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CH,4PTERIII
The Femalc chmacters' Eryrktnce of rllusions and Disillusianment in "The Gsden P artt',,,Hs First Ball"r"Bliss" frnd'Miss Brill,,
As the writer hrs meationed ir the previous chapter,
d.isillusionmentre{ers to the stateor condition of someonewhose plersant
bnt mistakenbelie{s are destroyed(Longman,2iT}. people may have
pleasantbut mistaken beliefr about somethiag or someone,knowr as
illusion. Becauseof illusion,people may rcgsrd their five asbeautiful and
pleasant.Un{ortnnately, people who live in illnsion, can be disillusioned.
from their pleasant but mistaken beliel to the disagreeablereality.
KatherineMansfield, one of modern rwiters,has elevrted the experience
of disillusionmentin her storiesthat the thesiswriter is going to analyze: "The 'T{er "Bliss" "Miss Garden Party", First Ball", and Brilf,. In these
storiee Katherine Mans{ield portays the experience o{ ttre female charactersEE women who are delnded by their illueionarv world and. ,t
mistakenbeliefs. Throngh a certainmoment in their live, their pleasant
illusions are destroyed. To reveal the experienceof disillusionmentin
thesestories, the writer will emphasizethe analysison the characterof the
Iemalecharacters, the Iemale characters'incid.ents with other chartcters,
and the settingof the storieswhich reveal the characters,experimce oI
disillusionment.
3,L The lzlrocanceChnracterstic of the Fenale Charasterswhich Lead
Them into Disillusionmmt
The characterizationoI the {emalecharacters in thesefour stories determinestheir experieaceo{ disillusionment. To reveal the experience o{ disillusionmst, Katherine Mrn#ield presmts her {€mrle characters with siglificantcheracteristic. Although theIemale characters she chooses are variousin agesand. ntatus, they have rignificant characteristicwhirh causethem to undergo similar experience.Laura comesfrom big family "Her ia upper class{amily. Meanwhile,Leila in First Ball" is a timid and shy gid who lives in a lonely country home up to her age. The other characters,Bertha Yotng and Miss Brill are adult. However, they also come {rom diferent backgrouad. Bertha Young is a young housewile who lives in a rich lamily, meanwhile Miss Brill is an old. spinster who
Iives alonein a dark and narrow apartment. However, as women, they "The are depictedas innocentand nalve. Laura in Garden party" and 27
"Her Leila in First Ball" are girls who start to move lrom their innocence
to a more mature girls who learn new Iacts ol li[e. Meanwhile, Bertha "Bli$s" "Mise Young in and Miss Brill in Brill' are depictedas two adults
who still possessthe characteristico{ being innocmt. Becauseof their
innocence,they are also easily deluded by their own illusion or mietakm
belief createdby the pleasantsituation. Therefore,they becomepeople
who are rura'wareof the rcality. Lanra is deluded by the happinessshe
getein the gardenparty and is uraware either of the conditon of the poor
peoplewho live below her honseand o{ the clascdistinction behveen the
rich and the poor. Similar to Laura, Leih {eels excessivehappinese
becauseof the first ball sheattends and believesthat the ball promisesher
eternalhappiness. The other two adult charactersare alsoeasily absorbed
ia their illusionary world. BerthaYoung, the happy wife in "Bliss", thinks
that life in her thirties i$ full of contentednessand satis{action.
Meanwhile, Miss Brill, rn old spinsterin the last story, is deluded by the happinessin the park, in which she thinks that she is an "actress"who play her role everySnnday in the park with otherpeople.
Regardlesso{ di{{g1entages and status,the main charactersin these
Iour storieshave similarcharacteristic which is shown by their innocence.
As the writer has mentionedin the previouschapter, an innocentperson refersto a personwho knows nothingo{ evil or wrong or {oolishlysimple.
Moreover',according to Postman,an innocentperson is someoaewho is 28
protected and shieldedfrom certaia kind o{ in{ormation (postmaa,99).
The female charactersin these stories,are elso d.epictedas innocent "The women, Laurn,the teenagegfulin Gardenparty", is depictedas an innocentgirl who hasher own idealsabout life. Sinceshe gror r$up in an upper class family who always experiencehappiness, she hrs no knowledge abont the conditioa o{ the poor people who live below her house. Moreover,the societywhere Laura lives imposesclass ,listinction betweenthe npper claeopeople and the lower classpeople. However, as an innocent girl Laura is not aware o{ this distinction and feels that all people have the sarne statns.Up to her age, Laura is protected.and. shielded lrom the reality outside her house. Therefore, she is also flnaware of the conditon of the poor p€oplewho live below her house.
Sinceshe has never dealtwith thoeepeople, she does not know their real condition. The prove that shehae anything to do with peoplefuom lower classcan be seenwhen shehas to dealwith the workmen,people from the lower classwho arrangethe marqueefor the garden party in Laura's house' Lauta'sattitude toward the workmen shows that she is not usedto dealingwith a person comingIrom the lower class:
'Good morning,' she said,copying her mother'svoice. But
that soundedso {earfully affectedthat she was ashamed,and 29
stammeredlike a little girl,'Oh-er-haveyou come- ie it about
themarquee?' (66).
In dealing with the workmen, Laura tries to im.mitateher mother's
attitude toward peoplefrom lower clasesociety. However, sinceshe is
not used.to rloingit, she{eels awkward in adoptingher mother'sattitude.
Moreover, she is also not used to hearing the language which the
workmen use to speakto her, When a workman rnggestthe place that "a will give bang slap in the eye", she is wondering whether it is quite
respectful{or a workman to talk to her using mch a word (67). For the
workman, the words are common. However, {or su.cha nalve girl hke
Liura, his words$eem rnd.e and cannot be understood.
