A Cup of Tea - Katherine Mansfield

 A Cup of Tea - Katherine Mansfield

'A Cup of Tea' is a short story written  by Katherine Mansfield. This short story was first published in the “Story-Teller” in May 1922 and later appeared in “The Doves’ Nest and Other Stories” in 1923. The protagonist of this story is a snobbish wealthy woman who only lends a helping hand to a poor girl because she thinks it will make her look good. In this short story the author wants to portray a clear image of class difference and the attitudes and their behavior for people of different classes. The main Themes of this story are materialism and class differences.

Kathleen Mansfield(14 October 1888 – 9 January 1923)

Kathleen Mansfield Murry was a New Zealand writer, essayist and journalist, she was widely considered one of the most influential and important authors of the modernist movement. Her works are celebrated across the world, and have been published in 25 languages.

She was born and raised in a house on Tinakori Road in the Wellington suburb of Thorndon, Mansfield was the third child in the Beauchamp family.

Mansfield wrote short stories and poetry under her own name, Katherine Mansfield, her name has many variations, which explored anxiety, sexuality and existentialism. When she was 19, she left New Zealand and settled in England, where she became a friend of D. H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf, Lady Ottoline Morrell and others in the orbit of the Bloomsbury Group. Mansfield was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis in 1917, and she died in France aged 34.

Plot summary

In this short story the protagonist Rosemary Fell, who is a wealthy young married woman, goes to Curzon Street to shop at a florist's and an antique shop (in this shop she admires, but does not buy, a beautifully painted small ceramic box). When she was going to the car she is approached by Miss Smith, a poor girl who asks for enough money to buy tea. Instead,  she brought the girl to her plush house. She wanted to show her "that dreams do come true" and "that rich people did have hearts." At the Fells' home, Miss Smith eats her fill of food and tea. She then begins to tell Rosemary of her life until Rosemary's husband, Philip, comes in. Although initially surprised, Philip recovers and asks to speak to Rosemary alone.

In the library, Philip conveys his disapproval. When Rosemary resists dismissing Miss Smith, Philip tries another, more successful, tactic. He plays to Rosemary's jealousy and insecurity by telling her how pretty he thinks Miss Smith is. Rosemary retrieves three pound notes and, presumably, sends the girl away (a far cry from Rosemary's first vow to "look after" and "be frightfully nice to" Miss Smith). Later, Rosemary goes to her husband and informs him that "Miss Smith won't dine with us tonight." She first asks about the antique box from the morning, but then arrives at her true concern, quietly asking Philip, "Am I pretty?" The story ends with this question.

 Themes

Materialism

Rosemary is a character who is  materialistic and her intentions are centered on materialistic things. She has a desire for 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 symbolizes this materialistic attitude. On the other hand, the lower class people don’t have enough to make ends meet. They lack the money to even afford basic needs like food and shelter. The cup of tea symbolizes their requirements.

Feminism 

Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that societies prioritize the male point of view and that women are treated unjustly in these societies. Efforts to change this include fighting against gender stereotypes and improving educational, professional, and interpersonal opportunities and outcomes for women.

Originating in late 18th-century Europe, feminist movements have campaigned and continue to campaign for women's rights, including the right to vote, run for public office, work, earn equal pay, own property, receive education, enter contracts, have equal rights within marriage, and maternity leave. 

Emotional security

Emotional security is the measure of the stability of an individual's emotional state. Emotional insecurity or simply insecurity is a feeling of general unease or nervousness that may be triggered by perceiving oneself to be vulnerable or inferior in some way, or a sense of vulnerability or instability which threatens one's self-image or ego.

Jealousy 

Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety. When Rosemary's Husband praised the beauty of Miss Smith, Rosemary felt jealousy and she canceled every plan with Miss Smith, and  she asked to go home.

Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness or disgust. In its original meaning, jealousy is distinct from envy, though the two terms have popularly become synonymous in the English language, with jealousy now also taking on the definition originally used for envy alone. These two emotions are often confused with each other, since they tend to appear in the same situation.

Sources

https://www.litbug.com/2022/04/21/a-cup-of-tea-summary-and-analysis/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Cup_of_Tea