What Is The Theme In The Garden Party

The Garden Party | Themes

Boundless Beauty

Laura Sheridan finds beauty in nearly everything—the leaves of the karaka trees dancing in the breeze, the way a workman inhales the powdery smell of a dried lavender flower, and even the way light dances on an inkpot. The pots of lilies Mrs. Sheridan orders are lovely, but they are no lovelier than the everyday sights that capture Laura's eyes and imagination. Through Laura, author Katherine Mansfield points out the exquisiteness of everyday life.

Mansfield also points out the beauty in death. Laura's reaction to Scott's corpse is not one of horror but of awe. "He was wonderful, beautiful," the narrator says of the dead man's body laid out on the bed. Death has brought Scott peace and made his broken body a thing of great beauty.

"The Garden Party" promotes the idea that one does not need money or privilege to enjoy the beauty the world has to offer. A workman enjoys the scent of a lavender sprig. Laura revels in the artistic displays of the natural world—the sun's rays, flowers, the wind. These things might not be lasting, but they are simple and pure. In contrast, Mrs. Sheridan orders massive quantities of cultivated lilies to show off her wealth. Later she gives Laura a fanciful hat to distract her from empathizing with the Scotts. Laura realizes the error of allowing herself to be lured into complacency by such frivolous luxuries, which only make her feel foolish in the end.

Burgeoning Independence

Laura is at a metaphorical crossroads in "The Garden Party." She can either follow the path laid forth by her mother or do things her own way. At the beginning of the story Laura is content to become the woman her mother wishes her to be. She likes the sense of duty that comes with organizing the garden party and, like her mother, is eager to show off the magnificent garden. She thinks her mother is perfect, even when she discovers Mrs. Sheridan has been controlling the party planning from behind the scenes. Then Laura hears about Scott's death, and her strong reaction to the news creates new distance between Laura and her mother and between Laura and her sister Jose. Laura is full of empathy for Scott's widow and children. She puts herself in their place and imagines what it would be like to suffer such a great loss. She imagines that she wouldn't want to hear the sounds of a party at such a time. Mrs. Sheridan and Jose feel limited sympathy for their neighbors. While they are sorry a man died, making life easier for those left behind is not a priority for them.

Laura allows herself to be convinced that the garden party should go on, but when it's over she once again feels distant from her family. "How curious, she seemed to be different from them all," the narrator reflects when Mrs. Sheridan tells Laura to take the leftover party food to the Scotts. Laura can't imagine that Mrs. Scott would welcome their castoffs. She's not confident enough in her own beliefs to outwardly defy her mother, but she does question everything about the situation—the food, her hat, her dress, even her mere presence at the Scott's home. Laura may not yet feel ready to follow her own heart, but she's on her way to doing so.

The Sheridans are a wealthy family. They live in a large home, employ servants, and have plenty of money to spend on parties. This puts them in a higher social class than the people who live down the hill. The Sheridans live in a world divided into "us" and "them." Some members of the family, such as Jose and Mrs. Sheridan, embrace this social divide. They spare very little thought or concern for their working-class neighbors who live in "poky little holes." "People like that don't expect sacrifices from us," Mrs. Sheridan says when Laura asks to cancel the garden party. The only opinions that matter to Mrs. Sheridan and Jose are those of their social peers.

This class prejudice doesn't sit well with Laura. While outside with the workmen, she tells herself that she would rather do away with "these absurd class distinctions" and be friends with everyone. This attitude makes her feel noble, but it isn't natural for her. Laura instinctually notices differences in wealth and class just as her mother and sister do. For example, the narrator's remarks about the "little mean dwellings" in the village come directly from Laura's thoughts. "The very smoke coming out of their chimneys was poverty-stricken ... so unlike the great silvery plumes that uncurled from the Sheridans' chimneys," the narrator says. The difference in Laura is that she doesn't believe these distinctions are meaningful. She wants to treat all people the same no matter how much money they have or where they live. She finds this difficult to do from her privileged perch.

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