Read "The Garden Party" from Chapter 27 and answer the questions on page 282. Your answers must be original and must not be a replica of the provided exampled response. (50 words)
Katherine Mansfield in her short story “The Garden Party” portrays the differences between the rich class and those less fortunate. The Sheridan family is having a garden party, but one character named Laura thinks that they, “can’t possibly have a garden-party with a man dead just outside the front gate” (Mansfield 272). Laura thinks that is would disrespectful to have a party while a family that lives just a few houses down is mourning the loss of a husband and father, but other family members find her thinking absurd. By claiming that the party must go on, the rich family in a way is saying that their party is more important than mourning the death of man who was in poverty. Once the party is over Mrs. Sheridan suggests that they, “make up a basket,” and, “send that poor creature some of this perfectly good food,” but Laura questions if taking, “scraps from their party,” is really the best idea (Mansfield 277). The Sheridan family feels that taking leftovers from their party to the mourning family as charity will make everything better and show that they care, but just as before this does not sit right with Laura. The charity basket shows that the family does not really care about the lower class, but just wan tit to look that way so that they can feel better about themselves. Laura goes and takes the basket to the family and when she sees the body she thinks, “happy… happy… All is well, said that sleeping face,” and shares this feeling with Laurie, the one person in the family who understands her, when she tells him that the experience, ‘was simply marvelous” (Mansfield 281). Laura, unlike her family, is able to sympathize with the poverty stricken family and is able to see that the man is at peace now. Laurie is more like Laura than the rest of the family so he is able to comfort her because he understands her because as we know he was also the only one who, “sometimes walked through,” the cottages with Laura (Mansfield 273). Elements that portray how Laura kind of wavers between the two perspectives where when, “Laura’s upbringing made her wonder for a moment whether it was quite respectful of a workman t talk to her of bangs slap in the eye. But she did quite follow him,” and when she thought about, “the big hat with the velvet streamer,” and wished, “it was another hat” (Mansfield 264, 279). These examples convey how Laura is apart of the upper class and thinks like them, but also often shows sympathy and understanding toward the lower class. She did not get upset when the workmen addressed her in a way that was not completely appropriate and she also wished she had not been wearing such a showy hat when she went trough the poor neighborhood which shows she is aware of the other class and their feelings unlike the rest of the Sheridan family. Mansfield depicts the attitudes of different classes towards each other well in this short story.
Katherine Mansfield’s “The Garden Party” deals with the lack of compassion from the high class individuals towards the lower class, and the struggle of the protagonist trying to agree with one but sympathize with the other. Laura seems to be the only one sympathizing with the family of the man who has just died, asking her mother “we can’t have our party, can we? The band and everybody arriving. They’d hear us, mother; they’re nearly neighbors!” (Foster 274). Laura feels like holding their party amidst the other family’s grieving is rude, and something they shouldn’t do in respect for the other family. She sees her family and the other family as equals, all just people in her world with the same value. Her family feels otherwise, as they want to continue on with the party. Their lack of sympathy further develops when the mother mentions they should put together a basket to send to the “poor creature,” full of food from their party (Foster 277). Laura feels like this is still humiliating, in a sense, because of the fact that they’re sending just because they want to look good; they wouldn’t bother if it weren’t for Laura. The disrespect the Sheridans, minus Laura, show for the grieving family is an example of the arrogance that comes with the family being part of the upper class. Mansfield uses some elements such as location when representing the differences; “down below in the hollow the little cottages were in deep shade,” and “Here she was going down the hill to somewhere where a man lay dead, and she couldn’t realize it” (Mansfield 278). As Foster has explained, geography can create symbolism and meaning such as it does here; the mourning family is at a low point in their lives with the death of the father, as well as the fact that geographically they are low as well. The difference in location between the two families’ houses is a representation of the class difference as well, with the richer family seeming to be “above” the poorer family. A sense of irony is seen through the dead man himself, as when Laura sees him the narrator asks “What did garden-parties and baskets and lace frocks matter to him? He was far from all those things. He was wonderful, beautiful,” and states that “All is well, said that sleeping face,” (Mansfield 281). Amidst the sorrow felt by the family and the unsympathetic gestures from the Sheridans, the man was at peace at this point. He was in a better place and was happy, away from everything going on and the pain everyone else felt. Mansfield, through different tactics that Foster has explained thought the entirety of this book itself, describes the arrogant nature of the higher class, while also sympathy for the lower class through her protagonist Laura.
