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Eleanor H. Porter’s Short Story, ‘The Price of a Pair of Shoes’

Porter’s story illuminates the necessity of work for giving people the chance to feel independent and not beholden.
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Eleanor H. Porter’s Short Story, ‘The Price of a Pair of Shoes’
Passing on the family farm and starting retirement wasn't as easy as Jeremiah and Hester Whipple thought it would be, in the short story "The Price of a Pair of Shoes." Public Domain
Kate Vidimos
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The significance of work can’t be overstated, as Eleanor H. Porter emphasized in her short story “The Price of a Pair of Shoes.” In this story, she follows an elderly couple as they deal with retirement. The husband and wife quickly realize that good, hearty work gives purpose and fulfillment by defining and testing them.
Collection of women's shoes at the Nordic Museum, Stockholm. The state of Hester Whipple's footwear is an unlikely clue that retirement isn't the answer, in "The Price of a Pair of Shoes." (<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:NordiskaMuseetBot">NordiskaMuseetBot</a>/<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/no/deed.en">CC BY 3.0 NO</a>)
Collection of women's shoes at the Nordic Museum, Stockholm. The state of Hester Whipple's footwear is an unlikely clue that retirement isn't the answer, in "The Price of a Pair of Shoes." NordiskaMuseetBot/CC BY 3.0 NO
Kate Vidimos
Kate Vidimos
Author
Kate Vidimos holds a bachelor's in English from the liberal arts college at the University of Dallas and is currently working on finishing and illustrating a children’s book.