plot

Some common words found in the essay are:
Plaid Shirt, main character, red plaid shirt, Diane Schoemperlen's, red plaid, plaid shirt, Red Plaid,

Approximate Word count = 659
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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Red Plaid Shirt

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