The short story "The Garden Party" was written by Katherine Mansfield, a thriving New Zealand short story writer; this work of fiction was first published in 1922 in The Garden Party and Other Stories. This tale delves into modernity through innovative literary techniques, such as the in media res beginning and the use of third-person over-the-shoulder narration. In doing so, Mansfield makes the age-old “coming of age story” new and fresh. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The story is set in a small town in New Zealand, where the wealthy Sheridan family lives on a hill, overlooking their financial difficulties. wealthy neighbors. Mansfield's narrative traces a particularly important day in Laura Sheridan's life, marked by a phenomenal garden party and a tragic death. Interacting with the lower class catalyzes Laura's transition from childhood to womanhood. Although the narrative sees Laura take many steps in the transition to womanhood, she is unable to fully mature into a woman due to her inability to process 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 a cloud” and as “blue veiled in a golden haze”. The images are bright with vivid colors and fluid, the continuous alliteration of “windless and hot” guides the reader seamlessly into a moment of happy time. The day is also set at the beginning of summer, which is symbolic of youth. Summer is deeply connected to childhood nostalgia as it is typical for people to have fond memories of sunny summer days. Then there are the roses, which the gardener has been busily arranging since dawn, until the meadow with all its flowers “seemed to glow” and the roses of which there were “hundreds, yes, literally hundreds.”, were the centerpiece of 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, the summer season and the huge amount of flowers sets the stage for a coming-of-age story about a young girl. The pleasant summer climate also accurately reflects the personality of the protagonist Laura. Laura is a young naive girl, whose motives during the beginning of the story are pure, instinctive and childlike in their simplicity. She just wants to be available 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 tent, because her sisters were not dressed appropriately. When told to take on the task, she did so and was described as "Laura flew away, still holding her piece of bread and butter." The wording of the sentence is significant, especially the word “flew,” because it adds imagery of flight to the moment. The image of flying adds immediacy to the action and shows Laura's youthful enthusiasm. This enthusiasm, also emphasized by the fact that she did not even wait to finish the bread, is an important aspect of Laura's characterization as a young woman. These brief moments are very important to the story because they are all we see of her as a child, before the crucial moments in the story that mark her transition to womanhood. The innovative literary techniques used throughout the story also highlight Laura's transition to womanhood. The story begins in media res and this is significant because it signals that Laura is in the midst of her ownlife. The story would have had a completely different atmosphere if we had seen Laura from birth until she transitioned into adulthood, and it would have been a less dramatic transition. The decision to start from the center also underlined the importance of the specific day. The decision to use third-person over-the-shoulder narration also adds to the interaction that Laura has with the workers setting up the tent is an important turning point in the story and in Laura's life because it shows her commitment to facing the responsibility of an adult. When she goes out, she speaks to men in a specific tone of voice, “copying her mother's voice,” which indicates that she is trying hard to act like an adult by imitating her mother. However, when she realizes that this tone of voice doesn't suit her, she "stutters like a little girl," reflecting how new she is to acting like an adult and how she straddles the line between youth and maturity. Later in the interaction, Laura reflects on what is appropriate to discuss, thinking “What a beautiful morning! He doesn't have to, which shows that he is taking an adult attitude. This interaction is also significant because it represents Laura's sexual awakening and shows her as she matures into a woman. Then Laura observes the behavior of the men and delights in their appearance and behavior, from the “beautiful eyes,…small, but such a dark blue” to all their gentle smiles that seemed to her to say “‘Come on, we won't bite. " Her attraction to men is undeniable and she repeatedly calls them "very nice workers." Men represent the epitome of masculinity. For one thing, they are manual laborers and work with their hands and bodies in an archetypically masculine role, to be the provider and the worker. There is also a stark contrast between upper-class and lower-class men, which has to do with their perceived masculinity. Often, upper-class men are considered effeminate due to their distance from manual labor, and also due to their imaginative clothing and intellectual nature, which contrasts with the singularity of macho masculinity. Laura notices this subconsciously, reflecting "Why couldn't she have workers as friends instead of the silly boys she danced with and who came to dinner on Sunday evenings?". Those “stupid 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 her lack of attraction to upper-class boys, her sexuality awakens and the transition to femininity begins. The next significant event in the narrative before Laura's maturation, is the tragic death of Mr. Scott, who was only a passing acquaintance, but whose death affected Laura deeply and made her consider her moral compass in relation to upper-class social norms. . Immediately, Laura feels as if it would be insensitive of her family to continue with the celebrations in light of the death, since the deceased and his family live so close to their home. The death puts Laura at odds with high society attitudes, as expressed by her older sister and mother. Both his mother and sister were not that concerned about the death of a lower class individual and feel that it is perfectly appropriate to begin with the party activities. Furthermore, they both invalidated her point and told her that she was overreacting than the situation required. Jose expressed this opinion, saying “'Stop the absurd garden. Of course we can't do anything like that. Nobody expects us to do this. Don't be so extravagant.'” Her mother rationalized the situation, saying, “But, my dear..