The extract being discussed is taken from Catherine Mansfield’s story “Life of Ma Parker”.

The
inner thought of the protagonist, Ma Parker, an old lady who undergoes unbearable miseries in her life
runs through the whole extract. The author being a rebel and modernist intends to portray the global
issue of class-conscious in this story. However, the central theme of the extract is the changing role of
women at the wake of modernism. In this context, the author displays her understanding of the reality
in which self-reliance of women is attainable through long hardships and miseries. Ma Parker, the old
woman is the symbol of self-reliance, but her plight shows the realistic side of life. The extract vividly
portrays Ma Parker as a woman of fate, struggling in the midst of isolation even among her class. The
author’s knowledge about the global issues of her time makes the story a realistic one, and the context
of this extract particularly shows the authors awareness of the hardships that the women of her time
underwent in the pursuit to become independent. Class-consciousness makes her accept her class
station, and her isolation makes her a realistic character.

The protagonist’s realization of her class falls on her all of a sudden during her thoughts. The
lines “As she said those words she suddenly let fall her brush. She found herself in the kitchen” display
this rapid shift in her mood. At this juncture, the author creates a fusion of two global issues, that of
class-consciousness as well as women’s empowerment. She uses Ma Parker as a character who is
isolated even in her class due to her struggles to attain self-reliance. She realizes her class station as she
walks down the street; and the author cleverly displays her situation when she makes Ma Parker walk
among people who work and walk down the street. It is this self-realization that marks the protagonist
as the symbol of both class-consciousness as well as that of women’s appraisal.

Symbolism is at its best in the extract, conveying several themes and images to the readers. The
‘box of chest’ denotes Lennie’s poor physical condition, but at the same time it also suggests Ma
Parker’s mind which is filled with all the adversary events that she underwent in her life. The ‘box of
chest as though something was boiling’ is a clear symbol of her mind which is boiling due to all her fate
and her inability to cry. The ‘bubbling in his chest’ symbolizes Ma Parker’s ardent need to cry out and let
out all her sorrows to her content. Throwing the counterpane at the bed symbolizes her realization of
being isolated and her losing hope. Similarly, the cold ‘wind like ice’ symbolizes her frozen and blunt
mind which carries no hope and which is closed to the world around her. ‘People fitting by very fast’
symbolizes the global issue of the rapid changes that happen in the world. The symbol of scissors
suggests her being cut off from her class and being isolated. In the same way, the women’s walking like
cats is a symbol of people’s indifference towards others’ sorrows and sufferings. The author ‘s mastery
in using symbolism to associate meanings to situations is commendable.

Mansfield’s use of visual imagery and sound imagery elevates the reader to the exact mood of
the story. The ‘sound as though something was boiling’ and ‘bubbling in his chest’ are instances of sound
imagery showing the intense situation of his poor health. ‘Little box of chest’, ‘sweat sprang out of his
head’, ‘his eyes bulged, hands waved’ and ‘lump bubbled as a potato knocks in a saucepan’ excellent
examples of visual imagery showing Lennie’s condition. As Ma Parker walks out, she ‘pinned on her hat,
put on her jacket and walked out of the flat like a person in a dream’. This imagery makes the readers
realize how deeply she becomes class-conscious.
 The author uses similes and metaphors effectively to create images that help the readers
visualize the situations. ‘The great lump bubbled as a potato knocks in a saucepan’, ‘walked out of the
flat like a person in a dream’, ‘she was like a person so dazed by the horror of….’, ‘wind like ice’, ‘the
mend walked like scissors’ and ‘the woman trod like cats’ are examples of similes used in the extract.
‘Little box of chest’, ‘bubbling in the chest’ and ‘my dove’ are metaphors used for comparisons. These
literary devices are vivid examples of the author’s wise use of the language to portray characters and
situations in the most effective and realistic manner.

The global issue of sudden realization and acceptance of one’s own class is very efficiently
depicted by the author in the story when she makes Ma Parker realize that she was in the kitchen at her
workplace and when the brush falls off her. It is at this point that Ma Parker is completely cut off from all
the other classes to which she does not belong. At the same time, it must be noted that she does not fit
in her class either. Instead, she walks down the street passing several people of her class, not bothering
about anyone as well as not being cared about anyone. It is interesting to delve into the ways in which
Mansfield makes a story very realistic and interesting.