Introduction :-
A Cup of Tea by Katherine Mansfield was first published in the “Story-Teller” in May 1922. It later appeared in “The Doves’ Nest and Other Stories” in 1923. The protagonist is a snobbish wealthy woman who only lends a helping hand to a poor girl because she thinks it’ll make her look good. The author portrays a clear image of class difference and the attitudes of people of different classes. Themes of materialism and class difference are explored in this story.
About the author :-
Katherine Mansfield, original name Kathleen Mansfield (1888 –1923) was a New Zealand writer. When she moved to England she became a friend of D. H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf and other prominent figures. Her short stories and poetry were very well received, they mostly focused on existentialism. She’s one of the most influential and important authors of the modernist movement and had much influence on the development of the short story as a form of literature. Her popular works include “Prelude” and “Bliss”.
''A Cup of Tea'' Summary :-
The story begins as Rosemary is out shopping. It is made clear from the very beginning that she is not a beautiful woman as the reader is told in the very first line. She is a woman of great means, however, and her husband adores her. She begins the story shopping, and Mansfield displays Rosemary's wealth through the way the character acts at a floral shop purchasing an extravagant amount of flowers. She then goes into another shop and inquires about a jewelry box. The box is quite expensive, but this does not bother Rosemary. Still, she decides not to purchase it at the moment, alluding to a possible ennui with excessive materialism.
She comes across Miss Smith who asks Rosemary for money to purchase tea. The situation reminds Rosemary of characters in a Dostoevsky novel. She asks Miss Smith, whose name she does not know, to come to her home and have tea. Rosemary imagines how she will sound to her friends when she tells them the story of what she is doing. Miss Smith is surprised but hesitantly obliges.
They get to Rosemary's extravagant home, and Rosemary brings the woman up to her bedroom so that the servants will not stare at Miss Smith and make her feel uncomfortable. The bedroom displays just how much wealth Rosemary has. It is a 'beautiful big bedroom with the curtains drawn, the fire leaping on her wonderful lacquer furniture, her gold cushions and the primrose and blue rugs.' Miss Smith feels uncomfortable, but Rosemary keeps trying to help her.
Miss Smith becomes quite upset over her current situation telling Rosemary that she will just die if things continue as they are. Rosemary replies, ''You shan't have to. I'll look after you. Don't cry any more. Don't you see what a good thing it was that you met me? We'll have tea and you'll tell me everything. And I shall arrange something. I promise. Do stop crying. It's so exhausting. Please!''
Phillip enters the room, and he is quite surprised to see this tattered woman in his wife's bedroom. Rosemary finally asks Mrs. Smith for her name as she introduces her to her husband. Phillip and Rosemary speak privately, and Phillip tells his wife that what she is doing will not work. He mentions how beautiful the woman is.
Rosemary leaves the room. ''"You absurd creature!" said Rosemary, and she went out of the library, but not back to her bedroom. She went to her writing-room and sat down at her desk. Pretty! Absolutely lovely! Bowled over! Her heart beat like a heavy bell. Pretty! Lovely! She drew her cheque book towards her. But no, cheques would be no use, of course. She opened a drawer and took out five pound notes, looked at them, put two back, and holding the three squeezed in her hand, she went back to her bedroom.''
She gives the money to Rosemary. Then she goes to Phillip and tells him that Rosemary will not be dining with them after all. She tells him that Miss. Smith insisted on leaving. Rosemary asks Phillip if he thinks Rosemary is pretty, but the story ends before he answers.
Characters in ''A Cup of Tea'' :-
There are three main characters in ''A Cup of Tea'', which is set in England in the early 20th century. These are Rosemary Fell, Phillip Fell, and Miss Smith.
Rosemary Fell :- Rosemary is the story's protagonist. She is a woman of great means but not of great beauty. No specific details about her daily life are given, but based on the events that occur on the day in which the story is set, the reader can surmise that her days revolve around shopping and in other pursuits of material goods. This may not be so much a matter of choice based upon her character and values, but more so may be a product of the restrictions and expectations that her social class and standing place upon her.
Phillip Fell :- Not much information is known about Phillip Fell. He is Rosemary's husband, and when he finds Rosemary and Miss Smith having tea, he pulls Rosemary to the side and tells her that her project of helping the poor woman will not work. It is his statement that Miss Smith is beautiful that spurs Rosemary to jealousy.
