The Garden Party

Katherine Mansfield

The Garden Party

Katherine Mansfield
43 pages1-hour read
Fiction
Short Story
Adult
Published in 1922

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

Laura is a young woman living on a lavish gated estate. Considered the artistic sibling of the family, she displays a genuine curiosity about the laborers who set up the garden party. She questions the rigid societal norms of her upbringing and feels a natural sympathy for the working-class neighbors living at the bottom of the hill.

Key Relationships

Daughter of Mrs. Sheridan

Sister of Jose

Sister of Laurie

Daughter of Mr. Sheridan

Sister of Meg

Sister of Hans

Sympathetic Neighbor of Mr. Scott

Client of The Workman

The matriarch of the wealthy Sheridan household enforces the family's upper-class values and orchestrates the lavish lifestyle within the estate gates. While she is loving and supportive of her children, she maintains firm boundaries regarding social class. She prioritizes the family's enjoyment and views outside tragedies as irrelevant to their day, trying to distract her daughter with a luxurious hat.

Key Relationships

Mother of Laura

Wife of Mr. Sheridan

Mother of Jose

Mother of Laurie

Mother of Meg

Mother of Hans

Supporting Characters

One of Laura's sisters, Jose fully embraces their mother's upper-class mindset and authoritative manner. She enjoys practicing a dramatic, melancholic persona for her singing performance but easily snaps back into her usual cheerful reality. She quickly dismisses the fatal accident down the hill, assuming the victim was drunk and blaming him for his own misfortune.

Key Relationships

Sister of Laura

Daughter of Mrs. Sheridan

Sister of Laurie

Daughter of Mr. Sheridan

Sister of Meg

Sister of Hans

Laura's brother regularly leaves the estate to accompany their father to the office, giving him more exposure to the world outside the gates. He shares a particularly close bond with Laura and serves as a source of comfort for her. Despite his access to the wider world, he remains firmly rooted in his family's affluent lifestyle and primarily seeks to keep his sister happy.

Key Relationships

Brother of Laura

Son of Mr. Sheridan

Brother of Jose

Brother of Meg

Brother of Hans

The patriarch of the Sheridan family leaves the estate to work in the city. He inadvertently introduces the reality of the outside world into the post-party conversation by casually mentioning the fatal accident down the hill. He funds the extravagant lifestyle his wife and children enjoy.

Key Relationships

Husband of Mrs. Sheridan

Father of Laura

Father of Laurie

Father of Jose

Father of Meg

Father of Hans

A working-class man who lives in one of the less affluent cottages just outside the Sheridan family's gates. His sudden death from a horse-riding accident introduces the harsh reality of mortality to the Sheridan household's idyllic day. He leaves behind a wife and five children.

Key Relationships

Husband of Mrs. Scott

Neighbor of Laura

The grieving widow of Mr. Scott lives in the poorer cottages at the bottom of the hill. Left to care for five children after her husband's sudden death, she faces immediate hardship on the same day as the Sheridans' lavish celebration. Her physical appearance and home environment drastically contrast with the wealth up the hill.

Key Relationships

Wife of Mr. Scott

Sister of The Widow's Sister

Visited by Laura

A woman assisting her grieving sister in the immediate aftermath of Mr. Scott's sudden death. She takes charge of the visitors and guides mourners through the small cottage during the wake, directing guests to view the body.

Key Relationships

Sister of Mrs. Scott

Host to Laura

One of the laborers hired to prepare the Sheridan garden for the festivities. He casually uses slang and takes a moment to smell a sprig of lavender. This small act of appreciation heavily influences Laura, showing her that working-class individuals share her sensitivity to beauty.

Key Relationships

Hired by Laura

A worker who services the Sheridan estate. He acts as a messenger between the working-class neighborhood and the wealthy family. By bringing news of the tragedy up the hill, he bridges the physical and social divide between the two worlds.

Key Relationships

Informant to Laura

Informant to Jose

One of the Sheridan children. She participates in the wealthy, sheltered life behind the estate gates alongside her siblings. She enjoys the extravagant food and beautiful environment provided by her parents without questioning the social order.

Key Relationships

Sister of Laura

Daughter of Mrs. Sheridan

Daughter of Mr. Sheridan

Sister of Jose

Sister of Laurie

Sister of Hans

A sibling in the Sheridan family who takes part in the idyllic, cloistered life on the estate. Like most of his family members, he remains detached from the working-class world outside the gates and accepts his privileged reality as normal.

Key Relationships

Brother of Laura

Son of Mr. Sheridan

Brother of Jose

Brother of Laurie

Brother of Meg