As an innocentSirL Laura is deludedfrom seeingthe real condition
of the poor people who Hve trelow her honse. In this story, Larrfl's
unawarenessof the reahty is also caused.by the happinees she is
experimcing while preparing {or the garden party. The garderrparty
givesLaura momentaty happiness which causesher to be unawareof the condition o{ the poor people, At the end of the story,when Laura is going
to the uttle cottagewhere the family of the dead cader dwell, she is still under the inlluenceof the happinessshe gets from the grrden party: JU
Here shewas going down the hill to somewherewhere s man
lay dead,and shecould. not realizeit. Why couldn't she?She
stoppeda mirute. And it seemedto her that kisses,tinkling
qpoons,laughter, the smell of cmsherl gracswerE somehow
ilside her, Shehad no room lor rnything dse. How strangel
Shelooked up at the pale sky and all she thought was."yes.it
was the most successfulparty.
Lnnra'shappinees because of the gard.enpafiy consesher to be absorbed by her own illusion. Her illus"ion,in turns, c&use6her to be unaware o{ the reality . Her heart is {illed with the happinessshe experierces fuom the grrden prrty. TherEIore,she starts to forget abouther plan o{ visiting the d.eadcarter's Iamily in the [ttle cottagewhere the poor people live.
Her innocenceand her happinessbecause of the garden party have deludedher to seethe real conditionof poor people.
Similar to Laura,Leila in "Her FirstBalf' alsohas a natnre o{ being an innocentgirl In addition,het existmceas a lonely gid who lives in a quiet and isolatedcountry home, has causedher to be a naive girl who knows nothing o{ the outerworld. Her nppearflnceas an innocentgirl can be seenin her attitudewhen she goesto the ball Ior the {irst time in her life. Up to her age,Leila lives in a quiet and lonely country home.
Therefore,her experiencein the ball with her city cousinshas opened JI
Leila's nflrrow world. However, sinceshe hrs never gone to the ball
belore,her attitudelooks diJ{erentIrom her city cousins. she shows
excessive happineseon her way to the ball. she tries not to smile too much and she tries not to care, but every single thing is so new ald. exciting to her (192). unconsciously,Leila startsto be deluded with the
outward glamorousahnoqphere of the ball. since sheis an innocentgirl, she knows nothing o{ evil or wrong. sinceshe is de1ud.ed.by the beauty o{
the ball, shethinks that all the peoprein theball arelovely:
Dark grrls, {air girls, were patting their hair, tying ribbons
agai:r,tucking handkerchie{down the {ronts o{ their bodices,
smoothingmarble - white glorrgs.And becrusethey were a1l
laughing,it seemedto Leila that they were all lovely (1g4).
Leila doesnot realizethat the peopleshe meets in the ball are actuallynot lovely as she thinks. However, the atmosphereo{ the balt has caused.her to seeeverything as beautiful and pleasant.
As an innocentgirl who is deludedby her happiness,Leila has changedfrom a shy little girl to be a girln'ho {ee1sa rnsh of joy (195). she looks to the dancingballroom with a full ad.orationof $omeonewho has ilever come to that placebefore and she thinks that all she seesrnd "simply experiencesas heavenly" (195). Moreover,she believesthrt '11
throughthe ball, she thotght that her ltfe hns chnngednnd shewill get
eternalhappiness:
It seemedto her thrt shehrd neverknown what the night was
like be{me. Up till now it had been dark, silent, beautifully
very o{tm-oh,yes-butmournful somehow. Solemn. And now
it would never be like that again - il had opened dazzling
bright (199)
ThronghLeila's thought, the writer perceivesthat Leilabelieves her futnre "dazzlhgbright" willbe after shecomes to the brll. She startsto forget her quiet and lonely wodd of country home and to be dduded by the short or momentaryhappiness o{ the ball. However, a$a nalve girl Leila thinks that the ball would give her eternalhappiness . She even 1aysher
Iuture happinesson the ball which shedelights
As a matter of {act, the nature o{ being inaocentis not only possessed.by children or teenagegirls like Laura and Leila who start to move from their innocence to experienceor {rom unf,warenessto awnrenessof the reality of their outnideworld, The adulte, BerthaYoung and Miss BnlL are aloo depicted as innocent women who are easily deluded by their own illusionary world. JJ
"Bliss", In BerthnYoung is portrayed as a thirty-year old w.omfln
who experiencesthe feeling oI bliss or excessivehappinese because she
has achievedeverything that a marriedwomfln wantsto have. 5he has a
perlect husbaad,an adorablebaby, rnd famous {riends. The title o{ the "Bli.ss", story, relers to Bertha's great happinesso{ being a contented
housewi{e.Antl yet, her excessivehappiness has causedher to act like a
child:
Although BerthaYoung was thirty, shestill had mommts like
this when shewanted to run insteadof walk, to take dancing
steps on and off the pavement, to bowl a hoop, to throw
somethingup in the air and catchit again,or to standstill and
laugh at-nothing-at notling,simply (238).
Her natureof being a child when sheis huppy reflectsthat sheis innocent
and.unaware o{ her own existence.As an innocent }voman, Bertha is describedas & woman who is unaware of evil or wrong. As Leila who perceivesthat peopleshe meets in theball arebeautiful and lovely, Bertha
Young also perceivesthat the people she knows are good. It is her unflwarenessthat has caused her to be easilvattracted by a woman named
PearlFulton: _14
'Ihey trVhatlvlise I'rrlton did, Berthadidn't know. harl met at
the club and Berthahad fallenin love with beautiiulwomen
who had somethingstrnnge about them (241).
Miss Fulton's appearlnce. which has an air oi mystery, has attracted
Bertha. Although she knows nothing oI Miss Fulton's background, becauseo{ her happiness,she insists on inviting her to dinner. Bertha's preferenceto haveMiss Fulton as a friendshows that she is a nalveperson who is not awareo{ evil or wrong aboutpeople. Sinceshe is attractedby
MissFulton's appearailce, she has ilo refisoltof not havingMiss Fulton to becomeher frimd. lvfissFulton's appealaflce has attractedher anrLhas causedher to Ieela strongaffinity to takeher to her house.
In rddition, BerthaYoung is alsodepicted as an innocentwiJe. As a wiIe, sheadores her hnsband{aithfuliy and believesthat thev love each other, She appreciatesher husbandmore thrt everything.Therefore, when Harry,her husband, gives an appraisallor thesouiJle she has mad.e, she almostcould *'eep w'ith childlike pleasure(246), Berthayoulg,s una$rarenessto her husband'sattitude toward hliss Fulton also shows that sheis an innocentwiJe. Bertha believes thnt Harry's attitud.etoward.
