Published Paper Details:

The wealthy Sheridan family is in midst of preparing to throw an upscale garden party at their estate as Katherine Mansfield begins her short story, "The Garden Party. Meanwhile, the family's daughter Laura Sheridan [Miss. Annie] is confronted with a moral decision discovered upon hearing that further down where they lived one of their neighbors had passed away during this event. Nevertheless, the Sheridans go ahead with the party and Laura is confronted by a profound social chasm between her privileged life and that of other people. Societies, social inequality -- the have-nots and perhaps even prison economy to name a few such themes that are handled in this story. So by showing instead of telling the author achieves a greater sense that suffering is both more solvable and less neat, ideally resonating in people with privilege who have never experienced such abuse (or at least not yet) as they now think through their motivations for compassion or derision.