The Garden Party: And Other Stories Questions and Answers
by Katherine Mansfield

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  What is an important theme in “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield?
  An important theme in Mansfield's "The Garden Party" centers on individual identity. One theme in Mansfield's short story concerns the formation of individual identity. Laura displays this theme...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  What kind of relationship does Laura have with her mother, Mrs Sheridan, in "The Garden Party"? How strong is that relationship?
  Check the link below for help with your answer. You may also want to visit the study guide to this story with regard to characters.Good Luck!

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  Compare how "The Garden Party" and "The Monkey Garden" explore the loss of innocence.
  Both Katherine Mansfield’s “The Garden Party” and Sandra Cisneros’ “The Monkey Garden” depict characters who experience a harsh loss of innocence—one regarding class differences, and one regarding...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  When did "The Garden Party" take place?
  Katherine Mansfield's "The Garden Party" was published in 1922, but the story's Sheridan estate is based on Mansfield's childhood home in New Zealand. Given that she moved to London in 1903, the...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  What are the characteristics of Marie Swainson in "The Wind Blows"?
  Because Marie Swainson is a secondary character in this story and is not focalized, all of the reader’s understanding of her comes from what she means to Matilda, the main character. The facts that...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  What does the young lady's mother do for the family of the man who has died?
  Laura Sheridan wants to cancel the garden party her family is giving that day when she hears about the death of the workman who lived nearby. Her mother talks her out of it by offering her a...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  What does "The Garden Party" say about class issues and differences? How does Laura see/feel about them?
  “The Garden Party” is a short story by Katherine Mansfield, first published in 1922. It follows the main protagonist Laura, who helps her mother with the organisation of a garden party. One of the...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  What are the examples of modernism in "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield?
  As with many works of modernist literature, "The Garden Party" has a fairly straightforward plot. And yet, beneath the simple surface, there is a lot more going on. This itself is one of the key...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  Based on "The Garden Party," how do Mansfield's stylistic elements and preoccupations work together to show the idea that the self is ambiguous?
  In "The Garden Party," Mansfield's preoccupation with social class becomes a catalyst for exploring the idea of an ambiguous self. She focuses on Laura, a young woman whose self-conception changes...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  What has Laura learned by the end of the story? Has she completely rejected her family's values? Does Laurie really understand his sister? Make sure that you provided evidence from the text. Do not forget to include in-text citations.
  Laura starts the story having a positive interaction with workmen setting up her family's garden party. This convinces her that there are no class differences and that the classes can all get along...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  Should the Sheridans have called off the garden party, as Laura suggested?
  This becomes one of the fundamental issues in Mansfield's short story. On one hand, Jose's words are haunting to this point: "She [Jose] takes a dim view of Laura's wish to cancel the garden...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  What does "The Garden Party" signify?
  "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield is a wonderful, multi-layered story about a young girl who, after spending a wonderful day at a garden party, travels down the road to visit the home and...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  What are some examples of metaphors used in Katherine Mansfield's story "The Garden Party"?
  Katherine Mansfield’s story “The Garden Party” employs a number of different metaphors, including the following: Early in the story, one of the characters is called “the butterfly,” thus comparing...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  What is Katherine Mansfield's writing style in the story "The Garden Party"?
  As an avowed modernist, Mansfield provides the reader with an insight into the subjective opinions and emotions of her characters. She does this through the deployment of a third-person limited...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  How can I analyze the use of symbols in "The Garden Party"? What is the way to analyze symbolism?
  Analysing symbolism takes a little work and a little digging. First, the definition of a symbolic word, object, statement or concept is that it is one that stands for itself (e.g., a rose is a...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  In Kate Mansfield's story "The Garden Party", why can't Laura finish her sentence at the end of the story?
  A representative of Kate Mansfield's style, "The Garden" party is a story where self-realization, social differentiation, coming of age, and life discoveries are thematic key elements. Set in the...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  Laura said, "Isn't life--" But what life she couldnt explain."  What it Laura trying to say about what she thinks of life in "The Garden Party"?
