Over the span of one-hundred years, literary eras have transformed drastically – from Mary Shelley’s romantic novel, Frankenstein, in 1818, to Katherine Mansfield’s modernist short story, “The Garden Party”, in 1921. Although the works acclimate to different time periods, both include a concept of false maturity – a fabricated feeling of wisdom and experience which does not actually exist. Frankenstein and “The Garden Party” share elements of false maturity in the characters of Frankenstein’s creature and Laura, each of their false maturities formed by their distinguished and yet isolated backgrounds and corresponding actions.
In Shelley’s Frankenstein, the creature’s background is unique in comparison to other characters; his learning of language …show more content…
As soon as Laura learns about the death of a man from the cottages below their house, she assumes that the garden party must be halted, crying out “however are we going to stop everything?” (Mansfield 6). This assumption is the first indication of her false maturity, as she believes she knows what is the best course of action in a problem. Laura is confident in maturity and wisdom, which is why she becomes confused when Jose questions her, thinking “why did Jose pretend?” as if Jose should have immediately come up with the same idea as she did. However, her family, more specifically mother and sister Jose, do not understand or agree that their party must stop for what Jose assumed as a “drunken workman” death (Mansfield 7) Both Jose and their mother call Laura “extravagant” and “absurd” over this notion and even claim to feel “just as sympathetic” (Mansfield 7, 8). Laura’s idea is quickly abandoned, not only by her family but by herself as well, and the party goes on without a hitch. After the party, the mother comes up with “one of her brilliant ideas” and decides to send Laura down to the cottage of the deceased man with leftovers from their party (Mansfield
In Shelley’s Frankenstein, the creature’s background is unique in comparison to other characters; his learning of language …show more content…
As soon as Laura learns about the death of a man from the cottages below their house, she assumes that the garden party must be halted, crying out “however are we going to stop everything?” (Mansfield 6). This assumption is the first indication of her false maturity, as she believes she knows what is the best course of action in a problem. Laura is confident in maturity and wisdom, which is why she becomes confused when Jose questions her, thinking “why did Jose pretend?” as if Jose should have immediately come up with the same idea as she did. However, her family, more specifically mother and sister Jose, do not understand or agree that their party must stop for what Jose assumed as a “drunken workman” death (Mansfield 7) Both Jose and their mother call Laura “extravagant” and “absurd” over this notion and even claim to feel “just as sympathetic” (Mansfield 7, 8). Laura’s idea is quickly abandoned, not only by her family but by herself as well, and the party goes on without a hitch. After the party, the mother comes up with “one of her brilliant ideas” and decides to send Laura down to the cottage of the deceased man with leftovers from their party (Mansfield