The short story “The Garden Party” was written by Katherine Mansfield, a rising short story writer from New Zealand; This work of fiction was first published in 1922 in The Garden Party and Other Stories. This short story delves into modernity through innovative literary techniques, such as beginning in media and using third-person over-the-shoulder narration. In doing so, Mansfield makes the “coming-of-age tale” new and fresh. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayThe short story is set in a small New Zealand town, where the wealthy Sheridan family lives on a hilltop, overcoming their financial woes . wealthy neighbors. Mansfield's account traces a particularly memorable day in the life of Laura Sheridan, marked by a phenomenal garden party and a tragic death. Interaction with the lower class catalyzes Laura's transition from childhood to womanhood. Although the news takes Laura many steps in the transition to womanhood, she is unable to fully become a woman due to her inability to deal with mortality. The opening paragraph of the Garden Party sets the stage for a coming-of-age story, presenting a symbolically powerful setting. The weather was "ideal" and described as "windless, warm, the sky without clouds" and as "blue veiled with a light golden mist". The images are bright with bright, soft colors, the rolling alliteration of “windless and warm” guides the reader seamlessly into a moment of wondrous weather. The day is also at the “beginning of summer”, a symbol of youth. Summer is deeply linked to childhood nostalgia, as it is common for people to have fond memories of sunny summer days. Then there are the roses, which the gardener has been busy arranging since dawn, until the lawn with all its flowers “seems to shine” and the roses, which were “hundreds, yes, literally hundreds,” are the centerpiece of the work. Be careful of anyone approaching the house. These flowers are clearly a yonic symbol and a beacon of femininity. The combination of the perfect warm weather, summer season, and enormous amount of flowers sets the stage for a young girl's coming of age story. The pleasant summer weather also accurately reflects the personality of the main character Laura. Laura is a naive young girl, whose motivations throughout the beginning of the story are pure, instinctive and childlike in their simplicity. She just wants to be useful and adult, and do what she believes is right and good. For example, at the beginning of the story, Laura is the only one who can tell the workers where to place the marquee, because her sisters were not dressed appropriately. When she was told to take care of the task, she did so and it was described as follows: “Laura flew away, still holding her piece of bread and butter. » This phrasing of this sentence is significant, especially the word "steal", because it adds images of flight to the present moment. The flight imagery adds immediacy to the action and shows Laura's youthful enthusiasm. This enthusiasm, which is also underlined by the fact that she did not even wait to finish her bread inside, is a major aspect of Laura's characterization as a young person. These brief moments are very important to the short story because they are all we see of her as a child, before the crucial moments in the story that mark her transition into womanhood. The innovative literary techniques used throughoutof the story also highlight Laura's transition into womanhood. The short story begins in media res and this is significant because it signals that Laura is in the middle of her life. The news would have been a completely different feeling if we had seen Laura from birth to the moment of transition to adulthood, and the transition would have been less dramatic. The decision to start in the middle also highlighted the importance of the specific day. The decision to use third person over the shoulder narration also adds to the interaction Laura has with her, the workers setting up the marquee, is a major turning point in the short story and in Laura's life as she shows her efforts to take on the role of the marquee. responsibilities of an adult. When she goes out, she addresses men in a specific tone of voice, "copying her mother's voice", indicating that she is trying to act like an adult by imitating her mother. However, when she realizes that this tone of voice does not suit her, she "stutters like a little girl", reflecting how new she is to adult behavior and how she crosses the line between youth and maturity. Later, during the interaction, Laura considers what to discuss, thinking, “What a beautiful morning! She shouldn't, which shows that she is adopting an adult attitude. This interaction is also significant because it represents Laura's sexual awakening and shows her becoming a woman. Then, Laura observes the behavior of the men and she is delighted with their appearance and behavior, from their "pretty eyes, ... small, but such a dark blue" to all their kind smiles which seemed to her to say "' Don’t worry, we won’t bite. Her attraction to men is undeniable and she repeatedly describes them as “very good workers”. Men represent the epitome of masculinity. On the one hand, they are manual laborers, and they work with their hands and bodies in a typically masculine role, that of provider and laborer. There is also a distinct contrast between upper-class and lower-class men, which is related to their perceived masculinity. Often, upper-class men are considered effeminate due to their distance from manual labor, but also their fanciful dress and intellectual nature, which contrasts with the singularity of macho masculinity. Laura notices this subconsciously, thinking, "Why couldn't she have workers as friends instead of the stupid boys she danced with and came to Sunday night dinner?" ". These “silly boys” are more effeminate and immature in his mind, while the workers are mature and virile, and therefore more attractive. At this moment when she feels attraction to them, in contrast to the lack of attraction to boys from the upper classes, her sexuality awakens and she begins the transition to womanhood. The next significant event in the short story about Laura's maturation is the tragic death of Mr. Scott, who was only a passing acquaintance, but whose death deeply affected Laura and caused her to consider her moral compass by relation to upper-class societal norms. Immediately, Laura feels like it would be insensitive of her family to continue the festivities in light of the death, since the deceased and his family live so close to their home. Death puts Laura at odds with the upper-class attitude expressed by her older sister and mother. His mother and sister were not as bothered by the death of a lower-class individual and felt it was perfectly appropriate to begin party activities. In..