Tender Buttons [A Long Dress]

Generally, a literary symbol is an object or image that, among other things, signifies some concept or series of concepts. In Stein’s writing, this model is insufficient. In “A Long Dress,” and Tender Buttons as a whole, no one image or object acts as a stand-in for some abstract concept. Instead, Stein waves motifs throughout her text that hint at and slyly refer to a host of other objects and concepts. Stein’s use of clothing in “A Long Dress” is a prime example of this literary strategy.

While the poem is titled “A Long Dress,” the body of the text does not explicitly mention the article of clothing again. In fact, only one noun in the poem is an example of clothing: the “bow” (Line 4) of the final paragraph. However, the context of clothing undergirds nearly every aspect of the poem. The “machinery” (Line 1) and “current that presents a long line and a necessary waist” (Line 1) evoke both literal sewing machines used to make clothing and to the social uses for and structures surrounding clothing. The “serene length” (Line 4) of the final paragraph feels undeniably tied to the titular dress, and the long list of color statements that follow it evoke the cloth used to construct clothing. Clothing becomes a framework for Stein to discuss domestic life, gender, decision-making, and identity.