16-09-'02
Klas A
Third version
The function of the hat in "the garden party"
Almost everybody in the story wears a hat; it tells something about the person who wears it. It is used as a statussymbol; the classes are expressed by their hats. That is why it has an important place in the story. Laura's feeling towards class distinctions is related to the hat. The hat gives her a status; when she walks towards the dead man's house, she thinks everyone is looking at her big hat with a velvet streamer. The other people who live in the little houses are very poor, so they can not afford such a hat.
At first Laura feels more comfortable with the working-class than with her own class, but after putting the hat on, she feels different, as if she has more status. Laura does not feel comfortable with the people she lives with and she thinks that she would feel more comfortable with the working-class. "Why couldn't she have workmen for friends rather than the silly boys she danced with and who came to sunday night supper? She would get on much better with men like these." (2425) After seeing herself in the mirror with her hat on, her feelings toward the working class changes. Laura is thinking that maybe she does belong with the people she lives among with, and not with the working class and the dead man's wife. She decided to forget about them, and to concentrate on the party.
Laura feels uncomfortable with her hat, because it makes her feel different than the working class. That is her biggest problem with wearing a hat; that she does not want to be different than other people. When she wears a hat she immediately thinks she has more status; for example when she is looking in the mirror. When she is walking to the house of the dead man, she feels so ashamed for wearing such a beautiful hat, that she apologizes. She has the feeling she has to apologize, because she wears it in front of the poor people, that could never afford it: "Forgive my hat, she said." (2433
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
In the jacket the character is having a clothes problem. Therefore in the story the characters mom says “there were children in Mexico who would love that jacket.” the character doesn't care much about the kids in mexico that would love to have the jacket because the character says that they are in america not mexico and his sister doesn't have a jacket like his. therefore because he doesn't like the jacket he gets bullied by students,his friends and even the teachers make fun of him. theme in the jacket is be thankful for what you get.…
- 330 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Holden Caulfield’s red hunting cap is a symbol for his individuality. Caulfield only wears his hat when he “d[oes]n't give a damn how [he] look[s]” and when he knows “[he] wouldn’t meet anybody that kn[ows] [him]” (88, 122). Caulfield is insecure about himself--this is demonstrated by his inability to connect well with others--and his “corny” hat is one of his insecurities (18). Despite how insecure he is about his individuality--and subsequently his hat--he still keeps it close by. Most of time, the hat is in Caulfield’s “pocket” (53). When Phoebe “put [the hunting hat] on [his] head,” she is telling Caulfield that she accepts him as an individual--quirky hat and all (212).…
- 377 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
a real identity of the rich class because she wants to fit in. However, after the…
- 231 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Laura has certain qualities that also apply to the song. She is a shy shut-in that never quite realizes the real world. She is always, "Treading water full of worry." Afraid of disappointing her mother. She drops out of her college courses and has a low self-esteem. This self loathing to an extent can even be more destructive than physical damages. She will not have the strength or confidence in herself to live a real life. All she can do is, "keep searching" for the answer, yet the "search goes on" if she can never realize her potential. She is so fragile, wasting away her days taking care of her glass menagerie. Towards the end of the play, we have reason to believe that she does overcome some of her shyness though. What with her using nicknames with Jim and her lack of being upset when a favorite glass ornament breaks. She may be able to answer positively to the beginning question of the song, "If I could have my wasted days back, would I use them to get back on track?" We now might can see how…
- 434 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Upon the novel starting, Holden’s red hunting hat is introduced almost immediately. Holden narrates within the first few pages about his trip to New York City with the fencing team. He explains to the reader of how he lost all of the teams fencing gear, and also elaborates on stumbling across the peculiar, red hat in a store upon departing from the subway after arriving back in Pennsylvania where he attends Pency Prep…
- 74 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Although she is a queen, she is still muchly hated around her kingdom and even the White Kingdom. Yet both however, were very successful in their own ways. The Red Queen embraced her differences and turned them into a plus by making those unique qualities that are typical considered frowned upon, into qualities that are unique and beautiful. This showed to the viewer when Alice was infiltrating the Red Kingdom and she ate the cake that made her grow, and then the Red Queen accepted her solely because of her extra-large head. The Mad Hatter was an old psychopath who couldn’t fit in anywhere, but he figured out the only way to embrace his differences and used his talent of making hats to actually fit in. Burton tends to portray this common theme in a majority of his…
- 637 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
When she appears in the doorway she blocks out the light.in Steinbeck warning us on how she will cast a shadow over the lives of all the men who lives on the ranch.…
- 460 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
