The Doll's House by Katherine Mansfield
"The Doll's House" by Katherine Mansfield is a poignant short story that explores themes of social class, childhood innocence, and friendship through the experiences of the Burnell sisters and the Kelvey sisters. The narrative begins with the Burnell girls—Isabel, Lottie, and Kezia—receiving a beautifully crafted dollhouse from a visiting guest. The dollhouse quickly becomes a source of fascination and envy among their schoolmates, creating a divide between the privileged Burnells and the less fortunate Kelveys, whose mother is a washerwoman and whose father is rumored to be in prison.
As the Burnell girls proudly showcase their new possession, they inadvertently reinforce social hierarchies, as their peers, especially the Kelvey sisters, are excluded from their circle. While the other girls are enchanted by the dollhouse, the Kelveys remain on the periphery, aware of their social status. The story culminates in a moment of kindness when Kezia invites the Kelveys to see the dollhouse, though this act of defiance is swiftly curtailed by her Aunt Beryl’s harsh reprimand. Ultimately, Mansfield's work emphasizes the complexity of social interactions among children and the impact of societal norms on personal relationships, leaving a lasting impression of empathy and longing.
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The Doll's House by Katherine Mansfield
First published: 1923
Type of plot: Psychological
Time of work: The late nineteenth century
Locale: New Zealand
Principal Characters:
Isabel Burnell , ,Lottie Burnell , andKezia Burnell , daughters in a rich New Zealand familyBeryl , their auntLil Kelvey , andElse Kelvey , poor daughters of a washerwomanLena Logan , a classmate of the Burnells and Kelveys
The Story
One day Isabel, Lottie, and Kezia Burnell are given a beautiful dollhouse by a houseguest. After it is placed in a courtyard so that its paint smell will disperse through the remainder of the summer, the children lift back its entire front wall to examine its contents. Its beauty overwhelms them. Kezia particularly loves a little lamp, filled with oil, that stands in the middle of the dining room table. To her, the lamp is real.
Burning to boast about their new dollhouse to classmates, the girls go to school the next morning. They are permitted to bring other girls home, two by two, to see the dollhouse in the courtyard. As girls surround the Burnells during a school recess, the eldest sister, Isabel, describes the dollhouse. The girls crowd in to get as close as possible, but two girls do not join the ring; they are the little Kelvey girls, who know better than to try to approach the Burnells.
The Burnell girls are not allowed to speak to the Kelveys, whose mother is a washerwoman and whose father is rumored to be in prison. Lil Kelvey, the elder sister, is a "stout, plain child, with big freckles." Her younger sister, Else, follows her everywhere, holding onto her skirt, which she tugs when she wants anything. The Kelvey girls wear "bits" given to their mother by the people for whom she works. Lil wears a dress made from an old tablecloth belonging to the Burnells, and her feathered hat once belonged to the postmistress. Else wears a white dress that looks like an old nightgown. She never smiles and rarely speaks.
The Kelvey sisters hang about around the circle of girls who raptly listen to Isabel Burnell. When Isabel finishes her story, Kezia reminds her that she has forgotten to mention the dollhouse's lamp. Kezia cries out, "The lamp's best of all," but no one listens as Isabel begins choosing who will be first to see the dollhouse. Every girl around Isabel adores her and wants to be her friend.
As the days pass, pairs of girls visit the Burnells' home in order to view the wonderful dollhouse, whose fame soon spreads. Everyone talks about the house in their classes. The Kelveys remain the only girls who have not seen the dollhouse, but they sit as close to the other girls as they dare so they can hear its descriptions. One evening when Kezia asks her mother if the Kelveys may come to see the house, she is told firmly that they cannot.
Eventually, the dollhouse ceases to interest the girls at the school, who now amuse themselves by taunting the Kelveys. At her classmates' urging, Lena Logan goes up to the Kelveys and insults them. The other girls enjoy this so much that they run off, skipping higher and running about faster than they ever have before. After school that afternoon, Kezia Burnell sneaks out of her house in order to avoid her parents' guests. When she spots the Kelvey girls coming up a road, she invites them to come in to see the dollhouse. Lil gasps and says they cannot because they know Kezia is not allowed to talk to them. Lil resists Kezia's insistent invitation until Else tugs at her skirt. Though still doubtful, Lil gives in and follows Kezia to the courtyard. The moment that Kezia opens the dollhouse so the girls can see inside, Kezia's Aunt Beryl enters the courtyard. Having had a bad day, the aunt orders "those little rats of Kelveys" away and scolds Kezia, thereby making herself feel much better.
The Kelvey girls rest in a field on their way home. Lil has taken off her feathered hat. They dreamily look over the hay paddocks across the creek. Else strokes the feather on her sister's hat; smiling her rare smile, she softly says that she has seen "the little lamp."