# The Ragged Stocking explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper.

## What happens

A man recounts his past as a wretched drunkard and how the sight of his son's ragged stocking stirred his soul, leading him to sobriety and redemption. The stocking, once a symbol of poverty and shame, became the wedge that broke his chain of addiction and brought blessing to his home.

## Themes in this chapter

### Resilience and Sacrifice

The narrator's struggle to overcome his addiction and his sacrifice of a dime for his son's stocking illustrate personal resilience and familial sacrifice.

### Hope and Redemption

The ragged stocking becomes a symbol of hope and redemption, marking the narrator's deliverance from the bondage of drink.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

The reformed drunkard who tells his story of deliverance from addiction.

### The People

The throngs of parents and children on Christmas eve, representing the joyful community from which the narrator felt alienated.

## Key lines

> Each thread of this little stocking Is woven around my soul.

Every strand of this stocking is deeply connected to my innermost being.

_The narrator expresses the profound emotional significance of the stocking._

> Strong drink is a raging demon, In his hands are shame and woe; He mocketh the strength of the mighty And bringeth the strong man low.

Alcohol is like a fierce demon that causes shame and misery, ridiculing the powerful and humbling the strong.

_A vivid personification of alcohol as a destructive force._

> And this faded, worn-out stocking, So pitiful once to see, Became the wedge that broke my chain, And a blessing brought to me.

This old, tattered stocking, once so pathetic, became the tool that freed me from my addiction and brought me good fortune.

_The stocking is credited as the catalyst for the narrator's transformation._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters/the-ragged-stocking
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_7_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_7_se/chapters