Miss Smith :- Miss Smith is a poor woman who Mrs. Fell takes in briefly and tries to care for as a pet project. Miss Smith is beautiful. She spends much of the story feeling dazed and confused due to Rosemary's behaviour. At one point, she does break down, and she tells Rosemary that she cannot stand to live in her life anymore.
Themes :-
Materialism
Rosemary is very materialistic and her intentions are centred on materialistic things. She desires the shiny velvet box a lot and after she fails to buy it she becomes so upset as if it was a big tragedy. She then helps Miss Smith to make herself look good but the moment her vanity is hurt she drops her idea of helping. This reflects how the rich lack emotions and empathy; they keep reaching towards materialistic goals. As a woman, Rosemary is inclined to make herself look beautiful in order to establish her worth. This is another materialistic attitude of the society that the author condemns. People force women to feel insecure about themselves, women are only valued for their beauty. Appearances are given more importance than personality and values.
Class Difference
The disparity of classes was very evident in this story. Miss Smith has no money to buy her a meal, she desperately asks for money for a cup of tea. While there are rich people like Rosemary who waste money on flowers and shiny objects which they don’t need. Despite having so much money they don’t help others. While the wealthy people indulge in materialistic things the poor are exposed to hunger and suffering. Rosemary represents the mentality of the upper-class people. The major theme of this story is the class difference between Rosemary and Miss Smith. The upper-class people are materialistic and selfish. They have a lot of money and possessions yet they want more and go after insignificant expensive things. The velvet box symbolises this materialistic attitude. On the other hand, the lower class people don’t have enough to get ends meet. They lack the money to even afford basic needs like food and shelter. The cup of tea symbolises their requirements.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TITLE :-
A Cup of Tea connotes the holier-than-thou nature of upper classes how they even would virtuous acts for their own beneficial purpose. By making themselves hypocritically pious to upgrade their social status and gain praise from society. Their true intentions are not assisting them rather manipulating them. Rosemary did the same while helping Miss. Smith. Her intentions weren’t to help her but to boast her act of kindness in society.
SETTING :-
The time frame of this story is set in the 1920s. However, the location shifts twice. Firstly, it takes place at the small antique shop on Curzon Street. Subsequently, it shifts to Fell’s house.
SYMBOLISM :-
Following are the symbols used in the story:
BOX
Box’s price and its ornamentations emphasize extravagance and materialism. Rosemary when she saw this box get attracted to it. Though she has a desire to buy it, its price doesn’t allow her. It represents how Rosemary instead of spending on useful things used to spend on worthless things. Also, it expresses her appeal for material gains.
CUP OF TEA
Cup of tea symbolises the sanctimonious upper class and exploitation of the poor class at the hands of the upper class. This suggests to readers how even the act of philanthropy is fake and used for its own beneficial purpose. The way Rosemary did to Miss. Smith by helping her without true care and intimacy. All she thought was to boast that act in her social circle and gain praise.
HAT
The Hat is a symbol used to exhibit apathy and prejudice of the upper class against the poor. Rosemary at first tries to help Miss. Smith to doff her hat and coat. But afterwards she shows her apathy, instead of putting them in an appropriate place, she leaves them on the floor. This depicts the outlook of the upper class and their way of treating them.
IMAGERY:-
Mansfield has used incredible imagery in the story. She tactfully portrays the weather according to the doleful mood of Rosemary “a cold bitter taste in the air” as she couldn’t buy an enamel box. Rain is showering but due to the dark it seems like ashes falling on the ground “spinning down like ashes”. Also, the lights lit up in the rain “looked sad” and “were regretting something”.
Similar to this, Mansfield exhibits Rosemary’s hat that resembles a “germanium petal” in size and green ribbons that seem like leaves “hung from a branch“.
The narrator also pictures the pathetic condition of the poor young girl and her skinny and weak features. The narrator says she is a “frail creature” having disheveled hairs, “dark lips” and “light eyes”
In the same way, readers may find Mansfield using colour imagery to visualise Rosemary’s bedroom and its beauty. The narrator says the room was furnished with glossy furniture along with “gold cushions and the primrose and blue rugs”
TONE & GENRE
The story is first told in a cheerful and enthusiastic tone. However, in the end, tone changes into disgruntled and bitter. A Cup of Tea is a short story written in realistic fiction.
Conclusion :-
'A Cup of Tea' is a short story by Katherine Mansfield about a woman helping a young woman living in poverty. Explore a summary of the story's plot and analyze the main themes of social class, the role of women, materialism, and insecurity.
No comments:
Post a Comment