Bliss Katherine Mansfield Jeanne Charnese Christina Cecilia
Katherine Mansfield
Characters Bertha Young- naïve thirty year old housewife; depicted as a happy soul; has a daughter (Little B); in love with Pearl Fulton Harry Young- Bertha’s husband; crude; has a daughter (Little B); makes light of Bertha’s interests; tries to make Bertha feel as if he cares for no one except for her; maybe having an affair with Pearl Fulton Pearl Fulton- Guest in the Fulton home; blonde, beautiful, and mysterious; believed to share the same feelings as Bertha; maybe having an affair with Harry Young
Characters continued Nanny- mother figure to Bertha’s daughter, Little B; Little B- Bertha’s and Harry’s daughter; Bertha not close to Little B; Nanny gives her the affection she needs Mary- servant Eddie Warren- dinner guest; poet; possible homo/bi/heterosexual Mr. and Mrs. Norman Knight- refer to each other as “Mug” and “Face”; occupations: playwright and interior designer
Setting/Plot 1920s "Bliss" begins with the introduction of Bertha's baby, Little B, and her nanny, Nurse. Story told from Bertha Young's point of view (naive and blissful) who is married to Harry. Bertha and Harry are upper class family due to the presence of servants and a nanny in their home. Bertha and Harry host a dinner party Harry makes fun of Pearl and Bertha believes he despises her (there's no way of telling if Harry actually despises her because told from Bertha’s point of view)
Plot continued Pearl Fulton shows interest in Harry and for some reason Bertha is drawn to Miss Fulton from the start Eddie is an aid in the story due to the fact that he is most likely homosexual Knowing this makes Bertha wonder if her interest in Miss Fulton is more than a normal way to feel about someone of the same sex. Bertha analyzes her thoughts and questions her sexuality.
continued As she continues to think, she realizes that the "blissful" feeling she shared with Miss Fulton was due to their common attraction to Harry. She finds out that they may/may not be having an affair. Bertha was ignorant of her husband and Pearl Fulton's fornication, yet she was blissful. The story unfolds and portrays the dissension of homosexuality in the 20th century and how ignorance is "Bliss." So we question: Is it best to live blissfully ignorant to the truth?
Symbols Pear Tree: represents Bertha represents tallness of Bertha's homosexual aspirations at their fullest – "Bertha seemed to see on her eyelids the lovely pear tree with its wide open blossoms as a symbol of her own life.” blossoms are a symbol of sexual maturation represents the masculinity because the tree is tall and assertive Bertha's masculine sexual desire