Class distinction in the Garden Party

'The Garden Party' by Katherine Mansfield deals with two families. The first ones is Mrs. Sheridan’s in which a garden party is going to be arranged on a very suitable day. The second is Mrs. Scott’s in which the dead body of Mr. Scott is waiting to be buried. But the main attention of the writer in the story is on the marks of class distinction. Two families are nothing but the symbols of two distinctive classes of the society-- Mrs. Sheridan’s is of upper class and Mrs. Scott’s is of lower or working class.

The authoress portrays an outstanding character Laura. She is by birth an upper class girl but individually merely a human being and a humanitarian who advocates the lower class people. But at the same time she has limitations to work against the upper class people. Indeed, she is the mouthpiece of the authoress and a link character between two classes.

Laura comes to supervise the work of the workmen and finds that she holds the bread and butter at her hand and so she feels ashamed because this kind of outdoor eating is not a regular practice of the upper class. She tries to copy her mother’s voice of the upper class while wishing ‘Good morning’ to the workmen, but she cannot do it well.

The natural behavior of the workmen, their whistling, their smiling seem to Laura very nice and attractive. She thinks that their smile is telling her-

‘Cheer up, we won’t bite’

Indeed, this feeling implicitly reveals her sympathy towards the lower class but at the same time her class consciousness. However, the lower class people are not beast-like creatures, as the upper class people consider, and they have no practice of biting others. On the contrary, the upper class people have the backbiting tendency to gain their selfish purposes.

Laura becomes impressed by the workmen’s natural behavior, gratitude and gesture and likes to think herself as a ‘work-girl’. But at this very moment, she is called b this very moment, she is redirected by the upper class—the telephone call to her is a symbol for a reminder to keep the distinction between the classes.

In the Garden Party, two classes are divided by a road. On the upper side lives Mrs. Sheridan’s family and at the lower side lives the working class family. Everything in Mrs. Scott’s family is poverty stricken—in their garden, patches, there is nothing but cabbage stalks, sick lens and tomato cans. On the contrary, in Mrs. Sheridan’s garden, a glanderous Garden Party is is taking place in an admirable weather and surrounding. Even the chimneys in the families express the difference. So class distinction exists everywhere.

Children are above the class distinction. Though, Mrs. Sheridan’s children were prohibited to go to the lower class area, they went there breaking the prohibition.

Laura falls in a fix when she hears a death news of Mr. Scott. She requests her brother and mother again and again to stop the party, but they do not agree with her. Even, Laura’s mother objectionably comments on those people’s living in those ‘poky little holes’. But, if anyone in her family had died, she must have thought of postponing the party. Their attitude nakedly shows the marks of class distinction.

The party being over, Mrs. Sheridan wants to send the remaining food to Mrs. Scott’s family. Here the lower class people are treated like beasts who eat the extra food after the human use. Even, she mocks at them by stating—

‘No wait, take the arum lilies too. People of that class are so impressed by arum lilies.

However, Jose represents the people who exercise power over the lower class. Jose loves to order the subordinates and the elders allow to do it.

Jose’s singing song draws a sharp class distinction. Jose sings ‘This life is weary’ but practically doesn’t know the meaning of weary which the children of Mrs. Scott’s family know and feel well.

Therefore, The Garden Party is an excellent work which marks the class distinction in the society. We also follow Mansfield’s mastery over portraying the character of Laura who tries to dissolve the distinction in the society. But her activities are restricted by the society and family.