ical impulse to steal regardless of need, became an utterly new phenomenon in society prevalent in women, the general group who shopped at the department stores. Kleptomania first appeared to be harm to society that happens only when women are allowed to be independent, further supporting the old-fashioned belief that women needed male supervision. Most thieves, like the character Madame de Boves, possessed enough money to pay for what they stole, rendering the possibility of destitution leading to shoplifting moot. Psychologists attempted to explain shoplifting as a sign of restrained sexuality and femininity. Having been repressed for such a long time, women needed a way to let their innate instincts out. [Viennese psychologist Wilhelm Steckel] thought that the root of all cases of kleptomania was frustrated sexuality. This could be easily demonstrated by looking at the choice of objects stolen. These were either sharp objects, like pencils or umbrellas, or things into which something could be inserted, such as stockings, gloves, rings or fur coats (Crossick 149). The symbolism of the items being stolen proves that women needed a way to display their sense of sexuality.In such an ordeal, women must equate something tangible with feminine power, and Zola chooses material goods. The items the Ladies Paradise sells define female sexuality for the women shopping there. Mouret creates the notion that women could restore femininity by buying goods from his store and sadly, they accept it. In one specific example, Mouret holds a widely advertised white sale, when he drapes the store from ceiling to floor in white, the color that represents purity and virginity. Women flood his store, snapping up white items because white symbolizes the purity they once had. But material goods, especially clothes, were such inappropriate substitutes for purity. Beth Schelle observes, Clothing is a poor substitute for freshness because after it is worn, it los...