Miss Fulton throughoutdinner only suggeststhat her husbandis not reallyattracted by MissFulton. BerthaYoung's act of iavitinglv{iss Fulton JJ
asa friend and Bertha'sdeep adorationtoward herhusbandshorv that she
is ianocent.Bertha doesnot realizethat becauseo{ her innocenceshe will
be brought into seeing painful reality. Another example of Bertha's
undwlfeness of her husband's attrativenesstoward Miss Fulton can be
noticed when shelets him accompffnyMiss Fulton into the hall:
MissFulton moved towardsthe hall and Berthawas {ollowing "Let when Harry almostpnshed past. me help you." Bertha
knew that he urfls repentinghis rudeness- she let him go,
What a boy he was in someways - so impulsive - so - simple (2s0).
Bertha'sunalr/areness o{ her husbandattitude at the end o{ dinner shows
that sheis an innocentwile. She knows nothing o{ evil or wrong in her
hnsband'sair of attractiontorsard lvliss Fulton. Bertha'sinnocence also
leads her to live in her own illusion or ideals about her marriage life.
Sinceshe is not awareof the reality.she believes that shehas everythingi:r
her married life, Therefore, she experiencesthe feeling of bliss or
excessivehappiness throtghout the story. On the way to her house, "burned Bertha{eels a blissfulfeeling that ia her bossomand sendingout
a little showerof sparksinto every parficle,into every filger and toe"
(Shapeand Substallce,238). When shelooks on herseffin the mirror, she -ib
aiso overcomeswith happinesn.Throngh the retlectionof the mirror. ''rndiant Berthais describedas a womEnwho is with smiliag,trernbling
Iips, with big, dark eyes and an arr oi listening,waiting Ior something
(239)", ThroughBertha's expression, the wdter noticesthat Berthaleels
excessivehappiness because she believesthat somethingpleasant will
happen to rdd her contentednessin life. Actually, the re{lectiono{ the
mirror also shows the irony that Berthashould acceptat the end o{ the
story' Howevet, she doesnot realizethat shewill looseall her bliss{ul
Ieeling when shewitnesses a disagreeablescene at the end.of the storv.
Her excess"ivehappiness stil1 srrrroundeher at the time she enters the nursery and holdsher baby. Her blisslul {eelingcomes to the peak when
she seesthe pear hee in her garden, The ta[ slenderpear tree in {ul1est, richestbloomhas attracted Bertha that shealso perceives "the lovely pear treewith its wide-openblossom as I symbol of her own life tzlz). As the treestands tali, slenderand blooming,Bertha Young alsothinks that her life is alsobeauti{uland perfect as the pear tree:
Really- shehad everything,She was yonng,Harry and she
rrere asmnch in love flsever, and theywere reall;r good pnls,
Shehad an adorablebnby. They didn't have to ftrorry about
money. They had this srtislactoryhouse and garden. And
{riends - modern, thr"illingfriends, writers and painters and -)/
poets or people keen on social questrons- iust the kind oi
{riendsthey wantedi243).
As a mattero{{act. Bertha's life is reallyper{ect anrl contented. She rloes
not haveto be worriedsince she has everything. However, since she is too
naiveand sheis deludedby her excessivehappiness, she does not realiee
about the pain{ul reality concernirgher husband.'srelationship with Miss
Fnlton,her new friend.
In a similar way, hliss Brill also shows a characteristicof being innocent. Usurlly, an old personmay be perceivedas a mature or growfl np persoll sixce she has experienceda lot o{ things throughont her life. "Miss However, in 8ril1", KatherineManslield presentsan old. womifl who stillhasnature o{ beinginnocent and unaware of the{act that sheis actually old and lonely. Different from the three charactersabove, Miss
Brill's characteris revealed through her own {eeling and t}rinking.
Throughoutthe story,she neither trlks nor speaksto anyone.Although shecomes to the park everySunday, she is not engagedin conversrtion with the other characters.Rather, she has her own *'orld, her illusionary "achess" world, in which sheregards herseu as fln and the park is the stagewhere she plays her part everySunday, As an old woman, Miss
Brill also has significant characteristico{ listening to other people,s conversationand watchingtheir actionin the park. The prove that h{iss l8
Brill is nnilwnre with her owrt r.rord.itioncnn be seenthroughher comment
toward the old peoplewho sit on benchesand greenchairsin {ront of her:
other peopiesat on benchesand greenchairs; but thev rr.ere
nearly alwaystrre s6rne. sunday aftersunday, and Miss Brirl
had oitennoticed - therewas somethiogfirany about nearly ali
of them. They were odd, silent,nearly all old, and foom the
way they staled,ihey lookedas though they'd.just comefrom
darklittle roomsor even-evencupboards (lg6-1gZ).
Actnally thecondition o{ the peopleMiss Brill had observetlresembles her own condition. As a mrtter o{ fact, the one who is orld, silent, old, and isolatedis Miss Brill. Although she is in the park, she doesnot talk to anyone'She actually lives aslonely and isolated old maid in her dark and. narrow apartment,which is similar to a cupboard.
without her awareness.Miss Brill is deluded.by her own illusion that thepark is a kind o{ stageand the people in thepark is the perlomers, including her.The pleasantsituation in the park reallv rnpports Miss Brill in creatingan illusionary world. The so*nd o{ the music from the band and the peoplewith theirvarious actions have caused. her to be deluded: 39
The hrne lifted, liited, the light shone;and it seemedto ]vliss
Brill that rn another moment all ol them, all of the whole
compsny,would b.gtn singing.The yonng ones,the laughing
ones who come together,they would begin and the ruefl,s
voices,very resoluteand brave, would join thun. And thm
she too and the otherson the benches- they would come in a
kind o{ accompaniment(190).
As the music lifted, lvlissBrill's happinessis also heightened. lvloreover, in her illusion, she thinks that she would be nn actress(i8s) whose existenceis neededevery Sunday in the park. As an "actress",she {eels that her life is meaningfuland neededby others.There{ore, she is happy with her illusionaryworld and sheis not arrare of her own condition.
