The Doll s House
Katherine Nansfield “The Doll’s House” is short story that observes the class structure of the 1920s in New Zealand. Though the Burnells use the arrival of their doll’s house to show off to their friends and exclude the Kelveys, Kezia is able to see beyond the constrictive social structure and invites the Kelveys in regardless of their social background. An idea, presented in this story, that is relevant to people in today’s society is the innocence and imagination of youth contrasted with the cynicism of the old. This idea is shown through the use of dialogue, symbolism and characterization.
Firstly, Nansfield uses dialogue to show a relevant idea in today’s society. This idea is the naïve attitudes of youth compared with the cynicism of the old. Dialogue is used to show this contrast through the character Aunt Beryl in “The Doll’s House” to show the cynicism of the old. When she finds that Kezia has invited the
Kelveys to see the doll’s house she becomes furious. She considers the Kelveys to be the lowest class and therefore not at all welcome in their home. She tells Kezia, “How dare you ask the little Kelveys to the courtyard?” This quote shows her disdain for the Kelveys and that she treats people according to their class.
Kezia is a contrast to her Aunt as she is a character who does not buy into class structures. Instead, she is able to look beyond and see the value of the people around her. An example of this is when she invites the Kelveys to see the doll’s house knowing that this is something that she knows she is not allowed to do,
“It doesn’t matter. You can come and see our doll’s house all the same.” This shows that Kezia sees the Kelveys as equals. This reveals the naivety and innocence of youth as Kezia shows an ignorance of the class structure, as opposed to Aunt Beryl, who shows the typical cynicism of the older generation who are stuck in their ways and are unlikely to change their views of the world.
She is able see the young Kelveys as young
Firstly, Nansfield uses dialogue to show a relevant idea in today’s society. This idea is the naïve attitudes of youth compared with the cynicism of the old. Dialogue is used to show this contrast through the character Aunt Beryl in “The Doll’s House” to show the cynicism of the old. When she finds that Kezia has invited the
Kelveys to see the doll’s house she becomes furious. She considers the Kelveys to be the lowest class and therefore not at all welcome in their home. She tells Kezia, “How dare you ask the little Kelveys to the courtyard?” This quote shows her disdain for the Kelveys and that she treats people according to their class.
Kezia is a contrast to her Aunt as she is a character who does not buy into class structures. Instead, she is able to look beyond and see the value of the people around her. An example of this is when she invites the Kelveys to see the doll’s house knowing that this is something that she knows she is not allowed to do,
“It doesn’t matter. You can come and see our doll’s house all the same.” This shows that Kezia sees the Kelveys as equals. This reveals the naivety and innocence of youth as Kezia shows an ignorance of the class structure, as opposed to Aunt Beryl, who shows the typical cynicism of the older generation who are stuck in their ways and are unlikely to change their views of the world.
She is able see the young Kelveys as young