Monday, September 19, 2011
The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield
The story is at http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/GardPart.shtml. Prompts to respond to (but feel free to come at the reading from some other angle):
1. How does the author build up our sympathy for the character of Laura (the main character)?
2. Can you find indications that Laura is a potential artist?
3. As the story goes along, she gets news of the death of one of the neighbors. Does she, as her mother thinks, over-react? Not in terms of the story; if the story were a real event, and you were a member of the household, would you side with Laura or with her mother? Why?
4. When Laura goes to bring food to the mourning family, why does she have such a difficult time?
5. At the end of the story, Laura's brother Laurie rescues her. Comment.
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When Laura goes to bring food to the mourning family she has trouble because she has been taken out of the little bubble in which she lives. She lives in a life of privilege where people are worried how the garden party will go while these people have to worry about money and how they will get food for their children. She struggles with seeing these people living so differently from her. The gravity of the situation for this family dawns on her when she sees his wife mourning and is shown the dead man himself. The people's manners are also very different from what she is used to. It seemed like a good idea to be generous to these suffering people but it scares her to see what it is truly like to live that way. She feels like a fish out of water. She is trying to do something good for these people but it is too much for her.
ReplyDeleteI see many indications that Laura is a budding artist. She loves to arrange things, direct people, and think visually. She is very in tune to the manners of others and the interesting, and somewhat confusing class-distinctions. She is very curious about everything and is appreciative of the beauty that surrounds her. She notices the gorgeous day of the garden party, the lovely flowers her mother orders, and the yummy sandwiches the cook makes. This attention to detail is something I have experienced when interacting with artists of all genres. Laura is very tuned in to life and she seems to see things through the lens of interest. She is able to find beauty in even the most dismal places.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the story Laura goes to the home of a poor woman who has recently lost her husband. Laura is overcome by this experience and leaves this women's home feeling both sad and awed by the beauty of life and death. I think this emotional reaction to life is another hint of Laura's artistic inkling. Artists seem to pay attention to detail and get passionate and emotional about the world they live in. Laura does both of these things.
I don't think that Laura overreacted at all when she heard the news of the dead man. Laura acted as any sympathetic human being would act. In her town, only a stone's throw away from her house, a man died. It was obviously a huge blow to the people of the town if the news traveled so quickly. I know that in my hometown, whenever a person dies the whole town mourns them, and activities are canceled and instead gatherings are held in their honor. Jose and Laura's mother do not even think about the family of this man, or of anyone who is directly affected by the death. They don't think about how their party is drawing attention away from someone who has just lost his life. They are too focused on the frivolous goings on of their own afternoon to think about the impact that a death has on a town. Laura shows deep compassion in this story, as she sticks to her beliefs in kindness and courtesy even when everyone around her thinks she is silly because of them.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this story, I think that a central theme is life and death. The Sheridan's garden is a carefree atmosphere where young people are overwhelmed with pleasure and energy is flourishing. On the contrary, the home of the dead carter is dark and harsh, guarded by an ugly, old, thin woman, and surrounded by shady people. Throughout the course of the story i feel as though Katherine Mansfeild puts extra emphasis on her theme by exaggerating and explaining the extreme contrast between the two places. What is particularly interesting is that the story begins in the morning and ends in the evening....which to me can be perceived as some sort of symbol of the connection between life and death. When the sun rises it is life but as it sets it is death. The theme between life and death can be related to the very different moods between the Carters home and the Sheridan's garden.
ReplyDeleteAlso, just to say something about the prompts. I think that Laura did not over react when it came to hearing the news about the dead neighbor. It could be considered rude to throw a party nearby to a home that is suffering from the sadness of a death. I sympathize with Laura at this point of the story because I feel that if someone in my family died then I would not like it if someone threw a party down the street. I just don’t think it is respectful. However, the people suffering from the loss I don’t think should be too offended if there is a party. Life goes on. So in a way, yes Laura overreacted by saying that she wanted to cancel the planned Garden Party, yet on the other hand throwing a big party is not the most respectful thing to do when it comes to a death.
Laura seems to be the kind of character that readers build sympathy for. Even though she is from a upper society class than the workmen, she respects them and likes to hear their ideas about where to put the marquee, un like her sister Jose, who "loved giving orders to servants". Laura is a simple girl, who sees simplicity as something beautiful. She thinks she could get along with this people because somehow she sees something similar between she and them.
ReplyDeletelauras actions make us readers feel sympathy for her. the fact that she wanted to cancel the party because a workmen died says a lot about this girl, how caring and sensitive she is, but at the same time very naive. she is influenced by her family members opinions and decided that her mother was right so she attended the party. Laura actually enjoyed the party remarking how successful the party had been.
I think she did the right thing not refusing of attending to the party because like clarie said "She is trying to do something good for these people but it is too much for her", she is too young to be in charge of this
When Mrs. Sheridan came up with the idea to bring the food from the party to the mourning family, Laura was not quite sure it was a good idea. I think that Laura was uncomfortable with the fact that she was going to a house with a dead man inside. She was leaving the familiarity and innocence of her own home and seemed to not know what to expect. I think she also felt exposed when she was in a different area with people that she did not know and may have been afraid of. Just like any teenager (in my opinion), Laura didn't like being out of her comfort zone. I think her lack of comfort was not due to approaching the mourning family, but rather going into that unfamiliar area.
