How Does Katherine Mansfield Portray Laura in “The Garden Party”?

Answer

How does Katherine Mansfield portray Laura in “The Garden Party”?

Or, “The Garden Party” is a story about a young girl’s development into maturity.” Discuss.

Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) portrays Laura Sheridan, the protagonist of “The Garden Party” (1922), as a sensitive and thoughtful young girl. In the course of the story, she begins to see the world beyond her upper-class life. The story captures her journey toward maturity as she faces conflicting emotions about social class, beauty, and death.

Laura’s Innocence and Idealism: At the beginning of the story, Laura is depicted as an innocent and idealistic young girl. She is eager to take on responsibilities, such as supervising the workmen setting up the marquee for the family’s garden party. She feels excited about the garden party. When Laura meets the workmen, she is struck by their kindness and simplicity. She even thinks,

Why couldn’t she have workmen for friends rather than the silly boys she danced with?

This shows her innocence. She wants to break class barriers. However, Laura’s thoughts are idealistic, as she doesn’t fully understand the realities of the working-class life.

Laura’s Empathy: Laura is different from her family because of her sensitivity and empathy. When she learns about their neighbor Mr. Scott’s death, she is deeply affected. She suggests that they should cancel the garden party. She says:

But we can’t possibly have a garden-party with a man dead just outside the front gate.

Laura is the only person in her family who doesn’t think it’s right to throw a party when a neighbor has just been killed in a horrific accident. Mrs. Sheridan and Jose both accuse her of being extravagant and unreasonable.

Laura’s Awakening and Maturity: After the party, Laura is sent to the Scotts’ home with a basket of leftover food. This visit becomes a turning point in her journey toward maturity. When Laura sees the poverty of the Scotts neighborhood, she feels uncomfortable. She thinks that her fine dress and hat are inappropriate for the grieving family. When she sees Mr. Scott’s body, she realizes that a luxurious lifestyle, like the garden party, is meaningless in the face of death. This moment teaches Laura that death transcends social barriers. She apologizes, saying, “Forgive my hat.” It symbolizes her shame and growing awareness, one step closer to maturity.

The symbolism of the Hat: The hat Laura wears symbolizes her struggle between her family’s values and her own growing sense of empathy. Earlier in the story, the hat serves as a distraction from her empathy for the Scotts. At the Scotts’ house, it becomes a symbol of her shame and awareness of class differences.

The Open Ending and Laura’s Growth: The story ends with Laura’s incomplete sentence, “Isn’t life—.” It shows her inability to fully understand her feelings about life, death, and the divisions between classes. While Laura’s journey is not complete, the story shows her first steps toward maturity as she begins to question her upper-class world.

In conclusion, Katherine Mansfield portrays Laura as a young girl who is developing from innocence to maturity. Her experiences, particularly her encounter with death, help her see beyond the superficial concerns of her wealthy family.