The Chinese Coat

"The Chinese Coat" by Jennette Lee, is a story set in the early 1900s about Eleanor More, who becomes obsessed with a beautiful Chinese coat she sees in a shop. The book looks at ideas about what we want, who we are, and how we think about ourselves as Eleanor struggles with wanting to buy the coat and what it means for her. Eleanor can't stop thinking about a colorful coat she saw while shopping, but she's not sure she can afford it. Back home, we see her relationship with her husband, Richard, who cares about her, but things aren't always simple. That night, Eleanor dreams about the coat, and it shows how important it has become to her, symbolizing her desires for beauty and maybe a different life.