The Garden Party

How is Laura similar to her siblings? How is she different?

Mansfield interweaves flowers through the story. What is the significance of the flowers, and how does their symbolism relate to individual characters? Address at least two characters in your answer.

At the wake, Laura sees the presence of the dead man as a “marvel” (12). What does this word say about the nature of her epiphany? Examine the rest of the language in the passage where Laura encounters the dead body; how does this passage convey the “marvellous” nature of what she sees?