The Garden Party

The Sheridans are a well-to-do family who own a large, gated estate. While their home is surrounded by less affluent cottages, the children have been instructed not to enter this part due to Mrs. and Mr. Sheridan’s concerns of how this environment might affect their children. For the Sheridans, the distinction between their upper-class lifestyle and the outside world (represented by the surrounding cottages) is a given fact of life; however, Laura is the only character within the story who openly questions these class-based divisions. While Mansfield does not specify which type of class it is that Laura questions, it is clear that the “us and them” dichotomy is ultimately what the protagonist cannot so easily accept.

In this vein, Laura’s worldview exists in a liminal state between the classes. She openly questions the validity of class distinctions as she watches the workmen set up the marquee, but she returns to the house as her family call her back for a phone call. When Mrs. Sheridan places the lavish and expensive black hat on Laura’s head, she reminds her daughter not to “spoil everyone’s fun” (8).