The Garden Party

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1922

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Character Analysis

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Themes

Class Distinction and Class Consciousness

The Sheridans are a well-to-do family who own a large, gated estate. While their home is surrounded by less affluent cottages, the children have been instructed not to enter this part due to Mrs. and Mr. Sheridan’s concerns of how this environment might affect their children. For the Sheridans, the distinction between their upper-class lifestyle and the outside world (represented by the surrounding cottages) is a given fact of life; however, Laura is the only character within the story who openly questions these class-based divisions. While Mansfield does not specify which type of class it is that Laura questions, it is clear that the “us and them” dichotomy is ultimately what the protagonist cannot so easily accept.

In this vein, Laura’s worldview exists in a liminal state between the classes. She openly questions the validity of class distinctions as she watches the workmen set up the marquee, but she returns to the house as her family call her back for a phone call. When Mrs. Sheridan places the lavish and expensive black hat on Laura’s head, she reminds her daughter not to “spoil everyone’s fun” (8). While she protests with her words, Laura’s actions are compliant, as she keeps the hat on and admires her reflection, deciding to wait until the end of the party. Laura discerns the presence as well as the injustice of these distinctions; however, they are more for her ponderance rather than her action.

Within this theme, a darkly comic moment arises when Jose, after hearing Laura’s desire to cancel the party, tells Laura to stop being “so extravagant.” The word “extravagant” is what creates the comedy, as Mansfield uses it ironically. For the Sheridans, the act of canceling a party—even as an act of sympathy and solidarity with the grieving family—is considered extravagant, while the cornucopia of flowers and cream puffs is simply normal. To the less affluent outside world, of course, the party would more than likely seem extravagant if not incomprehensible. Laura senses this reversed understanding when she journeys to the widow’s house; her inner monologue changes from a positive reflection on the party to an anxious reflection on her out-of-place appearance, particularly with her hat. Regardless, she proceeds.

Adolescents Playing at Adulthood

Although the reader never learns the true age of Laura and her siblings, their interactions with each other and with the outside world indicate they are younger but old enough to mimic adults and fulfill small but important tasks (such as delivering a food basket to the widow). Stuck in between adolescence and adulthood, the Sheridan children also live in a state of liminality, thereby receiving the guidance and support of Mrs. Sheridan while simultaneously playing, and grappling, with more mature responsibilities.

The idea that the children would host the garden party, without their mother’s interference, is an idea both delightful and unrealistic; Mrs. Sheridan knows this, and, though she playfully suggests that the children will be organizing the party this year, she soon takes over. Rather than be insulted, the children happily go about their preparations as if they are still the hosts.

Behind the gates, the children play at adulthood by participating in superficial activities. Laura initially imitates her mother’s voice when she speaks to the workmen, only to oscillate back into her younger and naturally less authoritative tone. Jose sings a song of love and death with a mournful countenance, only to immediately smile once the last chord is played. Jose and Laura acknowledge that consuming cream puffs so soon after breakfast would signal their immaturity, yet they still indulge. None of the characters seem particularly bothered by their liminality, since they consider themselves farther on the path to adulthood than they truly are.

As the protagonist, Laura is the character whom the reader sees cross over from the liminal state into the realm of independence and adulthood. While the news of Mr. Scott’s death is shocking to the Sheridan family, this moment propels Laura in her journey to adulthood as well as the outside world. Her argument with Jose is the inciting incident in the story, ultimately leading to the rising action of Laura’s inner turmoil in deciding the next course of action. While Mrs. Sheridan originally placates the situation by placing the hat on Laura’s head, Laura stops fretting and submits to an afternoon of idyllic and almost dreamlike happiness at the party. It is only after the party finishes that Mrs. Sheridan realizes that sending Laura to the home of the widow with a basket of baked goods would be the honorable action. In this moment, Mrs. Sheridan facilitates Laura’s passage into adulthood, wishing her a safe trip and sending her out of the gates of her protected house to navigate the world in her expensive hat.

The Relationship Between Life and Death

Broadly, the story also comments on the relationship between life and death. The presence of life (represented by the party) and the progress of life (represented by the band) are protected within the gates of the Sheridan home. This is the reality that the Sheridan children live in, and are protected by, in their daily life. While there is a brief reference to Mr. Sheridan and Laurie leaving for the office, and while Laura visits the widow’s house, the children ultimately are protected from the realities of the outside world. The Sheridan family seems beyond the reach of death.

When the news of death reaches the Sheridans—news that is, significantly, from a delivery man from the outside world—each character’s response reveals something crucial about them. The aftermath distinguishes Laura from her family: Her instinct is solidarity with the widowed Mrs. Scott, and she believes that death should be acknowledged and the dead respectfully mourned. Her family disagree, instead remaining tethered in their world, enjoying the flowers, the party, the band, and, ultimately, the moment that they live in. For the Sheridans, the here and now is paramount.

Flowers are a notable symbol for this theme. In particular, they serve as a quiet, yet constant, reminder that life is fleeting. The Sheridans, as well as the workmen, enjoy the beauty of the garden’s flowers, all of which are fresh and in bloom rather than withering. Yet the bloom of a flower, while full in appearance, is really in a transitory state and moving toward decay.

There are two points in which death does draw concern from Mrs. Sheridan. The first is the possibility that the man died within the gates of the house. Her concern is due to how this death would be difficult to avoid and thereby difficult to ignore when they have the party. The second is when she suggests Laura take a basket of food to the widow. This is the first time Mrs. Sheridan acknowledges the possibility of grief with death; however, since she thinks of it only after the party, and she sends only items that are left over from the festivities, this act of kindness is haphazard and does not show the same empathy as Laura does.

For Laura, death is not a wholly negative experience; in fact, it is overwhelmingly emotional and tied into life. After seeing the dead Mr. Scott in the widow’s home, she struggles to articulate life, as opposed to death, when she speaks to Laurie. This is because Mansfield intertwines these stages of life in the story, further emphasizing the transitory state in which humanity lives.