She starts off by describing the boy as they face each other. She says he has the casual look of a mugger while she's wearing a fur coat making her seem like the victim. Here they contrast as him looking like a mugger puts him in the lower class. On the other hand, she wears a fur coat of a skinned animal which makes it expensive putting her in the higher class. His life isn't as great as hers as he has the looks that he has to fight in the world to survive.…
- 325 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
How do you spend your Sunday afternoons? Most people spend it with family and friends. Others as a spiritual day or even sports day. However you spend it, it is usually around the most important people in your life. However, in “Miss Brill” we find out her Sundays are spent at the park. She spends them alone because she lives in solitude. The time she spends at the park is a twisted reality of what she really is seeing. Not having companions with whom to spend her Sunday afternoons lead to Miss Brill making up scenarios and ideas about the people around her. She is able to feel better about herself when speaking and assuming things for others. This is really a mask to cover the loneliness she is feeling inside. In “Miss Brill” by Katherine…
- 904 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Overall, Laura who is a female protagonist The Optimistic Daughter leaves her hometown when she is child and return for her father’s funeral. She is shocked by the behavior of her father’s new wife, Fry who married Laura’s father to gain wealth. Fry does not try to assimilate herself with her husband’s community and culture at the same time she tries to ignore her own identity and traditions. Meanwhile, Laura who tries to respects her tradition but being away from her townhome creates a gap in her understanding of traditions. She could not feel the way people of her hometown feel for their…
- 1373 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
The curiosity that Laura develops regarding those who are less fortunate than her, leads her to visit the home of the worker that passed away. While the previous aspects to the story directly link to social class division, the latter and her crossing to encounter death, is parallel to the journey of Persephone to the underworld. Foster explains that “Laura has gone to hell… not only that but she hasn’t gone as Laura Sheridan but as Persephone” (Foster 273), and this fact lies in the very basics of the adventure she goes on. Because of her mother’s affiliation with childbearing and flowers, two elements that directly link to Demeter, Mrs. Sheridan is in fact Demeter. Not only this, but when Laura begins her descent to the underworld, she encounters a dog by her gate that represents Cerberus and his protection of the hell, the destination she travels to in order to grieve the loss of the dead caterer. Moreover, the broad road which Laura crosses to reach the home represents the River of Styx. The Sheridans home is a heaven because of its economic status; therefore, the lower classes would be viewed negatively and even as the opposite, implying that it is hell. Because the River of Styx is the transition between the two, the road that links the lower and upper classes, does the same. Furthermore, the hat given to Laura by her mother, with the golden daisies on it, directly links to Aeneas's Golden Bough, or admission ticket to the underworld, as it is what propels her journey to the workers home. The woman that Laura encounters at the home is Sibyl, because of her familiarity with the dark and dangerous lower class underworld. While the author uses Laura’s family to imitate heaven, he discovery of suffering, leads her to question this heavenly atmosphere. Because of the questioning of her lifestyle, Laura unearths…
- 884 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Maggie grew up in poverty, living out her childhood in a shabby apartment in Rum Alley. This poverty influenced her beliefs. The story says “when Pete arrived Maggie, in a worn black dress, was waiting…,” (18). In comparison, Pete was said to wear nice clothes such as “his blue double-breasted coat, edged with black braid, buttoned close to a res puff tie, and his patent-leather shoes,” (14). Maggie has her “worn dress” and as such she sees herself as lowly. The effect of the poverty is emphasized when Maggie, while observing Pete, ponders “She vaguely tried to calculate the altitude of the pinnacle from which he must have looked down upon her,” (16). This statement shows how, at this point in her life she sees other people above her. The poverty caused her to think this way- it influenced her in ways so subtle and yet so big. It was this thinking caused by the poverty which led to her seeking out Pete’s strength.…
- 947 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Laura, and how from a young age any chance of simplicity was banished from their lives.…
- 633 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
During her day as Gerald she begins to take on his thoughts. She begins to think about women’s fashion and business sense. She particularly starts to dislike women’s hats. “With the eyes of a man and the brain of a man; with the memory of a whole lifetime of free action wherein the hat, close-fitting on cropped hair, had been no handicap; now she perceived the hats of women” (Gilman 52). It’s interesting the way Mollie is taking on her husband’s thoughts. The reader would never think Mollie would think of women’s hats this way. The reader would…
- 641 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The narrative is focalized through the character of Miss Brill and this allows the reader to see what the character sees and feel what the character feels. Katherine Mansfield exhibits a detailed characterization of Miss Brill. We see everything through the eyes of Miss Brill, and through dramatic irony we often see or comprehend situations differently and perhaps more accurately than she does. Through it, it can be seen that in reality, Miss Brill is constantly by herself, she sits alone on a bench with her old fur that she seems to treasure more than anything and watches the world pass before her. The furpiece can be thought of as a symbol of the owner. Both are of an age and the appearance of the thing itself is wearing down, just as the frail Miss Brill is. She sees other people sitting on benches Sunday after Sunday and thinks of them as "funny...odd, silent,…
- 686 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays