Submitted by: Izhar Ahmad Submitted to Ma'am Ma'am Nusrat

Roll no: IFM-18522. Semester: 8, Sec: A, Morning.

Topic: Marxist analysis of “The Garden Party”

Katherine Mansfield's short story “The Garden Party” exhibit Marxist themes and portrays the
social and economic being of the society. Karl Marx believes that history is the portrayal of the
different classes struggle and conflict with them, which are bourgeoisie and proletariat. In this
fiction, the distinction has been drawn explicitly which depicts the social being of patrician and
plebeian.
The Sheridan family belongs to the upper class who lavishly spend on their attire and parties.
They exhibit canvas of unique flowers “certain of knowing” such as “canna lilies” in their party
in order to “impress people”. The house is described enormous having “lawn…, veranda, …
porch” and room for piano and “smoking-room”. On the contrary, lives the proletariat class in
“small cottages”, “smoky and dark”, having “little low kitchen(s)” which are located in “deep
shade” and lighted by “smoky lamp”. The contradiction is further illustrated the way they eat and
wear. The description of Laura's family attire as Meg have “silk petticoat and Cammino Jacket”
and Laura's “velvet streamer hat” and their meals “cream cheese and puffs, lemon curd” and
various type of “exquisite sandwiches” represent their elite class. While on the other hand, the
working-class women have “shawls”, men's have “tweed shawls” and have cabbage stalks, sick
hens and tomato cans” with poverty-stricken chimneys. Sheridans' house is depicted as being on
top of a hill, while the cottages are described as being below the house, at the foot of the hill,
which shows the distinction between the poor and rich.
According to Marx doctrine, the wealthy class always dominates the poor, or in other words,
keeps them below and always rules them. The description portrays the economic reality of the
classes, which is the base structure, influence their superstructures. One can view the ‘little
cottages’ as a place for proletariats to live, ‘where Washerwomen lived in the lane and sweeps
and a cobbler, and a man whose house was studded all over with minute bird-cages’, as a base
structure (exploited by bourgeois), who work for the bourgeoise. Sheridan’s residence can be
viewed as the superstructure (the superstructure grows out of the base and reflects the ruling
class’s interests.). Sheridans enjoy such luxurious lifestyle behind which it the hard work of
labor. The dominant economic reality set beliefs, ideas, values and shape the consciousness of
the people.
“It is not the consciousness of men that determines their being, but on the contrary, their social
being determines their consciousness”. According to Karl Marx, the thoughts of the people are
bubbling up from the base to the superstructure and this shape difference in the consciousness in
the mind of the people. This concept can be termed as determinism. This level of determinism,
where one thing determines another, is traditionally called “historical materialism”. It aims to
explain that how the economy then affects the rest of life. In the story, the consciousness of the
Sheridan family is different from the proletariat. The family of Laura is extravagant that they
arrange parties in order to pomp off. Mrs. Sheridan is craving “enough canna lilies” to earn a
status or impress with “arum lilies” for which party “will be a good excuse”. The reaction of the
family over the demise of the neighbour is cold as Meg says the they can not bring back “the
drunken workan” back to life. Consequently, the upper class is conscious to set values, models,
conventions, and impress the society with their lavish parties.
Reification, in which humans are considered as commodities, is an inevitable consequence of a
capitalist society, according to the author. Not only does Jose react insensitively to the loss of a
neighbour, but Mrs. Sheridan also supports Jose in this matter. "People like them don't expect us
to make sacrifices."
Moreover, as Althusser reflects that various practices shape the social dominance such as
bourgeoisie exert their dominance through ideological, economical, politico-legal means which
include amalgam of ideological and repressive state apparatus. They rule by consent or by force
or by both in order to exert their power. The family influences others with their soft power as
they luxuriously exhibit in their parties. The use of hawkish attitude is evident when Laura
comes to deal with the workers, she “tried to look severe” and “a little bit short sighted”.
Similarly, the attitude of Jose who “loved giving orders to the servants”. The attitude of the
upper class is negative towards the poor class as Mr. Sheridan refers to the incident as “beastly”
and in spite of saying that he has left six children, he utters sickening remarks left “half a dozen
kiddies”. They were “seriously annoyed” not sad over the demise of the neighbor. They detest
the poor as they were the “greatest eyesore” and “had no right to be in that neighborhood”. Even
the Sheridan family constricted the Sherdians when they were children, never “to set foot there
because of the revolting language”.
Furthermore, Marx states: “the class which has the means of material production at its disposal
has control at the same time over the means of mental production so that in consequence the
ideas of those who lack the means of mental production are, in general, subject to it”. In the
story, when the workers who come for the marquee, decide to place it “against the karakas”.
Laura interrupts the worker to place where she wants. She acts like she knows better than the
workers whose job is positioning marquees. The upper class do not accept the ideas of the
proletariat class as Laura avert the decision of the worker. Moreover, she expects the workers as
vacant minded and manner less as she hears from a worker “it’ll give you a bang slap in the eye”
becomes dazzled “for a moment whether it was quite respectful”.
The false consciousness is depicted through Laura's character. When she comes to know about
the death in the neighborhood, she is “horrified” and feel “sympathetic”. Her sympathy vanishes
when her mother gifts her “velvet steamer hat”. She forget about the miseries of the neighbours
but “the first thing she saw was this charming girl in the mirror” and becomes absorbed in her
dressing. All these “seemed [to her] blurred, unreal, like a picture in the newspaper” and
eventually she forgets and gets dissolve in her party.
The patricians exploit the plebeians while paying them limited wages to keep them below and
under their influence. The “gardener had been up since dawn” while cleaning and mowing until
“shine” grass and lawns. The workers were in bleak situation as Katherine describes one of the
worker as “lanky and wrecked”. According to Marx, workers are exploited in a capitalist system
where a worker works hard than the wage he earns. The gap between the value produced and the
value received by the labors is called surplus value which leads to the alienation of the workers.
The workers are not given the privileges they should have which encompasses health facilities,
food, and safety. In this short fiction, Laura inquires her parents “Can’t the band have something
to drink?”, while in the end of the party sandwiches, cakes and puffs are “all going to be
wasted”.