The Dolls House

Katherine Mansfield
1. Characters
The characters in Katherine Mansfields The Doll House are the Burnell sisters, Isabel, Keiza and
Lottie, all of whom are of a wealthy family, and the Kelveys, Lil and Else who were of a low income family, with
a father that was nonexistent. Other minor characters include Mrs. Hay who gave the Burnell sisters the Doll
House and Aunt Beryl.
2. Setting
The Dolls House is set in New Zealand in the early 1900s, a time of great social injustice.
3. Conflicts:
There are many conflicts within the Dolls House. The first of which is the most obvious that exists between the
Burnell sisters, specifically Keiza and whether or not she should invite the Kelveys to look at the doll house.
Another conflict that exists is the conflict between The Kelveys and their classmates, in how they are always
being picked on and the constant struggle of the Kelveys to somehow let it go. Both of these conflicts would be
man vs. man but there does exist a conflict in the form of man vs nature. This is made evident when the reader
sees how the Kelveys are so close and help one another through difficult times despite what early 20 th century
New Zealand social class may tell them about their insufficiency.
4. Plot
The Doll's House is a short story by Katherine Mansfield, written in the year 1922. The story reveals
the extent to which class consciousness has wreaked havoc in the social set up, so much so that the other
children are discouraged from talking to the children from the lowest of the social classes. The story traces the
problem of class consciousness through the character of Kezia, and her journey from innocence to the
symbolic world of experience.The Burnell children receive a dolls house from Mrs Hay, who had come to stay
with them. The children were so excited about the dolls house, and they decide to show it off to their school
friends. With the arrival of the doll's house, the Burnell children get so excited and greatly attracted to it. While
the two older children admire the red carpet, the red chairs, and the gold frames of this richly decorated
house,Kezia, the youngest of the girls, takes an interest in the rather simple lamp.In school, during playtime,
Isabel, the eldest of the Burnell children, was surrounded. The girls of her class nearly fought to be her special
friend. All the girls, giggling together, pressed up close to have a look at the dolls house, which was the
cynosure of all eyes now. The only two who stayed outside the ring were the little Kelveys. Many of the
children, including the Burnells, were not allowed to speak to them. The Kelveys were shunned by everybody.
When Kezia asks her mother, "Can't I ask the Kelveys just once?" To which, the response is, "Certainly not,
Kezia!The fact that even the teacher had a special voice for them, and a special smile for the other children
speaks to the discreet (or rather distinct) ways in which class consciousness is practised even by teachers
themselves, in maintaining the social hierarchy.Kezia took a great liking for the undecorated lamp. While the
others seem to be interested in the gaudy decorations that adorn the house, for Kezia, the lamp was perfect.
It was so real. When Isabel, the bossy eldest sister went on describing the various features of the dolls
house, Kezia broke in and said, Youve forgotten the lamp, Isabel! The lamps best of all cried Kezia. But
nobody paid attention. The lamp here symbolises the working class. These lamps are the sacrificial lights in
the altar of the wealthy capitalists. According to Marx, these working classes or proletariat are individuals who
sell their labour power for wages and who do not own the means of production. He argued that they were
responsible for creating the wealth of a society, but ironically, are treated with contempt and disdain by society.
Kezia decides to make friends with the Kelveys because she has not been so far indoctrinated with the class
consciousness which seem to have corrupted her older sisters. Mansfield beautifully interweaves the
contradicting forces of Kezia's innocence with the bigoted views of those who live in the world of
experience. While the others keep reminding her of her high class status, Kezia insists on her thoughts of
equality to the prejudiced views of the members of her social class. By doing so, she is metaphorically, trying to
break the social hierarchy of class inequalities.