Through these{our femalecharacters; Laura, Leila, Mise Brj]l, and
BerthaYoung, the writer finds that their characterizationas innocence womefl supporttheir experienceof being disillnsionedfrnm their illusions or mistakenbelie{s, Since they are innocence,they are easily deluded when they are facedby pleasnntsituation. Eventnally,their illusion and mistaken beliefs,which they hnve in their state of innocence,will be destroyedby theconflicts they have with theother characters. 3,2 FemaleCharscttrs' Incideatsztsith Other ChsractercRmesl Their
Erp eri enc e oi D i s ill usitt nm ent
Besidesby meansof character,ircidents betweenthe Iemalecharacters
and the other chnractersbecomes the mean to revealthe experienceoi
*isillusionment. In "The GardenPartv", Laurr's con{lictwit}r her sister
and mother anr.ther encourterwith the dead cartethas disillusionedher
from her mistakenbeliel aboutdeath and reverl to her the real condition "Her o{ poor people, Leila, a nalve girl ia First BalI', is disillucionedby a
comment ol nn old Iat man who disrupts Leila's illusion of her first
"Bliss", dancingparty. In the actiono{ Bertha'shusband and her friend,
PearlFulton in foonto{ her eyes,had crused her to be disillusionedfrom
her excessivehappiness because o{ her pre{ectmarriage. Miss Brill, who
imaginesthat she is an actress,has to acceptthe comment o{ youngcouple
that sheis actuallyold andunwanted.
By anrlyzing these four stories. the writer notices that the
incidentsrvhich disillusionedthe female characterscan be divided into
two restlts o{ disillusionrnent- the incidentswhich lead thern to seethe reality o{ their outerworld and the incidentswhich lerd them to become
awale o{ the reality oi their olvn exi.stence.ln "The Garden Party" and "FIer FirstBall", the incidents between the female characters and the other charactersare concerning the unveilmentof the reality o{ the outer world.
Lanta's conflictswith her sister and mother show that her ideal or +i
mistaken belief about death is opposed by her mother and sister.
foIennwhile,Leila's conllict with the old lat man showsihat her illtsion is
destroyedwith the realitv that the {at man has given to her. Besides
conllictbetween the main iemalecharacter and the other character,the
expedmce o{ disillusionmentis revealedthrough the incidentsbetween
the main {emalecharacters and the otherchancters. Laura starts to learn
new factabout death a{ter she encorutters the deadcarter's serene face.
In contrast,the incidentswhich the adnlts of the other fn o stories
experienceis the unveilment o{ Bertha and }vlissBrill's own existence. "Bliss" BerthaYoung il is awakenedfuom her illusion alter unconsciously
notices her husband's action toward Miss Fnlton. Miss Brill also
unaccidentlyhears two young lovers' conversationrnd she begins to
awarethat she is actuallyold andulwanted.
Lauta'sconflict with her sisterand mother has caused her to realize
the distincintionbetween the upper class people and the lower class people,The first conflictshe experiences with her sister,|ose, starts when she learns the news o{ a dead carter.As the writer hrd describertil characterization,Laura is portrayedas a naive girl. As an innocent girl, shelooks di{ferentfrom the other memberof her family, As a girl *'ho is raisedup ix a rich {amily, shedoes not know exactlythe condition of the poor peoplebelow her house. r\s a result,the news of the death of a
Personwho livesin the poor cottagesbelow her housetneans something 42
'fhere{ore, horrrbieanrl pain{ui to her, the news of de.rth hasiarrsecl her
io urge fo stop the partt'. Shrrasks htrr slster to stop the banri sirce she
thinks that the sound will disturb the poor c&rter'stam{v. F{owever,Tose
perceiriesLaura's idea asbeingextravegdilt and absurd. She alsosharplv
criticieesLaura rs "leading strenuouslite il she stopsa band lrom playing
every time someonehas an accident{77}."
As a matter oJ fact, the conilici betrveen Laura and her sister is
similar to the con{lict between Lanra and her mother. In her irnocent
mind, Laura ihinks that her mother would support her idea o{ cancelling
the party. She thinks that as r good neighbour, het {amilv has to be
concernedwith the suffering a{ the dead carter's{amilv by dehying the
party. Laura's idea shows her innocenceof the classdistinction betrveen
the upper classand the lower class.However, to Laura's astonishment,her
mother reactsin the samewav as her sisterhas done earlier. lvloreover,
her mother commentsthat Lnrra's idea is absurdrnd not nsing common
sense.fuIoreover, her mother aisogives comment which open Laura's eyes
on the classdistinctiol betweer the rich and the poor. Through Laura's
conflict" the writer notes ihat Laua's mistakenbeliel abont death and her
idea of postponing the party is opposedb.v their own iamily, As innocent
sirl,Laura tends to useher emotion rather than perceiving the problern as
it really is. Through the conllict with her mother and sister. Laura becornesBware of the classdistinction ianposed by her {amiiy thnt 43
thereis a deep gap betweenthe npper classpeople and the iower class
peopie.Therefore. accordirg to her cinterand mother.the problem o{ the poor people has no relationshipwith the garden party they have ar:ranged.
Besidesthe externalconilicts with her sister and mother which tevealsthe distinctionbetween the rich and the poor, Lrura's eilcouxter with the dead.carter has awnkenedher trom her mistakenbelief about death. As thewriter dercribedbefore, as an innocentgirl Lanrahns never seenor heardabont death be{ore. Therefore, rhe feelsshocked when she hearsthe newsc{ death in the mid o{ her happinessshe will experiencein her gardenparty, However,her comirg to thelittle cottageaiter the party endshrs changedher mistnkenbelie{ about derth, At filst, she thought that death meflrs something horrible and painful. foIoreover,her experienceof enteringinto the dendcarter's house anrl seeingthe death carterin hisbed, her mistakenbelie{ is destroyed:
There lay a young mnfl, fast asleep- sleepilg so soundly, so
deeply, that he rvas Iar. {ar arvay from them both. Oh, so
remote, so peacefnl, He was dreaming,..Whnt did gartlen
parties and basketsand lacefrocks matter to him? He r,,,'as{ar
{rom all those things. He was w.onderfuf beauti{ul, }Vhile ihey were Langhrng and whrie ihe band was plaving, this
marvelhad come to thelane. I{rppv...happy (8b)
T'hesight ai thedead carter has awakened Laura lrorn her mistakerbeliei.
