Bliss

Speculate on the ending of the story. Imagine what the next day would be like at the Youngs’s house. Write a page imitating Mansfield use of dialogue. Will Bertha confront Harry? Pearl? Will she remain unchanged?

An epiphany in literature occurs when a character gains a powerful insight into themselves or the world around them. This is generally episodic, a specific moment of realization. Discuss Bertha’s epiphany. When does it occur? What does she learn?

Speculate on a potential confrontation between Bertha and Harry. Do you believe that Harry would experience an epiphany due to such a confrontation? Discuss.

Read another short story by Katherine Mansfield such as “A Dill Pickle” or “Miss Brill.” Compare and contrast the epiphany that each main character experiences.

Considering Bertha, Mrs. Norman Knight, Nanny, and Pearl Fulton, what roles do women play in early Modern Age England? Discuss the compartmentalization of those roles.

There are two married couples in this story: the Youngs and the Knights. Can these two couples be considered foils? What similarities do they share?

In your opinion, is Pearl Fulton aware of Bertha’s love? If so, is that love reciprocated?

Katherine Mansfield was an admirer of Anton Chekhov. Research Chekhov’s writing style. Some contemporaneous critics claimed that Mansfield plagiarized Chekhov. Do you believe this to be correct?