Mansfield brings out the bitter truth that the discrimination between the wealthy haves and the underprivileged
have nots was based solely on wealth and class. The fact that the line had to be drawn somewhere speaks
volumes to the social hierarchy prevalent in society. At the end of the story, Aunt Beryl shouts at Kezia, How
dare you ask the little Kelveys into the courtyard? in her furious voice, adding, Run away, children, run away
at once. And dont come back again! Burning with shame, shrinking together, the Kelvey sisters huddled
through the big courtyard and squeezed through the white gate.
Through the portrayal of the predicament of the Kelveys, Mansfield brings out the class consciousness that
was faithfully handed down by one generation to another, from parents to children and vice versa. Moreover,
through the deft portrayal of the character of Kezia, Mansfield tries to challenge the existing social class
consciousness which was wreaking havoc on the social fabric.
5. Theme
Mansfield's main theme in "The Doll's House" is the injustices and cruelty associated with class
distinctions. Set in colonial New Zealand, Mansfield shows that differences set along class lines are rigidly
adhered to. She also shows that those in a higher class take an almost perverse pleasure in being cruel to
those of lower classes.
Along with these ideas, Mansfield does show that there is some hope because the classes are forced to deal
with each other in everyday situations. This is shown through the character of Kezia and the lamp.

My Lord The Baby

Rabindra Nath Tagore
1. Characters
The main character is Raicharan. The others are the mistress, master, Anukul, group of Gypsies,
2. Setting
In the village.
3. Theme
My Lord the Baby is a story that demonstrates a father's love for his son and the ... He could give and
sacrifice his own happiness just to see Anukul to be happy.
5. Plot
The main character here is named Raicharan. He was only 12 years old when he became a servant.
His Master made him a private servant to his Son. He took good care of him, until the time that the little Master
Anukul grew up and got married. When Anukul had a son of his own. Anukul still made Raicharan his Sons
private servant. But fate got in the way, the little Master disappeared when Raicharan was taking him for a
stroll. No one knows whether the Baby was taken by a group of Gypsies who were hovering nearby or He
drowned in the river. Anukuls wife got so distressed and furious that there is no reasoning with her. They made
Raicharan go back to his Village. There he learned that his wife just gave birth to a Baby Boy but she died
immediately. At first Raicharan didnt want to accept his Son because he knew that he cannot sire a child. But
as the Boy grows, he can see similarities with his young master. And so he thought that his son is the
reincarnation of the young master. Raicharan gave everything and anything his son would want, he made his
son live like a rich man up to the point that he is sturbing himself to death. When he can no longer give
Phailna, his son, all that he wants, he decided to go back to Anukul and told him that his son was with him all
along, Raicharan let them think that hes the one who kidnap their son. This just goes to show that a Father
can and is willing to sacrifice almost anything just for the good of his beloved son. Even if it means that he will
lose his son forever or it would mean his death. Also, the story relates on the belief that there is reincarnation,
life after death.

