Marriage à la Mode by Katherine Mansfield
"Marriage à la Mode" is a short story by Katherine Mansfield that explores the complexities of marital relationships through the lens of its protagonist, William. A prosperous solicitor, William travels from London to the countryside on weekends to visit his wife, Isabel, and their children. Throughout the narrative, William grapples with feelings of inadequacy and isolation, particularly as he navigates the presence of Isabel’s aesthetic, freeloading houseguests, who contribute to his sense of alienation in his own home.
The story captures the tension between William's traditional expectations of family life and Isabel's desire for independence, as she has chosen to live away from the city, which she finds stifling. This dynamic leads to William's internal conflict, culminating in his decision to propose ending their marriage, which Isabel initially struggles to comprehend. The narrative delves into themes of identity, societal roles, and the emotional disconnect that can arise within a marriage. Ultimately, "Marriage à la Mode" presents a poignant meditation on love, disillusionment, and the often unspoken complexities of domestic life.
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Marriage à la Mode by Katherine Mansfield
First published: 1922
Type of plot: Domestic realism
Time of work: The early 1920's
Locale: England
Principal Characters:
William , a London solicitorIsabel , his wifePaddy , andJohnny , his childrenMoira Morrison , Isabel's friend and houseguestBobby Kane , ,Bill Hunt , andDennis Green , other houseguests
The Story
William is a hard-working, affluent solicitor who spends his weeks in London and his weekends in the countryside where his wife, Isabel, and their sons, Paddy and Johnny, live permanently. About to leave for his weekend at home, William frets because he has neglected to buy presents for the children. For several weeks in a row, he has given them candy that he bought just before his trains pulled out, but they prefer other gifts. This time, he decides to take his boys fruit—a melon and a pineapple—assuming that Isabel's perpetual houseguests will not invade the children's bedrooms to eat the fruit, as they have done with most of the candy in past weeks.
As his train speeds toward his destination, William fantasizes about Isabel's meeting him at the station. Consistent with his fantasy, Isabel is waiting for him, apart from the crowd. She has engaged a taxi to take him and her four houseguests—Moira Morrison and three young poets—home. William has grown to expect aesthetic, freeloading houseguests during his weekends at home.
William and Isabel formerly lived in the city, until Isabel felt stifled by that life. William doted on her, so he agreed to her moving to the country with their sons, whom he would be able to see only on weekends. In those days, he considered Isabel enticingly fresh, associating her with his childhood habit of rushing into the garden after a rainstorm to shake the rose bushes so that he might be drenched in the freshness of the newly fallen rainwater.
After William gets off the train, Isabel leads him to the taxi in which Bill Hunt and Dennis Green are already ensconced, as is Moira, wearing a hat that resembles a large strawberry. It is Moira who originally "rescued" Isabel from her city life, took her to Paris, and introduced her to young poets. She refers to Isabel as "Titania," the mythological queen of the fairies.
Isabel tells William where to sit in the taxi, as though he were a child. At that moment, Bobby Kane emerges from the sweets shop with his arms full of packets. The shopkeeper is close behind reminding Bobby that he has not paid for the items. When Bobby says he forgot, Isabel pays the shopkeeper and Bobby is again ecstatic.
The weekend proceeds with William feeling isolated from Isabel and her guests. His children are not there, having been taken somewhere by their nanny. At every turn, Isabel's guests are condescending to William, who is made to feel like a stranger in his own home. He has no time alone with Isabel until just before he prepares to return to London.
On the train, William decides to write to Isabel. Before the day ends, he has written and mailed a long letter telling her that he does not wish to be a drag on her happiness, suggesting that they should end their marriage. When Isabel receives the letter, she reads it to her guests, who are still there. It takes her a while to realize that William is talking about divorce. Once she understands what William has in mind, she sits on the side of her bed saying, "How vile, odious, abominable, vulgar." She knows that she should reply to William immediately. She also realizes that she is shallow and vain.
As she contemplates writing to William, her guests call her to go swimming. After a moment's indecision, she joins them, vowing to write to William later.