Essay on Katherine Mansfields Garden Party - 824 Words

Set in colonial New Zealand, The Garden Party falls into two clearly different parts. A lot of the story is about the preparations and the consequences of the garden party, it was organized by the daughters of the privileged Sheridan family. As dawn breaks, Laura goes into the Sheridans exquisite garden to inspect the proposed site for the marquee. Her encounter with three workers hired to raise the tent is awkward and confused, as she finds herself torn between being a snob and her developing sense of morality. This story is perceived as the difference between life and death, and can sometimes be portrayed in objects. (Death is symbolized by the broken cakes and dried-out leftover sandwiches Laura Sheridan carries to the house of†¦show more content†¦When Laura caught a glimpse of her self in her mirror after asking her mom about the party ¸ she starts to admire herself in the black hat she was wearing and the thought of the laborer faded farther and farther into the bac k of her mind. Laura’s family seems to be unappreciative of the laborers hard work, its seems to not bother any of the other family member but her. Laura’s moms can only think if the worker died in the garden or not. Her mother being stuck in her own world doesn’t dwell on that idea too much and still wants to go on with this party. The way Laura’s mother talks about the workers is really condescending like when her mother says ‘‘you wont bring a drunken workman back to life by being sentimental.’’ You can tell that laura is teeter tottering on which way she should lean towards. She doesn’t think that its okay to go through with the party and she is also stuck in her clouded rich world. When Laura is sent down to the laborers cottages she feels and is entirely over dressed. When she is down there she sees all of the half dressed children and she feels as if she is in an entirely different world. While she was walking through the cottages all eyes were on her and that is when she felt more over dressed than ever. When she arrived at the place she just wants to be in and out of there, she just wanted to leave the sandwiches. But when she is greeted by the manShow MoreRelatedSymbolism In Katherine Mansfields The Garden-Party1241 Words   |  5 PagesThe short story I choose from the book is called The Garden-Party by Katherine Mansfield. The story takes place in a rich family and they are ready to have a garden party; however, in the poorer neighborhood across the street, there is a young man just died in an accident, and when the youngest daughter Laura hears about that, she wants to cancel the party and show some respect to the poor family, but her mother and siste r think Laura’s idea is naive and unbelievable; a rich family like them doRead MoreKatherine Mansfields The Garden Party1617 Words   |  7 PagesThe way we think and act often changes as we grow up and go through different experiences. In her short story ‘The Garden Party’, Katherine Mansfield demonstrates the progression from childhood innocence to the experience and knowledge of adulthood. Through a background of Laura, and comparisons of her in the beginning, middle and end of the story, this essay will discuss how the protagonist’s perceptions of herself, others and the world around her change. In various sections of the story, MansfieldRead MoreAnalysis of Katherine Mansfields The Garden Party1526 Words   |  6 Pages1. In his analysis of Katherine Mansfields The Garden Party, Thomas Foster argues that Lauras trip to the impoverished lane at the bottom of the film is a symbolic trip to Hades, along the lines of Persephones trip from Greek myth. Fo ster claims that the descent signifies a kind of social and sexual maturing for Laura, because by the end of it she has matured, although into what is not exactly clear. Foster sees evidence for interpreting Lauras descent as a trip into Hades throughout the storyRead MoreTylistic Analysis of Katherine Mansfield’s Garden Party1002 Words   |  5 PagesStylistic Analysis of Katherine Mansfield’s Garden Party To better comprehend our course: Style in Fiction, I have selected a short story the Garden Party, so as to analyze in terms of styles. 1. About the writer and the story 1.1 About the writer Beforehand, I’d like to give a brief introduction of the short story’s writer Katherine Mansfield and the short story. Katherine was born in Wellington, New Zealand, into a middle-class colonial family in 1888. She studied at Queens CollegeRead MoreSymbolism In Katherine Mansfields The Garden Party855 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Garden Party† by Katherine Mansfield is a short story about a wealthy family having, as the title would suggest, a garden party. More specifically the story follows the inner turmoil of the youngest daughter, Laura. She has no choice but to see her family’s true colors when a poorer neighbor passes away. Laura’s family sees her as childish because of her kind nature but she receives a rude awakening that causes her to mature greatly at the end of the story. It appears that Laura has led a veryRead MoreA Journey into Self-Discovery in Araby by James Joyce and Katherine Mansfield’s, The Garden Party1281 Words   |  6 Pagesdreams. While living with his uncle and aunt, the main character acts a joyous presence in an otherwise depressing neighborhood. In Katherine Mansfield’s, The Garden Party, Mansfield’s depicts a young woman, Laura Sherridan, as she struggles through confusion, enlightenment, and the complication of class distinctions on her path to adulthood. Both James Joyce and Katherine Mansfield expertly use the literary elements of characterization to illustrate the journey of self-discovery while both main charactersRead MoreThe Effects of Parental Influence in Katherine Mansfield’s â€Å"the Garden Party, † and Witi Ihimaera’s â€Å"This Life Is Weary†1826 Words   |  8 Pages Mitch Tabian Jim Daems English 108 July 7, 2012 The Effects of Parental Influence in Katherine Mansfield’s â€Å"The Garden Party,† and Witi Ihimaera’s â€Å"This Life is Weary† Parenting and role models play an important part helping children grow into healthy adults. Children observe people in their environment and develop mannerisms according to their interactions. â€Å"The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,† is an old, but accurate analogy regarding people and how they compare to their parents. ItRead MoreLife Of Ma Parker And Her First Ball1481 Words   |  6 PagesKatherine Mansfield’s work have allowed readers to gain an insight upon her modernist views and has impacted others through the messages being conveyed. Her short stories, Life of Ma Parker and Her First Ball have specifically delivered ideas in which are commonly experienced by readers in the modern society including the pressures of flourishing into adulthood and the impact of class and social status. Lorna Sage’s introduction in The Garden Party and Other Stories have additionally brought uponRead MoreIn Language, The Term ‘Conversation’ Is Understood As A1567 Words   |  7 Pagesdiscourse. Consequently assigning the meaningful role of conversation in the English language into an equally significant role in written literature. In Katherine Mansfield’s book of short stories The Garden Party (1922) the role that conversation plays is to provide reality within the idyllic narratives. In Katherine Mansfield s short story The Garden Party, conversation provides the stories fundamental theme of class division. The conversation is established through the characters dialogue, which createsRead MoreKatherine Mansfield s The Garden Party And The Doll s House Essay1954 Words   |  8 PagesHypothesis: Katherine Mansfield strongly emphasised prejudice and class distinction within her writing (The Garden Party and The Doll’s House) which was influenced from her upbringing and childhood Katherine Mansfield was a 1900’s modernist writer of short fiction who was born and raised in a socially prominent family in Wellington, New Zealand. Much of her work was strongly themed around issues such as classism, a woman s place in society, sexuality, adulthood and also grief. The central theme