Relating To The Theme Of Dinner Party, By Mona Gardner

Have you ever said something that you thought was true, but you soon regretted it because you were wrong? Then you might relate to one of the characters in “Dinner Party,” a short story by Mona Gardner. This story is about a dinner party with people who argue over who has more control over themselves, women or men. The man is winning when, all of the sudden, a lady realizes there is a cobra in the room and stays perfectly calm. Some women scream and some men scream, but the man thinks he has yet again won the argument when an American points out that the lady who was the hostess stayed calm the entire time. This shows that the theme of the story is everyone reacts to a frightening scenario differently.
The native boy contributes to the theme of “The Dinner Party” by staying calm. In the text, he hears that the snake is in the room from the female hostess who spotted it first. Instead of freaking out, he stays calm and quickly walks out of the room. This shows that he knows what to …show more content…
In the text, when the snake crawls over her foot, the American sees, “...a strange expression come over the face of the hostess. She is staring straight ahead, her muscles contracting slightly.” She proved the colonel wrong, showing that she can stay calm in a moment of scariness. This adds to the theme because it proves that she can stay calm, though not everybody would have. Not only would it have bit her if she moved, but it might have bitten other people.
When you say something that you think is right, but you're not quite sure then you will probably regret it. Everyone reacts to a frightening scenario differently. This is demonstrated in “The Dinner Party,” by all of the different characters and how they react to the cobra’s presence in the room. People who try to practice being calm will always be able to take control of situation