Topic > What Laura Didn't Learn in The Garden Party - 1959

At the conclusion of The Garden Party, Laura is exposed to a side of life she had never encountered before, and comes to the sudden realization that "the life and death can actually coexist and that their common existence in one world can be beautiful" (Magalaner 101). Death is not necessarily associated with ugliness, she learns, but rather is a natural process that she likens to deep, peaceful sleep. However, his apparent epiphany is actually just amazement. Laura's world revolves around the beautiful things in life, garden parties and flowers, and she has been surrounded by beauty her entire life. Her social class is too ingrained in her for a momentary glimpse into the contrasting life of the lower class to truly affect her (Sorkin 445). Laura, the protagonist of The Garden Party, serves as the narrator and provides a link between the two. contrasting forces of the story: the world of the Sheridans, full of privilege and joy, and that of the Scotts, made of difficulty, death and pain (Fullbrook 120). At the end of the story, Laura finds herself facing a dilemma: she must cross the barrier between the two worlds and face the death, grief and loss that her own class hides. The Garden Party represents Laura's gradual progression in many ways: the search for her identity, maturity and the transition to her final journey to Saunders Lane. His progress can be seen in terms of his behavior before, during and after the party. The opening paragraph of The Garden Party sets the tone for the rest of the story "[suggesting] the unnaturalness of what must happen in a 'natural' setting" (Magalaner 98). Mansfield's imagery and diction reflect not only the wealth and elitism of the Sheridan family, but their attitude to "conjure... in the middle of paper..." will not be affected much by his experience as he flees back into the world. his world. Works Cited Davis, Robert Murray. "The Unity of 'The Garden Party.'" Studies in Short Fiction, Vol. II, Newberry College, 1964. 61-65.Fullbrook,. Kate. "Late Ficiton." Katherine Mansfield. The Harvester Press, 1986. 86-128.Hankin, C.A. “Haunted by Death.” “The Legacy of Fiction.” The Fiction of Katherine Mansfield Southern Illinois University Press,. 1971. 74-119.Satterfield, Ben. 'Irony in 'The Garden Party.'" Ball State University Forum. vol. XXIII, no. 1. Winter, 1982. 68-70 Sorkin, Adam J. "Katherine Mansfield's 'The Garden Party': Style and social occasion". Studies in modern narrative, vol. XXIV, n. 3. Autumn, 1978. 439-455.