The Fly Katherine Mansfield Analysis

Many experts would agree that there are different stages of grief. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance are stages that many grief stricken people must endure to manage life after a traumatic death. The story, “The Fly,” by Katherine Mansfield has only a few characters in it, but those few characters show the different stages of grief. The characters illustrate how different the grieving process is when the circumstances of the deaths are the same. Mr. Woodifield is in the stage of depression, and he may have turned to harmful habits after his son’s death. He leaves the house only on Tuesdays, and his family has no idea what he is doing during this time. The narrator states, “Though what he did there the wife and girls couldn 't imagine.” This indicates that Mr. Woodifield had previously engaged in harmful activities, like excessive drinking and smoking,

Also, the narrator states, “All the same, we cling to our last pleasures as the tree clings to its last leaves.” This proves that Mr. Woodifield had a bit of a dependence on an object and holds on to this pleasure secretly on the days that he goes to town. He smokes his cigars on Tuesdays when he is away from his family. Back in 1922 when Katherine Mansfield was writing her stories, it was common for people to smoke cigars. However, he only smokes these cigars on Tuesdays, which could indicate that he is trying to hide it from his family; perhaps he does this because of his previous addiction. Furthermore, the boss states, “‘That 's the medicine,’” showing that the boss may know about Mr. Woodifield’s past. He tells Mr. Woodifield that this alcohol is the medicine that heals all the pain. After the boss says this, Mr. Woodifield declares, “’D 'you know,’. . . ‘they won 't let me touch it at home.’ And he looked as though he was going to cry.” The family does not let him touch whiskey at home because he may have been an alcoholic after the death of his