The Garden Party. Katherine Mansfield.
Mansfield was best known for her short stories rather than her reviews, journals, letters or poems. She was regarded as a highly influential Modernist writer, experimental as well as innovative in her style of writing. "The Garden Party" is a linear story " working " on different levels, simply detailing Laura, the protagonist's account of organising the garden party to her first probable encounter with death. The story is multi-layered and leaves the reader with more questions than answers, a deliberate ploy by the writer, challenging conventions.
Direct speech is used throughout and in this extract Mr Sheridan speaks metaphorically on one level of a " beastly accident " verging on anthropomorphism in comparing Mr Scott to an animal and on another level, indicating the speaker's social background using a colloquial term suggesting that the accident was bad. The revelation sounds flippant and insincere as he consumes his sandwich, a bit of gossip perhaps? His wife's retort suggests the death was an inconvenience: "It nearly ruined the party," an example of hyperbole. Ruined? A shocking revelation, unemotional. This is how Mansfield introduces the motif of death, a recurring central image in the text culminating in a haunting image at the end.
Throughout the text, in terms of its syntax, the use of short sentences are used to create tension and adopting a disjointed style. In terms of semantics, the adjectives "awkward" and "little" stress the insignificance of it all. The verb "fidgeted" reveals the mother's discomfort and her internal thoughts criticising her husband as being "very tactless" are restrained thoughts because of social conventions in a patriarchal society which suggests the women (married) should not be openly criticising their husbands. Ellipsis is used to suggest that her criticism is ongoing, left to the imagination of the reader.
Mansfield may well have been mocking Mrs Sheridan when she came up with her "brilliant ideas" to make up a basket of leftovers for the widow and children. Not out of compassion, her feelings are clinical especially when she refers to the widow as that "poor creature." The writer uses a pun, "poor" in terms of poverty and "poor" in an attempt to show empathy for her loss, unsuccessfully, stating it will be the "greatest treat" as a superlative-condescending and insensitive. A "treat" is an inappropriate choice of words. She needs assurances from Laura using a rhetorical device: "Don't you agree?" However, Laura questions this showing perhaps her growing independence of thought?
Mansfield takes up the narrative voice with "curious" and "different" giving more of an objective perspective indicating a sense of alienation from her family. "Scraps" is used symbolically in a condescending manner-like leftovers given to animals or birds rather than people. Disrespectful. The mother's pretentiousness is shown when she refers to the working class as "People of that class" stereotyping and demeaning, showing the mother in an unfavourable light-typical of social conditioning, historically before the Pankhurst days and the strife of equality for women.
Another recurring motif is in the description of an aspect of nature, flowers. Earlier Laura refers to the workman's delight in the "sprig of lavender" when one of them "Snuffed up the smell." The lilies offered to the widow symbolise faith and hope, associated with Easter. The trumpet shape was meant to symbolise Christ's victory over death but the foreshadowing of death is ominous. They were described as "wide open, radiant, almost frighteningly alive." Positive connotations almost. We are reminded by Jose, Laura's sister that the lilies will stain Laura's frock and ruin it so amongst the positive symbolism we have an opposing notion of her attire being tainted, negativity. So, no flowers for the widow because of spoiling the dress. "Scraps" but not flowers. Is this respect for the dead or was it just a sign of affluence, showing off their wealth and asserting their power and authority over the working class to less their guilt?
It is interesting that the mother understands that Laura will be affected by the visit; there is an indirectness in her negative tone: "don't on any account-" unwilling to articulate. It is quite probable that she doesn't want Laura to go inside the cottage and see the dead man. Further examples of tension add more confusion to Laura.
We are presented with colour imagery and contrasts with light (white) and dark. There is an indication of time with "dusky" a word considered obsolete, dated from 1500s. The adjective gives a sense of dim and shadowy. The big dog is "like a shadow" as it passes, a simile suggesting the dog seems unreal. The "white{ness}" of the road contrasts with the "deep shade" of the cottages implying poverty used as an oxymoron. The "little" emphasises the smallness of the cottages implying poverty also. After the liveliness and excitement of the garden party, we have a further comparison with the adjective "quiet," more respectful considering a death.