  This becomes one of the fundamental issues in Mansfield's short story. Laura is unable to explain what she considers life to be. To a great extent, this makes sense. Laura has had a moment where...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  In "The Garden Party," at last, Laura did not finish her words. What did you think she would have said?
  At the end of the tale, we are left with a sense of the inadequacy of words to describe a transcendent experience. Laura has just experienced a radically different world from her own world of...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  How does Katherine Mansfield investigate Laura's resistance to her class relations in "The Garden Party"?
  A key theme of this excellent short story is that of class, and the way that Laura begins the story at least by trying to ignore class and pretending that it does not impact her. An important part...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  Describe the role of female characters in "The Garden Party", "Miss Brill", "The Little Governess" and "Her First Ball" by Katherine Mansfield.
  This is a big question relating to four very different short stories, so my answer is going to be necessarily brief. I will point towards general patterns rather than specifics, and this will...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  Contrast Laura with the other members of her family in "The Garden Party."
  One point of contrast between Laura and her family members in "The Garden Party" lies in her level of care and philosophical insight. Laura is different than her family members because she cares...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  Why did the author write "The Garden Party" and what does it mean?
  The meaning of this story is very closely intertwined with Mansfield's reasons for writing it. In this story she seems to explore the issue of class and how class consciousness is conveyed and...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  How is irony used in "The Garden Party"?
  The third-person-limited point of view immediately establishes the irony because of the distance between information and subject matter.The narrator withholds information in favor of limiting what...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  How is epiphany used in "The Garden Party"? Please give some examples.
  In "The Garden Party" the theme of "epiphany" is conveyed through the stream-of-consciousness narrative that envelops the entire experience as it is told from the focalized perspective of Laura. A...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  Explain how the following quote relates to Laura's character in"The Garden Party:"  “And the heart that is soonest awake to the flowers is always the first to be touched by the thorns.” Thomas Moore (1779-1852)
  I think that Moore's quote can connect to Laura on several levels. Consider that Laura represents "the heart that is soonest awake to the flowers." Laura is one of the few members of the Sheridan...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  How does imagery contribute to the reader's understanding of the themes of "The Garden Party"? Include specific themes and use quotes for support. 
  One of the many potential themes that you could comment on in response to this question is that of class. Essentially, this is a story of a young woman who is made to realise the importance of...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  What is the meaning of the garden party in "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield and how does it relate to the theme?
  To answer this question, you need to relate the garden party in all of its frivolous glory to the death of Mr. Scott and Laura's visit to him at the end of the story. Let us just remember that when...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  How would you characterize the character of Laura from Katherine Mansfield's "The Garden Party"?
  Laura is a character that attempts to change in the story. Many stories center on a character's growth or change. The problem with this character is that the reader cannot ascertain that any change...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  Write a short note on Mr. Scott's death and Laura's reaction after hearing about his death according to "The Garden Party."
  Laura's first reaction when she hears about the death of Mr. Scott is that the party must be cancelled. She is so shocked by the news, and shown to be rather innocent and naive, and thus she feels...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  Where and what is the climax of "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield?
  A narrative climax can be an action-packed dramatic event, a quietly decisive event, a heightened emotional event, or a subtle psychological event. In addition, in short stories, the climax is...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  In "The Garden Party," in what way does Jose's song function?
  This is a great question! It seems to me that the song that Jose sings actually foreshadows the events that occur later in the story, in particular the death of Mr. Scott and the confrontation that...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  What types of conflict are used in this piece? In what instances is conflict used?
  Conflicts in the story are both internal and external. Once conflict concerns Laura and her family ("man against man"). She wants to learn life from their point of view; she wants to be...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  What is the symbolism of the hats in "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield?
  The central hat that it is well worth focusing on is the hat that Laura's mother uses to distract her from her tirade about why the garden party should be cancelled. As Laura comes in to her...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  What is the significance of "The Garden Party"'s vague ending?
  About Mansfield's ending to her short story, critic Warren Walker remarks, "[It]leaves readers with a feeling of dissatisfaction, a vague sense that the story somehow does not realize its...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  What is the setting in relation to the plot in Katherine Mansfield's ''The Garden Party''?    
