The Effects of Parental Influence in Katherine Mansfield’s “the Garden Party, ” and Witi Ihimaera’s “This Life Is Weary”
Mitch Tabian
Jim Daems
English 108
July 7, 2012
The Effects of Parental Influence in Katherine Mansfield’s
“The Garden Party,” and Witi Ihimaera’s “This Life is Weary”
Parenting and role models play an important part helping children grow into healthy adults. Children observe people in their environment and develop mannerisms according to their interactions. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” is an old, but accurate analogy regarding people and how they compare to their parents. It suggests that apples (children) are relatively similar to where they came from (their parents). In Witi Ihimaera’s “This Life is Weary,” Celia has a strong sense of self and retains her innocence as a child because of positive influence from her parents. In Katherine Mansfield’s “The Garden Party,” Laura battles an on-going internal conflict regarding sense of self and struggles to maintain her compassionate nature because of negligent parents.
Celia’s father, Jack Scott, was a loving parent who cared deeply for his children. The families happiness was at the top of his priority list. In contrast, Mr.Sheridan does not provide adequate parental care for his daughter Laura and is often absent from family interactions. A loving, supportive parent, often produces mentally healthy children. Celia worshipped her father; She thought: “he was the most wonderful, most handsome, most perfect man in the whole world” (Ihimaera 200). She even said: “I shall marry someone just like you,” to her father (Ihimaera 200). Celia had good reason to love her father. Jack Scott supported almost any new activity the children wanted to do, like the Saturday’s they would spend at “The Big House” (Ihimaera 202). Even when the children would “become filled to the brim about the goings on up there [The Big House],” Mr.Scott would still retain his wise mannerisms and remind them “We are all equal in the sight of God” (Ihimaera 200). His humble attitude towards life created a sense of
Jim Daems
English 108
July 7, 2012
The Effects of Parental Influence in Katherine Mansfield’s
“The Garden Party,” and Witi Ihimaera’s “This Life is Weary”
Parenting and role models play an important part helping children grow into healthy adults. Children observe people in their environment and develop mannerisms according to their interactions. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” is an old, but accurate analogy regarding people and how they compare to their parents. It suggests that apples (children) are relatively similar to where they came from (their parents). In Witi Ihimaera’s “This Life is Weary,” Celia has a strong sense of self and retains her innocence as a child because of positive influence from her parents. In Katherine Mansfield’s “The Garden Party,” Laura battles an on-going internal conflict regarding sense of self and struggles to maintain her compassionate nature because of negligent parents.
Celia’s father, Jack Scott, was a loving parent who cared deeply for his children. The families happiness was at the top of his priority list. In contrast, Mr.Sheridan does not provide adequate parental care for his daughter Laura and is often absent from family interactions. A loving, supportive parent, often produces mentally healthy children. Celia worshipped her father; She thought: “he was the most wonderful, most handsome, most perfect man in the whole world” (Ihimaera 200). She even said: “I shall marry someone just like you,” to her father (Ihimaera 200). Celia had good reason to love her father. Jack Scott supported almost any new activity the children wanted to do, like the Saturday’s they would spend at “The Big House” (Ihimaera 202). Even when the children would “become filled to the brim about the goings on up there [The Big House],” Mr.Scott would still retain his wise mannerisms and remind them “We are all equal in the sight of God” (Ihimaera 200). His humble attitude towards life created a sense of
Cited: Witi Ihimaera & Katherine Mansfield. Concert of Voices. An Anthology of World Writing in English. 2nd ed. Ed. Victor J. Ramraj. Toronto: Broadview Press, 2009. (pp. 200-209 & 264-274). Print.