Bliss Katherine Mansfield Jeanne Charnese Katherine Mansfield Characters

Bliss Katherine Mansfield Jeanne Charnese

Katherine Mansfield

Characters • Bertha Young- naïve thirty year old housewife; depicted as a happy soul; has a daughter (Little B); in love with Pearl Fulton • Harry Young- Bertha’s husband; crude; has a daughter (Little B); makes light of Bertha’s interests; tries to make Bertha feel as if he cares for no one except for her; maybe having an affair with Pearl Fulton • Pearl Fulton- Guest in the Fulton home; blonde, beautiful, and mysterious; believed to share the same feelings as Bertha; maybe having an affair

Characters continued • Nanny- mother figure to Bertha’s daughter, Little B; • Little B- Bertha’s and Harry’s daughter; Bertha not close to Little B; Nanny gives her the affection she needs • Mary- servant • Eddie Warren- dinner guest; poet; possible homo/bi/heterosexual • Mr. and Mrs. Norman Knight- refer to each other as “Mug” and “Face”; occupations: playwright and

Setting/Plot • 1920 s • "Bliss" begins with the introduction of Bertha's baby, Little B, and her nanny, Nurse. • Story told from Bertha Young's point of view (naive and blissful) who is married to Harry. • Bertha and Harry are upper class family due to the presence of servants and a nanny in their home. • Bertha and Harry host a dinner party • Harry makes fun of Pearl and Bertha believes he despises her (there's no way of telling if Harry actually despises her because told from Bertha’s point of view)

Plot continued • Pearl Fulton shows interest in Harry and for some reason Bertha is drawn to Miss Fulton from the start • Eddie is an aid in the story due to the fact that he is most likely homosexual • Knowing this makes Bertha wonder if her interest in Miss Fulton is more than a normal way to feel about someone of the same sex. • Bertha analyzes her thoughts and questions her sexuality.

continued • As she continues to think, she realizes that the "blissful" feeling she shared with Miss Fulton was due to their common attraction to Harry. • She finds out that they may/may not be having an affair. • Bertha was ignorant of her husband Pearl Fulton's fornication, yet she was blissful. • The story unfolds and portrays the dissension of homosexuality in the 20 th century and how ignorance is "Bliss. " • So we question: Is it best to live blissfully

Symbols • Pear Tree: represents Bertha • represents tallness of Bertha's homosexual aspirations at their fullest – "Bertha seemed to see on her eyelids the lovely pear tree with its wide open blossoms as a symbol of her own life. ” blossoms are a symbol of sexual maturation represents the masculinity because the tree is tall and assertive Bertha's masculine sexual desire