The transition from third to first person seems natural here. Laura tries to make sense of life but concludes with "How strange!" Even the exclamation mark suggests the inability to fully understand the joyfulness of the recent party compared to the knowledge of death in the same breath.
We have a brief description of the working class attire: "shawls"; "men's tweed caps" with a second example of anthropomorphism in describing a "crab-like...shadow." After the quiet we have a "low hum" an example of onomatopoeia emitting from the cottages. How they are described such as "mean" and "little" (repeated again) in negative terms. "Mean" is used to personify the cottages, describing the cottagers as being mean, again stereotyping these people.
Laura feels discomfort, the cold and the frock which looks too bright as it "shone" seems out of place. She is embarrassed at wearing that black hat with the velvet streamer. It was decorated with gold daisies symbolising the wealth of her family and disconnecting Laura from the lower classes mourning their loss. She was dressed for the party not for mourning and shows her growing awareness of life/death and her empathy.
Her discomfort is shown through rhetorical devices such as: "Were the people looking at her?" and "Should she go back?" "Should" is used as a modal suggesting an obligation to do something. "Mistake" is repeated. Tension comes through the syntax with the use of short sentences from "No, too late" to "stood outside." It indicates her distress.
The narrative verges on spirituality and inevitability when the group of gatherers "parted" knowing she was "expected." Significant moment for Laura. How would the mourners have known that Laura was coming there? The adverb "terribly" to describe the degree of nervousness contrasts with the flippancy of "tossing" the ribbon over her shoulder to hide her dressiness.
There was something unnatural about the way the woman was "smiling queerly." It was a forced, unnatural smile seen through the adverb. There is a change in address showing the difference in class. Her family used old girl , dear child, my darling child; here she is addressed as lass and miss. Earlier it was matey from the workmen.
"Gloom" is repeated inside the cottage and the passage when Laura enters which contrasts with the Sheridan house and garden which was light and airy, an oxymoron. Laura's discomfort reaches a climax in her internal thoughts of: "Oh, to be away from this," followed by her desperation in appealing to a God with: "Help me, God." It seems excruciatingly painful for her knowing how delighted she had been with her successful garden party, echoing her mother's thoughts.
Em's sister seemed oblivious of Laura's protestations of not wanting to go inside the cottage. Her voice was "oily" which seemed artificial and un-natural. It is likely that Mr Scott's death had affected the family very badly, hence the unnaturalness of this encounter. The adjective phrase highlights the poverty once again with:" wretched, little, low kitchen," three adjectives used for emphasis. Laura's understanding of their poverty comes through particularly in "wretched." The word "horror" is emotive describing how Laura feels probably terrified.
It is likely that Mansfield uses the word "wretched" as a pun to show her understanding and how saddened Laura would have been. The description of the widow is poignant: "looked terrible," as an understatement after we are told how "puffed up" and "red" her face is, eyes and lips "swollen." Mansfield gives the widow an opportunity to question why Laura is there. "What was it all about?" More rhetorical devices to question what is happening. Laura is building up to hysteria repeating in her desperation "to get out, to get away." Instead of heading out she enters the bedroom where Mr Scott is lying on the bed. Remarkably, Laura doesn't seem traumatised, the account seems surreal, no sadness. She sees him as deep in sleep: "He was wonderful, beautiful." She feels the need to cry:" loud, childish sob."
Laurie is hidden in the shadows waiting for her, Laura is inarticulate in her explanation of what life is. Her thoughts are fragmentary, she stammered. "It was simply marvellous " shows the impact it has had on her, but leaves a sour taste of ambiguity and haunting.
Carol Naylor. October 2024. Copyright.
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