The Purple Dress Summary – O. Henry

The Purple Dress is a short story by American writer O. Henry. It follows Maida, a young shop assistant who dreams of wearing a beautiful purple dress to the Thanksgiving celebration at her workplace. Although she has saved carefully to afford it, an unexpected act of kindness forces her to choose between her own happiness and helping a friend.

The Purple Dress Main Characters Analysis

• Maida is a young shop assistant with large brown eyes and cinnamon-colored hair. She dreams of wearing a purple dress to the annual Thanksgiving dinner at the store where she works. Although she has saved for months to buy it, she willingly gives part of her money to help her friend Grace. Her kindness and generosity eventually bring her an unexpected reward.
• Grace is Maida’s friend and fellow shop assistant. She prefers a red dress because she believes men find that color irresistible. When she finds herself unable to pay her landlady, Maida gives her the money she had saved for her own dress.
• Mr. Ramsey is the store manager. He is considered a gentleman, although he has unusual ideas about health and despises anything he considers excessive concern for personal comfort. All ten young shop assistants dream of attracting his attention because the store owner plans to make him a partner the following year.
• Old Bachmann is the owner of the haberdashery store called the Beehive. Every Thanksgiving, he treats his employees to a lavish dinner that they talk about throughout the year.
• Schlegel is a tailor who agrees to make Maida’s purple dress for eight dollars. After seeing how much she has longed for the dress, he eventually gives it to her even though she cannot pay the remaining amount.

The Purple Dress Summary

The author begins by describing the importance of the color purple, which has won recognition among the sons and daughters of humanity. All women love this color—when it is fashionable.

That is why Maida, a young woman with large brown eyes and cinnamon-colored hair who works as a sales assistant at a haberdashery store called the Beehive, makes the following announcement to Grace, a girl with an artificial diamond brooch and a voice that smells of peppermint candies:

“I am going to have a purple dress for Thanksgiving. I am having it made by a tailor.”

Grace replies that she wants a red dress because all men are crazy about that color. Maida insists on purple. Old Schlegel, the tailor, has promised to make her dress for eight dollars. However, Grace tells Maida that she has chosen the wrong color. She claims that she heard Mr. Ramsey himself say the previous day that red was the most magnificent color of all.

Maida remains delighted with her choice. During eight months of careful saving, she has managed to put aside eighteen dollars. This is enough to buy all the materials needed for the dress and pay Schlegel four dollars in advance for his work.

By the eve of Thanksgiving, she expects to have saved enough to give him the remaining four dollars. Then, at last, she will be able to wear her new dress to the celebration!

Every year, on Thanksgiving Day, the owner of the Beehive haberdashery store, old Bachmann, treats his employees to a special dinner. They spend the entire year talking about this celebration.

A long table is set up in the middle of the store. The display windows are covered with wrapping paper, and turkeys and other delicious dishes are brought in through the back entrance from a restaurant on the corner.

Mr. Ramsey is always the main organizer of the Thanksgiving dinner.

He is the store manager and never makes advances toward the young female employees, although he does tell them indecent jokes. In addition to being a genuine gentleman, Mr. Ramsey is obsessed with health. He believes that people should never eat the things commonly considered healthy. He strongly disapproves of anyone who makes themselves comfortable in an armchair, seeks shelter from a snowstorm, wears overshoes, takes medicine, or otherwise shows concern for their own comfort.

Each of the ten young shop assistants dreams of being close to him. The reason is that old Bachmann plans to make Mr. Ramsey his business partner the following year. Two Italian musicians—a violinist and another musician—are always invited to the Thanksgiving dinner. After the meal, everyone dances for a while.

And so, imagine the two dresses intended to win Mr. Ramsey’s heart: one purple and the other red. Of course, other girls will be wearing dresses too, but they hardly count. Most likely, they will simply wear blouses and black skirts, nothing that could compare with the magnificence of purple or red.

Grace has also saved some money. She plans to buy a ready-made dress that will only need a little alteration.

The evening before Thanksgiving finally arrives. Maida hurries home, happily anticipating the wonderful day ahead. She dreams about her purple dress and hopes that Mr. Ramsey prefers purple rather than red.

She decides to stop at home, collect the remaining four dollars, and then pay Schlegel for the dress.

Grace lives in the same building. When Maida arrives home, she finds a commotion. Grace comes downstairs in tears. She owes the landlady four dollars, and the woman has thrown her out of the apartment.

Maida learns that Grace has spent her savings on the dress and had expected the landlady to wait until the following week for the rent.

Without hesitation, Maida gives Grace her own four dollars. The money immediately cheers up her crying friend.

On Thanksgiving Day, Grace looks charming in her red dress. Maida tells her that her own dress is not ready and that she will have to stay home. Grace tries to persuade her friend to come to the celebration wearing whatever clothes she has, but Maida refuses to go anywhere without her purple dress.

For a long time, while the dinner is taking place, Maida sits by the window. She imagines the other girls enjoying the Thanksgiving celebration and Mr. Ramsey walking around, cheerful and kind, making sure everyone is having a good time.

At four o’clock in the afternoon, with an indifferent expression and a distant look in her eyes, she slowly makes her way to Schlegel’s shop. She tells him that she cannot pay the remaining four dollars for the dress.

However, Schlegel gives her the dress without asking for the money. He has watched the girl walk past his shop for two years, looking longingly at the displays in his windows.

Maida promises to pay him back and thanks him with deep gratitude. She grabs the dress and runs home. It has started raining, but she does not even notice.

At five o’clock, Maida steps outside wearing her purple dress.

The rain grows heavier, and powerful gusts of wind send streams of water against her. People hurry away, looking for shelter from the storm. They turn in surprise when they see a beautiful young woman with happy eyes walking carelessly through the rain as though she were strolling through a garden on a clear summer day.

Maida has no umbrella and no overshoes. All she has is the purple dress she has dreamed of for so long.

Suddenly, someone steps out from around the corner and blocks her path. She looks up and sees Mr. Ramsey. His eyes are burning with admiration and interest.

“Miss Maida,” he says, “you look simply wonderful in your new dress. I am very sorry you were not at the dinner. Of all the young women I know, you are the most sensible and intelligent. Nothing strengthens one’s health quite like a walk in bad weather. May I walk with you?”

Maida blushes and sneezes.