In "The Garden-Party" by Katherine Mansfield, the false consciousness of socio-economic origin evoked by Michael Bell in "The Metaphysics of Modernism" initially prevents the protagonist Laura to see the world. in any context outside of one's home. Although the story's crucial actions do not change Laura's physical existence and setting, they radically alter her metaphysical social consciousness in such a way that the depth of her "awakening" underscores the extent to which her social context initially protected his perception of the world. no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay now, Katherine Mansfield paints an almost painfully idealized picture of a garden party: the weather is impeccable, the lawn is trimmed to perfection, the flowers and plants bloom with almost divine beauty. The extrapolation situates the story in a kind of socially advantaged household, where the extent of the children's worries extends no further than the problem of finding an optimal setting for a marquee. The almost absurd nature of this idealized setting gives the reader the impression that this modernist story actually accentuates the ignorance of the family in question. This is a point that Bell emphasizes in his discussion of Marxist appearances in modernism: "Marx had analyzed the external realm of the social and economic process and exposed the 'false consciousness' by which the favored classes unwittingly rationalized their own condition." (Bell 9). ). Indeed, Laura initially seems to view social class as a prerequisite for casual conversation, as her reaction to the bourgeois worker's casual conversation suggests: "Laura's upbringing led her to wonder for a moment if it were entirely respectful to a worker to talk to him about bangs smacking in his eyes" (Mansfield 853). As the conversation continues, Mansfield maintains the socio-economic distinction between Laura and the workers, but allows simultaneously with Laura's esteem for workers and their alien nature to slowly elevate her perception of the world outside of her social class The subsequent change in Laura's social perception seems to illustrate Bell's assertion regarding the. Marxist hermeneutics of human life: “It is not just that outward appearances, and the sensible or rational means of understanding them, are limited and fallible It is that such appearances and reasoning can actively conceal contrary truths. , by definition, there is no other access. (Bell 10) An important aspect of Laura's experience with the workers is that her exposure to their informality leaves her light-hearted; her only frustration comes from the fact that she has no "working class friends rather than the stupid boys she danced with and who came to Sunday night supper" (Mansfield 854). Bell's comment suggests that Laura's interactions may have challenged the paradigm inherent in her social class: "modernist literature is often concerned with the question of how to live within a new context of thought or a new vision of world” (Bell 10). Soon after, Mansfield juxtaposes a new situation that forces Laura to defend her emerging social perceptions. While Laura's family remains somewhat unmoved by the news of the death of a man from the infamous alley across the street, evidence of Laura's interaction with the workers before that day quickly emerges. She considers something as serious as death a legitimate reason to cancel the party, out of sensitivity for the family. She..