ReplyDeleteThe author of "The Garden Party" builds up our sympathy for the main character Laura by watching her react to her family and friends. After the news that a neighboring man has been killed, everyone around her acts very unconcerned except for her own self. You begin to really feel bad for her because all throughout the day of planning their garden party, things had been very agreeable. The focus had been on the foods and flowers. Later in the story, Laura makes a trip all by herself to give a basket of pastries to the family of the dead man. She is taken out of her typical situation and placed in the "lower class" area of her home. She sees things she is not used to, and does not know how to react. This makes the reader feel very sympathetic towards Laura, maybe because we can all relate to her feelings in some way.
ReplyDeleteI think it's clear that Laura has the makings of a true artist. From the beginning of the story we can see that laura is known for her artistic inclinations, at one point she is accused of being "The creative one", and another instance she herself admits to believing that there is no one else who is as adept at arranging flowers as she is. But what allows the reader to grasp the true magnitude of her artistic potential comes at the very end of the story. Her passionate response to the beauty she experiences when she is introduced to the dead boy laying in his bed shows us that she has the capacity to feel raw emotions and interpret the world in such a way that many artists do. After harnessing and understanding these emotions that Laura will begin to feel, she'll be able to recreate that what she has experienced into some form of art that will allow others some insight into her emotion.
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning of the story, the descriptions of Laura's actions compared to those around her make her seem much less "proper." Class, something that her family is obsessed over and seems to categorize people in, means nothing to Laura, and she even says that she doesn't understand it all. However, I do think she overreacted concerning the death of the man. Whereas it would be appropriate if one close to the family were to pass away, a neighbor's death is not something to create a fuss over cancelling a party happening that instant. Once again, Laura's impartiality to class is seen again when she thinks twice about sending leftovers as a gift to the family. I think she also wants to comfort and make friends with people she genuinely cares for and likes: She tries to bring drinks to the band, and also suggests mourning for the family. Her high class upbringing seems to get the most of her when, in the bedroom of the Carter's house, all she can manage to say is "excuse the hat." This does not seem the appropriate comment when seeing a dead body.
ReplyDeleteLaura is a very easy character to feel sympathy and empathy for. She appeals to the side of us that truly feels for those less fortunate than ourselves. We are totally on her side when she pleads with her family to stop the party, because we feel bad. We feel as if we are the ones living in the huge house while families starve around us. We want her to succeed.
ReplyDeleteWe also gain more sympathy for Laura the more that she gets turned down. We become more and more on her side, and become far more biased towards her way of thinking. Everyone else has effectively been turned into the bad guy. We truly want her to have her way.
I thought it was very interesting how at the end of the story, Laura seems to be in a very shocking, uncomfortable, and vulnerable place. Then, her older brother, who watches out for her almost as a guardian angel would, comes out from the shadows, comforts her, and makes her feel safe. There wasn't even a need for much communication and clarification before Laurie understood how Laura felt. It seemed as if Laurie had been in her position and knew the emotions she was feeling at the time.
ReplyDeleteI really love the bond you could notice between the two of them at the very end. Laura is at a loss for words, which I think shows to what extent the previous event had shocked her, and made her grateful for what she had, and Laurie completely understands and holds her tight and gives her reassurance. He seems like the perfect brother, who acted like a genuine paternal figure to Laura.
I definitely think that Laura has some qualities that an artist would have. I would like to compare Laura's qualities to that of a writer, because I am more familiar with that type of artist. For example, writers tend to be a little superstitious. We make deals with ourselves, especially when certain things fall outside our bubble. When Laura is at the at the grieving family's house, she is uncomfortable because they lead a different type than she does. The fact that Laura is even aware of the differences between her family and theirs, whether that is explicitly stated or not does not matter, it is a subconscious distinction that she made. Distinctions like this are often made by writers, comparisons and being hyper aware at her surroundings, are all indications of qualities a writer has. It could also be argued that she is somewhat of an introvert, not in the sense that she cannot be social, but that she is extremely aware of her feelings and emotions in every instance before she allows herself to be comfortable or uncomfortable. For example, her comments towards the dead body, show that is not only aware of her feelings, but in such an uncomfortable situation she is still preoccupied with herself versus what is happening around her. Writers are often worried about the order of things and Laura is as well, she even comments on how superior she is in arranging flowers. She focuses on order before the beauty. Writers too can only appreciate beauty once it is in a pleasing order.
ReplyDeletei love the fact that Laura is saved by her brother in the end of the story. She is the younger more vulnerable sister while he is the strong and protects his sister as any brother would do. This bond is definitely strong, since when she tells her brother "Life is..." and he responds "yes it is, darling." It shows that they communicate and understand each other very well. Also the way he comes to her aid is what most people would look for in a heroic figure. He is her hero.
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