As an innocentgirl, shethinks that a little gitt trom the garden party '*ri11
make theiarnrly o{ the deadcatter hrppy. Moreover,she thinks that she
will see the horrible and painlul condition of someonervho is dead.
Howevel, her experiencehas disillnsionedher from her mintakenbelief
and led her to seethe other ride o{ d.eath,Death, which Lauraperceives, is
not horrible rnd pain{ul as she has thonght. Death means eternal
happilesscompared to the gardenpart-v which she has had a while
eadier. Throughher erperieilce,Larru is led {rom the strge o{ irurocence
to a more mature girl who ir able to understanddeath aF one of the realities.
"Her In First 8a11",Leila's illusion aboutthe happy dancingpartv is destroyedby her acqruintancewith an old {at men in the dancingroom.
The appearailceof the o1diat rnanis signi{icantin this stoty sincehe is the onlv old personamong the young people. First,he appearsrvhen &e coupl-escompnre the progrnmwith enchother and the old man {ompares his programwith Leila, Hovyever,he disnppearsagain n hen the band startsplaying (196). Secondly,he appearsto Leila after shehas danced with tr'+'oyolltlg men. At that time,his appearlnceis illor€ sigri{icant, He .{<
looks shabbv,hrs waistcoat rs creaserl,and there is a button off his glove and his coat looks as rl it is dusty nith French chalk (199). As an antngonistcharncter, he is placed in this storv to reveal f-hereality o{ the d*ncing party to Leilt. Through the encounterbetween Leila md the oll man, Leila's illnsicn o{ eternal hrppiaess she gets lrom the ball is gone.
As the writer has described in the characterizotion,Leila's iruocence has cnused her to be excited when she is attendiag the ball {or the first time.
She thinks that her life has changed from a silent and.solitary life in the country to a dazzling and beautiJnl life of the ball, As a young giri, she thirks that she is in the beginning o{ her happiness(1gg). However, the comment o{ the old fat maa when le is dancing with her, has disillusioned her:
"Y*ou cannothope to last nnythinglike aslong as that,No-o."
said the old fat man," long before that yon'll be sitting up
thereon the stage,looking oil, ir your niceblack velvet. And
thesepretty anns will har;etumed into little short {at ones.
And vou'Il cmilean'ay }ike the poor old dearsup there,and
poiat to your darshter,nnil tell the elderlvlady next to you
horvsome dreadlul mnn trierlto kissher at theclub ball(200), .1b
Comparedto Leila,who is attend.ingthe ball tor thefirst time.the oid man
ismore experiencedthan she is. Iherei.;re.he cnn tell her that the realitv
o{ the ball is not asbeattiftrl and pleasantas she thinks, As Lerlachats
with her iat old danctrg par:hrer.she ieams a depressiugiact alrouther
{utrre. Her tirst drilce, as the old man points out, is the begrnningof her
last. Aiter the dancing are {inished, Leila would iurd no happiness
ilnymore. Lile the old women who rit watchingon the stage,she will also
join the massenof women from rvhom vouth and life is over. This fact
showsto Leila thntwhen shegets old, shecannot enjoy the ball flnymore.
Moreorret,he alsostates that the people in theball arenot kind antl lovely
people asLeila hasperceived in the beginling o{ tire dancingparty siacr
there are ilso solnedrerdiul men who hy to kiss the guls. Tire old runn's
commentabout the realityoI the dancingparty has awakenedLeila {rom
her illusion and led her to experienceconflict between illnsion and reality,
on the onehand, she startsto believethe old mfln'swords and n antsto
comebackto hercounhy horne, on the otherhand, she is not'*'illing to
learrethe happinessshe gets lrour theba11, However. she {inal1y ig*ores
the realityand nbsorbsthe happinessoi thebail again,
"The All of the incidentsexperien,.:ed by Lanra in Carden Party" 'TIer and Leila in First Bnll' are obviots sincethey are revealedclearly through the conversationbetrveen the main charactersand the other "BHss" "Miss characters,whereas in and Brill", the main characters +tperient:i: ,irsriltrsronment ,rlter ihev ricr or herri other characiers tctron
,tnd rvortls. Thereiore. thev rre not dire,.:tl1'Ln.",olved in the conjlicts rt.ttlr
ifte .rther,.:haractets, F{ou'ever, iheu t:ncorlrterrvri}r ihe other t:harar:ters
ur these t'rro stor:iesheip Bertha Yctng and \,Iiss Brill to wrke lrom iheu
ilLusionarv rvorld. Bertha Yonng, an ilnocent '*de, is disillusioned trom
irer dreams ot having e srrccesslulrnanied liJe, Howerrer, through the
action oi her hnsband and her ner+.friend. she is awakened trom her
illrlsron that shehas no perfecthushand as nhe hns thotsit. A cdiir: said
that K.iltherinelvlanslieid has stated that to enter into a relationshiprvith
another person is to be victirrize,,lbir the one most lovetl, uost trusted
"Bliss", iZinrnan,45il. Irr the thesis wriier ratices that the one -*rho
destrovsBertha's happiness is the onesrv-ho are cansidered to clcse to irer:
her or,t-nhusband andheririend. As a matter oi iact, Harn, is depicted as
a per{ect hnsband. In addrtion, Ferthil also think.sthat thev are perfect
cotple sincethey love eachotier, She also thrnks they 619perfect ccnple
as tevealed in her thought that I{arr'; and she is as rnuch in love ds ever.
and thev get on iogethersFlendidly and arere*ilv gaod pals (24;l). Bertha
alsothinks that she knows her husbanrlmore than othersrio. Therefore.
she helievesthst her husband is iaithlal tc her, Her {irmness that her hrrstrandis not interestedin h'IissFnlton can tre seenirorn Harrlr'5 attitude
tonrard hlissFulton when she seesHarry ofiersa cigaretteto her: ,+6
i\'Irssl,nlton snnk j:rto the lowest, deepestchair and Harry
handedrourd thecigarettes. From the nr'ayhe stoodin foont
ol her, shakingthe silverbox and sayingabmptly: "Egyptian?
