Critical Analysis Of The Garden Party

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 receives a shock when a neighbor is killed and is forced to see her family’s true colors. Laura is perceived as childish because of her kind nature but is given a rude awakening that causes her to mature greatly at the end of the story.
It appears that Laura has led a very sheltered life, which is likely the reason she acts so childish. She is excited by the opportunity to “eat out of doors” that the garden party provides which implies she likely follows a strict set of rules in her normal life with little variation. Another

Her immediate instinct when she learns of her neighbor’s death is to cancel her party out of respect for the dead, even though she had never met him and he was of a much lower social class than herself. She believes entirely that her mother will agree with her, being shocked and asking "Mother, isn't it terribly heartless of us?" which shows how disappointed in herself she would be, were she to continue with the garden party. Laura’s doubts are quickly erased when her mother presents her with a beautiful hat and tells her she is being “extravagant” in trying to prevent the party from happening. Any time the death is brought up again, she immediately returns to her guilt over the situation. Repeatedly her beautiful hat and lace frock are mentioned as in Laura’s conversation with her brother that reads: "‘My word, Laura! You do look stunning,’ said Laurie. ‘What an absolutely topping hat!’" This repetition may symbolize materialism and the superficial differences between the rich and the poor. When not influenced by others to prioritize appearances, Laura seems to understand that none of the rules that dictate who is influential in society truly matter. The same kindness that makes Laura’s family see her as naive is the precise trait that makes her the most mature of

She marvels at how peaceful he looks and is again ashamed of her own trivial problems such as the placement of the marquee in front of the trees she found most beautiful, thinking “What did garden-parties and baskets and lace frocks matter to him?” She realizes in this moment that there is more to life than she has ever been exposed to. Her entire life until this point has revolved around things like etiquette and finding the perfect husband to advance her family’s fortune, despite her lack of interest in this as shown when the narrator says “Why couldn't she have workmen for her friends rather than the silly boys she danced with and who came to Sunday night supper?” Laura knows, on some level, that she is being prevented from living life to the fullest by her family’s status. She knows the dead man spent his entire life working hard to provide for his family only to be referred to as a “drunk” in death and be otherwise completely disregarded by the assumed higher class, who she has been lead to believe are polite and to be respected always.
The Garden Party is a story that beautifully captures the unjust way money affects the public’s perception of an individual and leads some to be modest while others are highly entitled despite never having done anything to earn the praise they receive. Laura differs from her family in that she has retained a childish compassion and wants to