HILL LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTS

1. Characters
The American - The male protagonist of the story. The American never reveals his name, nor does the
girl ever directly address him by name. He is determined to convince the girl to have the operation but tries to
appear as though he doesnt care what she does. He remains disconnected from his surroundings, not really
understanding or even listening to what the girl has to say.
The Girl - The female protagonist of the story. The American calls the girl Jig at one point in the story
but never mentions her real name. Unlike the American, the girl is less sure of what she wants and appears
reluctant to have the operation in question. She alternates between wanting to talk about the operation and
wanting to avoid the topic altogether.
The Bartender - The woman serving drinks to the American man and the girl. The bartender speaks
only Spanish.
2. Setting
Hemingway sets Hills Like White Elephants at a train station to highlight the fact that the relationship
between the American man and the girl is at a crossroads. Planted in the middle of a desolate valley, the
station isnt a final destination but merely a stopping point between Barcelona and Madrid. Travelers, including
the main characters, must therefore decide where to go and, in this case, whether to go with each other and
continue their relationship. Moreover, the contrast between the white hills and barren valley possibly highlights
the dichotomy between life and death, fertility and sterility, and mirrors the choice the girl faces between having
the baby or having the abortion. The girl seems torn between the two landscapes, not only commenting on the
beauty of the hills but also physically walking to the end of the platform and gazing out at the brown emptiness
around the station
3. Plot
Hills Like White Elephants opens with a long description of the storys setting in a train station
surrounded by hills, fields, and trees in a valley in Spain. A man known simply as the American and his
girlfriend sit at a table outside the station, waiting for a train to Madrid.
It is hot, and the man orders two beers. The girl remarks that the nearby hills look like white elephants, to
which the American responds that hes never seen one. They order more drinks and begin to bicker about the
taste of the alcohol. The American chastises her and says that they should try to enjoy themselves. The girl
replies that shes merely having fun and then retracts her earlier comment by saying the hills dont actually look
like white elephants to her anymore.They order more drinks, and the American mentions that he wants the girl,
whom he calls Jig, to have an operation, although he never actually specifies what kind of operation. He
seems agitated and tries to downplay the operations seriousness. He argues that the operation would be
simple, for example, but then says the procedure really isnt even an operation at all.
The girl says nothing for a while, but then she asks what will happen after shes had the operation. The man
answers that things will be fine afterward, just like they were before, and that it will fix their problems. He says
he has known a lot of people who have had the operation and found happiness afterward. The girl
dispassionately agrees with him. The American then claims that he wont force her to have the operation but
thinks its the best course of action to take. She tells him that she will have the operation as long as hell still
love her and theyll be able to live happily together afterward.The man then emphasizes how much he cares for
the girl, but she claims not to care about what happens to herself. The American weakly says that she
shouldnt have the operation if thats really the way she feels. The girl then walks over to the end of the station,
looks at the scenery, and wonders aloud whether they really could be happy if she has the operation. They
argue for a while until the girl gets tired and makes the American promise to stop talking.
The Spanish bartender brings two more beers and tells them that the train is coming in five minutes. The girl
smiles at the bartender but has to ask the American what she said because the girl doesnt speak Spanish.
After finishing their drinks, the American carries their bags to the platform and then walks back to the bar,

noticing all the other people who are also waiting for the train. He asks the girl whether she feels better. She
says she feels fine and that there is nothing wrong with her.
4. Theme
Talking versus Communicating
Although Hills Like White Elephants is primarily a conversation between the American man and his
girlfriend, neither of the speakers truly communicates with the other, highlighting the rift between the two. Both
talk, but neither listens or understands the others point of view. Frustrated and placating, the American man
will say almost anything to convince his girlfriend to have the operation, which, although never mentioned by
name, is understood to be an abortion. He tells her he loves her, for example, and that everything between
them will go back to the way it used to be. The girl, meanwhile, waffles indecisively, at one point conceding that
shell have the abortion just to shut him up. When the man still persists, she finally begs him to please, please,
please, please, please, please stop talking, realizing the futility of their conversation. In fact, the girls
nickname, Jig, subtly indicates that the two characters merely dance around each other and the issue at hand
without ever saying anything meaningful. The girls inability to speak Spanish with the bartender, moreover, not
only illustrates her dependence on the American but also the difficulty she has expressing herself to others.
5. Conflict
One of the most basic conflicts present in the Hemingway short story is how two people balance the
demands of their own needs with the realities of their relationship. I think that Hemingway draws out a
situation that is gender driven in that the man and the woman hold a difference of opinion about both the
pregnancy and their own relationship. Yet, there is a larger conflict present in terms of how a relationship can
make demands on personal freedom. Both characters struggle with the reality of the shared relationship, but
also with the basic idea of how their own individual freedom is exacted by the constraints of their relationship.
Jig constantly finds her own voice is subjugated by the realities of their "happiness." The idea of what will be
best for their relationship must drive what happens to both of them. The American keeps on saying to Jig that
whatever "she" wants is fine. Yet, in the end, the reality is that while their own freedom and independence is
present, both understand their relationship is there and demands their attention. The interesting thing is that
Jig seems resigned to the fact that the relationship will swallow her own freedom and she accepts this at the
end, while studying the hills ahead of her.