32 pages • 1 hour read
Katherine MansfieldBliss
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1918A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Stifling Nature of Social Conventions
Consistently through the story, Bertha observes “how idiotic civilization is!” (Paragraph 3), an idea that correlates with social conventions. The thought initially occurs to her when she realizes that it is socially unacceptable for a woman of her age to run or dance or laugh. Essentially, a woman of 30 is shut off from outward expressions of happiness. Another thing that a well-to-do 30-year-old mother cannot do is countermand the nanny who restricts her from showing physical affection to her own baby. Instead, while Nanny was feeding Little B her supper, Bertha “stood watching them, her hands by her side, like the poor little girl in front of the rich girl with the doll” (Paragraph 21). This simile captures the restrictions of social norms.
Mrs. Norman Knight is the antithesis of the social conventions which inhibit Bertha. For this reason, Mrs. NK’s story about the effect of her orange coat bordered with black monkeys on the train delights Bertha. Mrs. Norman Knight questions, “Why is the middle-class so stodgy—so utterly without a sense of humour! [...] My darling monkeys so upset the train that it rose to a man and simply ate me with its eyes. Didn’t laugh—wasn’t amused […] no, just stared—and bored me through and through” (Paragraph 58).
Early in the story, Bertha questions, “Why be given a body if you have to keep it shut up in a case like a rare, rare fiddle” (Paragraph 3)? This symbol of her body as a rare fiddle that is locked away is a metaphor for her sexual suppression. The social norms of the time implied that marital frigidity was to be expected and that lesbianism was taboo. By accepting these social mores, she condemns the rare instrument of her body to being locked away in its case. The story begins with the overwhelming bliss which confuses Bertha, but when seen in context of the rest of the story, it is reasonable to assume that what she is feeling is the giddiness of new love. She knows that Miss Fulton is coming for dinner; the anticipation translates itself into an overall love of everything. As the story progresses, Bertha begins to unlock herself from her case. When she sloppily rearranges the sofa cushions that were so carefully placed by the maid, she is symbolically rejecting conventions. Furthermore, “as she was about to throw the last one she surprised herself by suddenly hugging it to her, passionately, passionately” an action that mirrors the theme (Paragraph 48). If she throws away the stifling restrictions of society, she will unlock her physical passions.
Suppression of Emotion
Tying in closely with the theme “The Stifling Nature of Social Conventions,” Bertha consistently suppresses her feelings throughout the story. When she finishes arranging the bowls of fruit, she steps back to look at the finished product. She notices that the “dark table seemed to melt into the dusky light and the glass dish and the blue bowl to float in the air. This, of course, in her present mood, was so incredibly beautiful […] She began to laugh” (Paragraph 15). Instead of allowing herself to enjoy the moment and to justifiably appreciate what she created, Bertha stops herself saying, “No, no. I’m getting hysterical” (Paragraph 16).
It’s interesting that Bertha calls herself “hysterical,” given the historical roots of the word. Just 10 years before this story was published, hysteria was a common psychological diagnosis for women, the symptoms of which ran the gamut of anxiety to aggressiveness to sexual promiscuity. The diagnosis has since disappeared and is now considered a symptom of an overly restrictive, sexist society trying to explain women who didn’t conform to traditional gender roles or who were outwardly expressive and emotional. Through her word use, Mansfield seems to be pointing an accusatory finger at a society that doesn’t allow women to fully express their emotions. Bertha feels that in having strong emotions, she is erring. We see this again in Mansfield’s title choice: “Bliss” describes the emotion Bertha is feeling, but she never actually expresses total bliss to anyone in the story.
When Bertha has finished feeding Little B, she shows her reluctance to express emotional depth. She lovingly kisses her baby, but she minimalizes her feelings by telling Little B, “You’re nice—you’re very nice! I’m fond of you. I like you” (Paragraph 33). Similarly, she doesn’t know how to express herself to her husband when Harry calls. Though he urges her to speak and tell him what she wants to say, she doesn’t.
During dinner, Bertha happily gazes at her guests:
[T]hey were dears—dears—and she loved having them there, at her table, and giving them delicious food and wine. In fact, she longed to tell them how delightful they were, and what a decorative group they made, how they seemed to set one another off and how they reminded her of a play by Tchekof (Paragraph 96).
Bertha clearly has a fully formed emotional response in that moment, but she is compelled—by societal norms—to suppress those feelings. This culminates in the final moment of the story when Bertha realizes that her husband is having an affair with the woman she has fallen in love with. She doesn’t say a word, and she doesn’t make a scene. Instead, she questions what she’ll do now. The way Mansfield describes the pear tree as unchanged suggests that Bertha, too, will not express her feelings and will remain unchanged as a result.
Adherence and Rejection of Traditional Gender Roles
Women in English society during the modernist period played defined roles, and any disruptions of those roles causes friction. Bertha is clearly the modern wife and mother. She loves her baby. She frequently expresses satisfaction in the friendship between herself and her husband. However, when Bertha seeks to express herself to Harry in a meaningful way, she cannot. She wants to tell him about her curiously blissful mood, but when she attempts this, she questions herself, “What had she to say? She’d nothing to say. She only wanted to get in touch with him for a moment. She couldn’t absurdly cry: ‘Hasn’t it been a divine day!’” (Paragraph 34).
By trying to break the mold of modern wife, the response she receives from her husband is an impatient “What is it?” to which she replies, “nothing” (Paragraphs 40-41). The fact that the Youngs have a very modern attitude towards sexuality also results in unexpected friction. The modern couple—he is passionate and physical; she is dispassionate and mechanical—accepts their roles in the bedroom. This arrangement evidently frees Harry to have extramarital affairs, which he is currently having with Miss Fulton. Ironically, when Bertha suddenly and unexpectedly feels an overwhelming desire for her husband, this breaking of the mold has disastrous consequences.
Nanny plays her own role in the English society. She is the nurse of Little B and, as such, has a clearly defined dominance in both the baby’s room and life. Nanny is expected to physically care for the baby. By spending their time together, Nanny also supplies the emotional nurturing Little B needs. Nanny sets the rules; Nanny (not Bertha) is the mother figure. Bertha’s entrance into the nursery disrupts the norm and causes friction. Nanny is clearly perturbed, “setting her lips in a way that Bertha knew, and that meant she had come into the nursery at another wrong moment” (Paragraph 18). Bertha must insist on permission to finish feeding her own child, and “very offended, Nanny handed her over” (Paragraph 26). Changing the accepted societal patterns allows Bertha to enjoy a delightful experience with her child. But it clearly causes friction between characters, and the scene ends with Nanny “coming back in triumph and seizing her Little B” (Paragraph 34).
Miss Fulton is a pearl—the most precious gemstone which has been adored throughout time. As such, she is objectified by those who claim to love her. Her role as the love interest has an interesting twist in the modern society—she is “the other woman” for both Youngs. She is Harry’s mistress and the object of Bertha’s suppressed lesbian attraction. Her enigmatic personality is revealed in her underdeveloped characterization. Not much is known about her. Pearl is associated with silver and coldness, with her mysterious eyes and tilted head. She is simply a “find” of Bertha’s and “what Miss Fulton did, Bertha didn’t know” (Paragraph 42). The inevitable friction occurs when Bertha learns what Miss Fulton does. Pearl breaks the accepted role of love interest. By being loved by both Harry and Bertha, she creates the most disruptive friction in the story.
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By Katherine Mansfield