Turkishl Virg:nial? They're ail rnixed up," Bertha realized
that she- Miss Fulton not only bored him; he really disliked
her (24t1).
Berthnthinks thnt Harry dislikesMiss Fulton's appeflrance.Therefore, she is not awar€ thnt HnrrJ' in actuallyinteresterl in Mise Fnlton, F{owever, what Berthasees at the end of dinner has destroyedher illusion that she haseverything everyl+'omdn wants to have. Actually,her husbandis not astrithiul asshe has thought rnd her iriend is not rs goodas she belierres.
Disillusionmenthappenn when Berthaseen with her own eves about the affairbetween her hnsbandand her friend.:
And shesalr/..,Harry *'ith Miss Fnlton'scoat in his armsand
lvfissFulton with her back turned to him rnd her head irent.
He tossedthe coat flwfly,pu.t his handson her shouldersnnd.
ttrned her violently to him, Hin lips snid.,"Iadore yon," {nd
h{iss Fnlton iaid her moonbeamfingers on his cheeksand
srniledher sleepysmile...he w.hispered,rtomorrolv", ald with
her eyelidsMiss Fulton said "yes" (250). Complred to Laura nnd Leila's experienceso{ disillurionment,
BerthaYouag's disillusionment occllrs because she accidentallv notice hcr
Itusbtntl when he accompflnirlslvIiss Fulton to walt lor a tl.ri in iront ot
the house. Berthaalsc accidentallyhears that her husbandmakes a d.ate
*'ith MissFulton. Although shedoes not dilectly hrve coa{rirt with her
husband,the experienceof seeingher husband'srelationship n ith her
iriends hasviolated her illusion.
Similar ts Bertha'sexperience, lvlise Brill is awakened.from her
illusion by hearing the commentof fl young couple who sitsbesirle her.
Miss Brill, an o1d spilster, has significant characteristkbesides her
ilnocence. Instead of being aware of her existence,she hkes to grve
commentabont other people's action aronnd her, Her habit o{ listeningto
other's conversation or seeing other's action finally leads her into
disillurianment, especiallyafter she hears the comment of two yonng people:
"No, "ltiot not norv.."said the giri. here.I can't'" "But, n hy" Becnuseof that stupidold thing at the endthere?"
askedthe boy. "Why doesshe coilre here at all-whowants herl Why doesn't
shekeep her silly old mug at horne? { f'r
The votng couple'srvords have strnightlonvardlvnnverl rVissBrill's illnsionaryworld. Throngh their conversationthat lvlissBrill hears.she rs nwdfethnt she is actuallyold and ulwanted. Sheis not an actressand sire alsohas no part in the park.She is just an old maid who lives in a dark and narrow apartruent.The young couple'scomment has crused h{iss
Brill to get ont from her illusion and to rerlize abouther own condition.
Through the analyris on the female characters'experience of disillnsionment,the writer finds ont that they are disillnsioned from their pleasantbut rnistakenbelie{ throngh the incidents they have with other characters.As a matter oi {act, the incident can be seen as conflict ix
Lrun rnd Leila haveexperienced. Her sisterand mother directlyconfront
Lauta'sidea. Meanwhile,Leila is directlvcon{ronted with the old lat man.
Other main {emale characters experience disillusionment through incidentsof seeingor hearingother characters'action, as Berthn,Miss
Brill, and Laura have erperienced.Besides experiencing con{lict directly with her sisternnd mother, Lruta also erperiencesdisillusionrnent a{ter seeingthe deadmar's serene{ace in the little cottage. }!'herensBertha realizesthather t:ondition is not asperlect as she has thonghtnlter seeing her hushand'saf{air rvith her nerr'friend, lvlissFulton, lvleanwhile,Ivliss
Brj.llis disillusionedltorn her monrentaryhappiless because oi the painlul remarkshe overhears {rom theyonng couple who sitsbesideher. :l
Throtgh the analysrsof theiemale characters' incidents with other characters,the writer tinds out that the female charactersexperience lransformationtrom their illnsion or mistaken beliefs to the worid oi reality. The existenceol the otherchrracters in eachstories iead the md1il characterinto disillnsionment.While Laura,Leila, Bertha Young and Miss
Bdll live in their illusionarvworld. Laura'smother and sister,the oid man "Her in FirstBalf', BerthaYoung's husband and her friend, and the young "Miss couple ir Brill" take side in the reality. Their exiotencein the stories destroy themain femalecharacters' illusion or mistakenbelie{s.