  The setting of "The Garden Party" begins at Laura's home and shifts to the neighborhood and home of the dead man's widow. When the story opens in medias res (or res in medias), Laura is making...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  What literary techniques does the author use in "The Garden Party?"
  This story is an excellent example of the short story genre and shows how much an author can pack into a relatively small package. Mansfield uses a very wide array of literary techniques. Here are...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  What are the life lessons that we can learn by this story, "The Garden Party"?
  In "The Garden Party," the short story by Katherine Mansfield, the are presented with a stunning contrast: the wealthy, carefree family to which the main character, Laura, belongs, and the...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  What is Laura trying to say about life in this quote from "The Garden Party," and what does it mean? "Don't cry," (Laurie) said in his warm, loving voice. "Was it awful?" "No," sobbed Laura. "It was simple marvelous. But Laurie--" She stopped, she...
  He was given up to his dream. What did garden-parties and baskets and lace frocks matter to him? He was far from all those things. He was wonderful, beautiful. While they were laughing and while...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  In "The Garden Party," what kind of relationship does Laura have with her family?
  While we can certainly be sure that Laura loves all her family members--we do love our families regardless of their faults and actions--it is obvious that she is closer to her brother, Laurie, than...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  How does Katherine Mansfield depict the distinction between upper class and lower class people in "The Garden Party?"
  One of the main issues "The Garden Party" explores is the differences between the social classes. Laura, the main character, and her family, the Sheridans, represent the upper class. The family of...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  In the story "The Garden Party", how is the character of Laura Sheridan revealed ? 
  Katherine Mansfield's coming-of-age story "The Garden Party" focuses on the social and psychological discoveries of a young, well-to-do woman who vicariously experiences through certain events the...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  Give examples of Laura's love of simple and natural things.
  A significant part of Laura's characterization is her love of simple and natural things. The opening line of the story is one that Laura shares and understands: "AND after all the weather was...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  In "The Garden Party," explain Laura's attitude toward the dead man when she saw him.
  In "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield, Laura is a daughter of wealth and aristocracy. On this special day, the day her family was having an elaborate garden party, a working man who lived...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  In "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield, who are the antagonists of the story, and besides Laura, who else could qualify to be a protagonist?
  I think you could argue that the one of the primary antagonists of the story is the young man who died on the day of the party. It is his death that ultimately has the most profound affect on Laura...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  In The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield, How has Laura grown? What has she learned from her day and how does she mature from her experience? Also, What could we predict for her future after that day?
  The way Laura grows in "The Garden Party" is by experiencing the first paradigm shifts of her life. Rather than changing the way that she sees life by going through a ceremonial "coming of age"...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  Explain the characteristics of Laura in "The Garden Party."
  This excellent short story by Katherine Mansfield focuses on the thoughts and feelings of Laura Sheridan and the way that we see her develop during the action of the plot. Clearly, Mansfield...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  Can you identify the resolution in "The Garden Party"?  
  You are not allowed to ask multiple questions according to enotes regulations, so I have edited your original question accordingly to focus on the resolution of this impressive short story. Let us...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  Why does Laura say "Forgive my hat" to the body of Mr. Scott in "The Garden Party"?
  This part of the story comes when Laura takes a basketful of food to the Scott family as a token of sympathy for the death of Mr. Scott, who died in an accident that morning. As she goes in to see...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  What is the idea that Mrs. Sheridian does not want to put in Laura's head from "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield?
  This is a good question, unfortunately, there is not one clue in the text to tell us what Mrs. Sheridan was actually thinking. However, based upon what we do know of Mrs. Sheridan's attitude toward...

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• The Garden Party: And Other Stories
  In "The Garden Party," how do the relationships between the Sheridans cope with the expectations of society?   I was thinking along the lines of the way society percieves the Sheridans causing the relationships the family has with one and other...
  Well, let us remember that the key divisive factor if we examine the relationships between the Sheridans is Laura, who, in her youth and her dismissive attitude towards class differences requests...

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