Home > Marriage a la Mode Summary & Study Guide

Marriage a la Mode | Introduction

‘‘Marriage á la Mode,’’ published in 1921 as part of the collection The Garden Party, and Other Stories, was the last of Katherine Mansfield’s stories dealing with the shallow London bohemian art world, a world which Mansfield knew all too well. The story has often been compared to the better-known ‘‘Bliss,’’ published the previous year. Like its predecessor, ‘‘Marriage á la Mode’’ satirizes the shallow denizens of the art circles, while presenting an unfolding (apparently irretrievable) domestic drama.

In ‘‘Marriage á la Mode,’’ Mansfield creates a world ruled by parasitic, immature, and unfulfilled adults. Both the characters themselves and Mansfield’s choice of imagery convey the essential hollowness of these people’s lives. Every detail in the story adds to this impression, from a strawberry bonnet to conversational quirks. Again, Mansfield demonstrates her talent for keen characterization and subtle observation.

Mansfield also delves into the psychology of her main protagonists—the husband and wife—by giving voice to each character. While these characters, both the victim and the victimizer, may hardly be likable people, their evocation at Mansfield’s skillful hand leads to a clear picture of them, the world they inhabit, and the way they want to live. The brief story could be called a ‘‘slice of life,’’ yet Mansfield, as she does in so many of her works, chooses a significant period, one that will inevitably lead to profound change.

Mansfield’s contemporary readers remarked on the clarity of vision in The Garden Party. Though in many stories, the incidents were slight, perhaps even commonplace, this in no way detracts from their power; indeed, Mansfield’s genius derives from her unsentimental way of drawing attention to the day-to-day events which add up to the sum of a life.

Marriage a la Mode Summary

The story opens with William on his way to the train station in London. He is on his way to see his wife and children, who live outside the city. William remembers that he has not brought a gift for his children, and this realization causes him to reflect on the changes that his life has undergone recently as his wife Isabel has come to embrace more modern attitudes and friends. William purchases a melon and a pineapple for his sons and boards the train. Though he tries to concentrate on papers he brought from the office, William cannot stop his thoughts from drifting to Isabel and the way things used to be between them. While William thought they were happy in their small city house, Isabel was in reality lonely and pining for new company and contemporary friends. After she made friends with Moira Morrison, Isabel began her self-transformation, which included the acquisition of the house in the suburbs.

When William arrives at the station, he is pleased to find Isabel waiting for him alone, but as they exit, he sees her menagerie of friends: Bill, Dennis, and Moira. The three adults, including Isabel, have a distinctly... » Complete Marriage a la Mode Summary