In addition, the furcidentsbetwem the iemale charactersand the antagonistslead io disillusionmentwhich resnlt on disappointmmt. In "Her First Balf' Leilais disappcintedrfter shelearns thrt the ball doesnot give eternalhappiness to her. The adults in the other stories also Ieel disappointedsince they realiae that their condition is not as good and contented as they think. The only poeitive reaction toward disillusionmentcomes Irom Lanra. Her encounterwith the dead carter has trans{ormedher {rom a naive girl who is a{raid o{ derth to a more maturegirl who canaccept death as a realitvof life. 3,.] Ihe seffings o1:thesfones tlonzteqthe Emotional Mrtod oi the Female () h s r act ers Be io r e nn i|,\ft er f) i sill usionm ent After analvzingcharacteriaation and incidentswhich revenl the female characterserperience of being unveiled lrom their illnsion and. mistakenbelie{s, the thesiswriter will continue to analyzr the settingo{ ttrese{our stories.As the writer has stated,setting in re{erenceto a work of literature includes time and place o{ the story. It functions as a backgrouadof a story. Besides{nnctioning as the backgrouad,sometimes a setting also has importrnt furction of conveying the chqracters' emo[onal mood. In this case,the emotionalmood" re{ers to the stateo{ one's{eeling or mind at a particnlartime (Ox{ord LearnerDicfionary, ). As the writer has analyzedin the characierizationand conflict,the thesis writer perceivesthat the charactersexperience disillueionment, As women who are disillusioned{rom their false rnd rnistakenbeliefs, the {emalecharacters show diflerentemotional mood belore and a{ter their expedence,When they still live in pleasantsituation, they seemto live in illusionaryworld. They{eel happy and excitedbecruse they thoughtthat the world is a beautiluland pleasantplace to live in. In contrast,when they arebrought from pleasantsituation and beingdisilltsioned, they are facedwith the realityrvhich is disagreeableand unpleasant.Therefore, they feel dieappointedand sad. In this case,the iavolvementof two )i contrasting settings in each story to ieveal the emotional mood of the lemnle charactersshow the mood oi the female charactersin the state oi illusion and when thev are disilhsioned. Katirerine lvfanstield'sstories, including those which are being analyzedin this thesis,are rich of significantd.etails of settiagswhich a{{ect the theme o{ these stories. The settingsin each of the stories functionsnot just as r backgroundbut alsoas a tool to createabnosphere which supportthe character'sexperience of disillusionment,Through the incidentsbetween the female charactersand. the antagonists,the thesis writer {inds out that the {emale charactersexperience transiormation between illusion and reality. Therefore,in erch stories the author provides two contradictorysettings which reveal the femalecharacters, transformation{rom the world o{ illusion to the world of reality. On the one hand, the settingsof the gardenparty, the ball, Bertha,sgard.en and the park givesa beautilnl and pleasantatmosphere in nhich the {emale characterslive happily in their illusionaryworld.. on the other hand..the little cottage,Leila's country home,the harl where Berthawitnesses the betrnyal of her husband and her {riend, and. the dark and narmw apartmentrvhere Miss Brill lives are portrnyed ns disagreeable,dark, gloomy and solitaw places. Thesesettings refer to the reality which acturllyhave to be acceptedby them. -'4 "The First of all, tjre settingsrn Gardenparty"..',Her First Brll,,, "Bliss" "bliss snd BriLl" resemblesthe contrastingscene betrveen the characters'illusionarv world and theworld o{ reality. Laura,an innocent "The girl in Garden Par:ty" lives between the illusionary world o{ the garden party and the reality oI the little cottage,the place where poor peoplelive. Similarto Laura,as I girl who is trans{eredfrom innocenceto experience,Leila alsolives within two contradictoryworld - the world oI reality of the dark and lonely country home nnd the illusionaryworld o{ "Bli$s" "Miss the baIL The other female charactersir and Brill" also experienceconflict between illusion and reality that can be seenlrom tle setting. BerthaYoung lives in her illusionary wodd when she seesthe pear treein her garden. Meanwhile,she is brought into reality when she seesthe disagreeablescene between her husbandand her new friend.in the hall. Lastly,Miss Brill's dark and narrow apartmentwhere shelives alone representthe reality that she is actually lonely and isolated., in contrast,the park shegoes every Sunday represents her illusionaryworld il which shedreams of becomingan "acttess". The garden party, the dancingroom, the park, anrl Bertha,s gnrdenare settingswhich show that the femalechnracters live in illusion, Krtherine Mans{ieldportrayed those settings so beautilully that a{fectthe main charactersto be deluded.In the beginningof "The Gardenparty,,, the authorpotrays an ahnosphereo{ an irlealantl per{ectweather to hold ;.) a gardenpartY i65), lVloreover"the party rtselfis so full of pertectt]rngs, beautilul{lowers. delicious food. lovely people thnt causeLaura to be unawareoi the situationortside the gardenparty. Li] Eden,where Adam and Eve knows nothing o{ evil anrl wrong, Laura is alsouaaware of the existenceoi classdistinction between the rrch antl the poor' Sheperceives that the world shelives asbeauti{uland perfect as the gardenparty givesto her. similar to the garden party, the dancing room also becomes& settingwhich representLeila's illusionary worlrl, As a naive girl who is {or the {irst time goixg to the ba1l,the abnosphereoi the ball makesher abscrbedby illusion. As a place that representsLeila in her state o{ happiness,the ballis portravedso beauti{ully and ghmorously that Leila is deceivedby it: The road rvasbright on either cide with moving {an - like lights, and on the pavementgay couplesseemed to {loat through the air, little satin shoeschased erch other like birils (1e3). kloreover,Leila is so fascinatedby the golden floor, the azaleas,the lanterns,the stageand the bandin a conrerthat sheperceives everything "sinrply " as heavenly (195). Therelore,she nnconscionslyis sunk ilto lCt excesslvehapprness because of her illusion oi the treautrftl and pleasant dancrnsparty, "lliss In BriLI', the setting which reveaifuIiss Brill's feeling when she lives in her illusion is a park called |ardrn Publitlues.Similar to the atmosphereof the garden party, the perlect atmosphereo{ Sunday a{teuroonis describedat thebeginning o{ the story. The wheatherwhen "brilliantly Miss Brill decidesto go to the |ardin Publiquesis shown as fine, the blue sky powderedwith gold and great spotsof tight lile white wine splashedover the iardin Pnbliques"(185). This Snndayin which the author choosesto revealMiss Brill's experienceo{ disillusionmnetis also rliJlerentfrom otherSunday whm Miss Brill usnallygoes to the park: Therewere a number o{ peopleout t}risa{ternoon, far more than last Sunday. And the band soundedlouder and ga;rer, That was becausethe Seasonhad begun. For althoughthe band played all the y€arround on Sundays,ont oi seasonit IA/asnever the same(185), The ntmospherein