Katherine Mansfield in her short story “The Garden Party” portrays the differences between the rich class and those less fortunate. The Sheridan family is having a garden party, but one character named Laura thinks that they, “can’t possibly have a garden-party with a man dead just outside the front gate” (Mansfield 272). Laura thinks that is would disrespectful to have a party while a family that lives just a few houses down is mourning the loss of a husband and father, but other family members find her thinking absurd. By claiming that the party must go on, the rich family in a way is saying that their party is more important than mourning the death of man who was in poverty. Once the party is over Mrs. Sheridan suggests that they, “make up a basket,” and, “send that poor creature some of this perfectly good food,” but Laura questions if taking, “scraps from their party,” is really the best idea (Mansfield 277). The Sheridan family feels that taking leftovers from their party to the mourning family as charity will make everything better and show that they care, but just as before this does not sit right with Laura. The charity basket shows that the family does not really care about the lower class, but just wan tit to look that way so that they can feel better about themselves. Laura goes and takes the basket to the family and when she sees the body she thinks, “happy… happy… All is well, said that sleeping face,” and shares this feeling with Laurie, the one person in the family who understands her, when she tells him that the experience, ‘was simply marvelous” (Mansfield 281). Laura, unlike her family, is able to sympathize with the poverty stricken family and is able to see that the man is at peace now. Laurie is more like Laura than the rest of the family so he is able to comfort her because he understands her because as we know he was also the only one who, “sometimes walked through,” the cottages with Laura (Mansfield 273). Elements that portray how Laura kind of wavers between the two perspectives where when, “Laura’s upbringing made her wonder for a moment whether it was quite respectful of a workman t talk to her of bangs slap in the eye. But she did quite follow him,” and when she thought about, “the big hat with the velvet streamer,” and wished, “it was another hat” (Mansfield 264, 279). These examples convey how Laura is apart of the upper class and thinks like them, but also often shows sympathy and understanding toward the lower class. She did not get upset when the workmen addressed her in a way that was not completely appropriate and she also wished she had not been wearing such a showy hat when she went trough the poor neighborhood which shows she is aware of the other class and their feelings unlike the rest of the Sheridan family. Mansfield depicts the attitudes of different classes towards each other well in this short story.
ReplyDeleteOutstanding posts!
ReplyDeleteKatherine Mansfield’s “The Garden Party” deals with the lack of compassion from the high class individuals towards the lower class, and the struggle of the protagonist trying to agree with one but sympathize with the other. Laura seems to be the only one sympathizing with the family of the man who has just died, asking her mother “we can’t have our party, can we? The band and everybody arriving. They’d hear us, mother; they’re nearly neighbors!” (Foster 274). Laura feels like holding their party amidst the other family’s grieving is rude, and something they shouldn’t do in respect for the other family. She sees her family and the other family as equals, all just people in her world with the same value. Her family feels otherwise, as they want to continue on with the party. Their lack of sympathy further develops when the mother mentions they should put together a basket to send to the “poor creature,” full of food from their party (Foster 277). Laura feels like this is still humiliating, in a sense, because of the fact that they’re sending just because they want to look good; they wouldn’t bother if it weren’t for Laura. The disrespect the Sheridans, minus Laura, show for the grieving family is an example of the arrogance that comes with the family being part of the upper class. Mansfield uses some elements such as location when representing the differences; “down below in the hollow the little cottages were in deep shade,” and “Here she was going down the hill to somewhere where a man lay dead, and she couldn’t realize it” (Mansfield 278). As Foster has explained, geography can create symbolism and meaning such as it does here; the mourning family is at a low point in their lives with the death of the father, as well as the fact that geographically they are low as well. The difference in location between the two families’ houses is a representation of the class difference as well, with the richer family seeming to be “above” the poorer family. A sense of irony is seen through the dead man himself, as when Laura sees him the narrator asks “What did garden-parties and baskets and lace frocks matter to him? He was far from all those things. He was wonderful, beautiful,” and states that “All is well, said that sleeping face,” (Mansfield 281). Amidst the sorrow felt by the family and the unsympathetic gestures from the Sheridans, the man was at peace at this point. He was in a better place and was happy, away from everything going on and the pain everyone else felt. Mansfield, through different tactics that Foster has explained thought the entirety of this book itself, describes the arrogant nature of the higher class, while also sympathy for the lower class through her protagonist Laura.
ReplyDeleteExcellent!
ReplyDelete