Reflection on ‘Her First Ball’ by Katherine Mansfield
Her First Ball, by Katherine Mansfield, depicts a memorable event in a young woman’s life, symbolizing her entrance into modern society as a debutante. This short story is not very hard to understand, but contains many profound connotations that I think I didn’t get. The story made me think about memorable events in my life, though I don’t think any were as significant to me as the ball was to Leila (the main character).
In the first part of the story, as Leila is heading to the ball in a cab, she thinks about random thoughts that are usually related to feeling agitated. Her reverie extends to feeling sorry for herself because she doesn’t have a brother, which I think is a complete out-of-the-blue topic. She pities herself that no brother had ever and would never say “Twig?” to her. However, this does emphasize just how skittish Leila is before the ball and conveys the trepidation vividly. Here, we share Leila’s sense of anxiety and it continues until she starts dancing.
The description of the ball hall is very amusing, as the writer includes the monologues of multiple people in a very humorous way. The antique room and description of the whole scenario may bring a sense of nostalgia to some VERY old people, but to me, the illustration paints a very peculiar and fantastical image in my head. The way the ball is arranged also sounds very alien to me, how the men and women are separate before the ball and how only men can ask the women to dance. When the old fat man first comes up to Leila, I felt suspicious because he says, “Is it known to me of yore?” Does he mean he has met Leila before???
The Essay on Communication Between Men And Women 2
There is a large problem when it comes to communication between men and women, whether it is between children, teenagers, or adults; because of a cross gender society. Once both sides understand this "cross-culture communication" problem, so that no gender is blamed, improvement will naturally occur. Deborah Tannen, is an award winning writer and a best selling author for her eccentric essays ...
Later in the story, Leila is pestered by the old fat man as he tells her about what would happen to her in the distant future.
“Long before that you’ll be sitting up there on the stage, looking on, in your nice black velvet. And these pretty arms will have turned into short fat ones, and you’ll beat time with such a different kind of fan- a black ebony one…”
The fat old man’s words conjure up many different questions in my head. Is the old man saying this to intimidate her and make her gloomy, just for his malicious and sadistic reasons? Or is he actually whole-heartedly trying to prevent her from suffering the terrible fate of the lure of going to dances until she is an ugly old woman? The quotation provides us with innumerable questions, but all the answers are all undoubtedly sinister. The light nervous feeling we get at the start of the story has transformed itself into a heinous and loathsome ending.
Some would say that Leila’s innocent and frolicsome spirit prevails in the end against the old fat man’s pessimistic views, but I would think otherwise. In the end, Leila not only overcomes her nervousness, she follows the horrendous path predicted by Mr. Fatalistic.
Very stiffly, she walked into the middle; very haughtily she put her hand on his sleeve. But in one minute, in one turn, her feet glided, glided. The lights, the azaleas, the dresses, the pink faces, the velvet chairs, all became one beautiful flying wheel. And when her next partner bumped her into the fat man and he said, ‘Pardon,’ she smiled at him more radiantly than ever. She didn’t even recognize him again.
I don’t know what this quotation would mean to you, but to me, I think she pretty much completely ignores the old fat man and adheres to the trail he warns her against taking. The last paragraph ultimately turns my view of the antagonist as the old man to Leila herself as she is to blame for her trouble. Unwittingly, she is caught up in the tide and unintentionally, she is drawn to the nightlife of balls. By ignoring what she thinks is an attempt to scare her, Leila chooses the even worse route.
The Essay on Killing The Old Man Narrator Eye Story
THE TELL-TALE HEART Even though Poe stated in the first few lines of the story that the person narrating the story is insane. It is only when the narrator tells us his preparations for murdering the old man that we know how insane he is. The narrator states, "I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad" The narrator explains it as merely some ...
Her First Ball is a memorable yet confusing story, and though I can’t say I savored it, the story certainly puts many interesting descriptions of historic events in your head and is pretty informative. Overall, Her First Ball made a good impression to me.