thepark, which is diJferentIrom the otherStnday, has aroused lvlissBrill's emotionalmood. She becomesexcessively happv and overwhelmedwith her {eeling. The band and the peoplewith all oi their variousaction havehelped her to createin her own mird an illusion -)i of I stagewhere all peoplepertorm therr act. In this stage,iVliss Srill nlso perceivesherseU as an actresswho hasa role to perlormeverv Sunday in the park (188). The sitnationin the pnrk has deceivedMiss Brill from the realityol her existenceas lonely and unwanted old maid. The pear treein BerthaYoung's garden also shows that Berthais happy &sa $/oman who lives in illusionuy world. The trll, slenderantl blosommingpeer treehas {ascjnated Bertha so mnch that she perceivesit as the ,symbolof herself(Shape and Subrtance,242). The beantifuland glamoroussPPearnnce of the peartree cau$es her to perceiveherself as a per{ectand contentedhousewife. When sheperceives the pear tree,the {ee}ingo{ bhss or excessivehappiness come into her innerbeing. Besidessettings *'hth heightenan illusionrry wodd in the iemale charncters'experience, Katherine Mansfield aleo creates contrasting settings,the settingsthat show the femalecharacters' emolional mood after the experienceof disilirsionment,These settings also show the real conditiono{ the lemalecharacters in reality. Thelittle cottage,the country honre,the hall where Berthanotices the betrayalo{ her belovedhusband and {riend,and Miss Brill's d.arkand narrow apartment, show that the femnlecharacters cnnnot avoid their exiBtence in reality. The little cottagerrr.here the poor peoplelive in "The Gardenparty" showsa real conditionoI the poor peoplethat Laurais unawarebefore. Thereis a contrastingatrnosphere between the ahnosphereo{ the gartlen J8 partv and the abnosphereof ihe little cottagewhen Latra decidesto see the dead carterin the little cottage,The atrnosphereof the porty is IuIl oi happiness whereas the ahnosphereo{ the little cottageis disagreeable- dark, smoky, and gloorny. The place where Laura lives antl the phce w'hete the poor people d'arell also show the contrasting distinction between the upper classrnd the lower class, Laurn's house is loceted on top oi the hill while the little cottages are in a lane to themselves at the very bottom of a steeprlse thatled up to the house(77), The contrasting atmospherebetween Laura's illnsion and the reality is revealedat the rime Laura stepsout from her garden. At thdt time, "the prefect afternosn slowly ripened, slowly {aded, slowly its petal closed,,(81). Here, the atmosphereis changedfrom bright to dark,{ronr happy to r disagreeable condition: It wasjnst growingdusky as Laura shut the gardengates. A big dog ran by like a shadow. The road gleamedwhite, and dowu below in the hollow, the little cottageswere in deep shade(83). The time when Laura stepsout of her gardenresembles Laura's change from her illusion of the gardenparty to the reality o{ the conditionof poor peoplethat sheis unawarebe{ore. Laura's emotional mood is changedrs the setting oi the storv mitves irom the beautittl and pleasant garden party irrto disagreerrblernd unpleasantlittJe cottages. In the little cottage, Latra starts to realize that her appearancein difierent {rom the ot}rer peopie. At that time, she eagerly'irailts to retreat to her pleasant home. Hor+'evel, she cannot resist the torce that encourage her to come torward ilto the deathcarter's cottage. However, the changing siturtion {rom the garden party to the little cottageheip Laura to be mature and to realize the condition o{ the outer world. "Her ln First Ball', Leila first experiencestranrlormation fuom the reality to the illusionar,vworid as potruyed from her moving {rom the dark and quiet country home to the lively and glamoroasball. The atmosphereo{ thecounhy home,which is dark, silent rnd mourntul (199) show thatLeila's life is alsodark and solitary. At home, sheneither has friendsnor neighborssince her neighborsis fifteen miles flwny (192). The darknessand quitenessof her house alsomake her shy. The ball she attendshas the oppositeabnosphere {rom her countryhome. If her home ",Jrzzling is dark and mourn{ul, the ball has opened bright" to her (1gg). "rush The situationo{ the bnll haschanged her {rom her o{ longing" she "rush hnswhen shesits on her vernndaof her countryhome to a of joy so s$'eetthat it is hard to bear fllone"(195). The ball has createdan iLlusionatyworld to Leila that the world o{ the ball ehelives is beauti{ul and promiseetemal happiness lor a youngwomsfl like her. 60 "Bliss" Bertha}'rrung m also lives between rllusron and reaftv as shorvn in the settingsol this stotv. The pear tree. which stand.sin the midst o{ Bertha'sgarden.represent the world oi illusion or the happiness Bertha expeiiencessince she thinks that she has everytirrng in her thirties. Howevel, Berthadoes not realizethat in the garden she does not only see - "u the pelr tree but rlso two cats trt*y cat, dragging its belly, creep acrossthe lawa and a black one, its shadow, hail rfter" (242). The last sceneshe sees, is nctually the foreshadowing of disillusionment that she has to accept. The sceneoi two cats representsthe scenein the hall in which she witnesses the betrayal o{ her husband and her new Iriend whom she adores.There{ore, the setting, nnconsciously shows that Bertha is actaally not a htppy and contented wiIe. The scenein the setting also urveils Bertha's own condition that although her life is as rich and contented as the pear tree, she is nctualy lonely and deceited. The changingahnosphere between the atmoqpherein the park and the atmoqpherein Miss Brill's apartment shows the chan#ng of Miss Brill's illusionary world to her life in reality. In illusionary world, which is representedby the park's fesitiviy,Miss Brill thinks that she is not old, "actres$" lonely andrmwanted. She perceives herself fls fln fllongwith the otherpeople in the park, on thecontrary, the dark and narrow aparbnent in which Miss Brill livesrepresents the realityo{ her existence.In her little and dark apartment,which is similar to r cupboardrather than a nice apartment(191), fuIisn Brill rs actuallv a ionelv and ieolated old mard. In the park. shecan be excited and ioyiulbecausethe soundoi mlsic and the varions people seem$to create some krnd oi sceneia which she is also inrzolvedinside the drana oi ltte. However, her ccmirg back to the rlark and narrow apartment has caused her to be disappointed.since her apartment representsher conditi.oil as lonely and old mrid. Throngh the analysison the settingsof these{our stories,the writer finds out how the settingsconvey the characters'emotional mood be{ore and after the experienceof disillusionment. When they still live in illusion, they {eel huppl, and pleasatt as seen from the beautiJul irnd pleasantsettings o{ the grrden pflrty, the dancingbaLlroom, the garden where the pear tree standsproudly, and the iardin Publiques. However, the experienceof disillusionment,&s seen{rom the incidents they have with theantagonists have changed them to be disappointedand sad.since they are deliveredto seethe reality either of the outer n orld or their orvn existence