'A Cup of Tea' is a modernist style short story written by Katherine Mansfield in 1922. Rosemary, the protagonist, is caught up in a fantasy of helping others, but it doesn't go as planned. This post takes you to a Podcast and further reading about the story.
Katherine Mansfield's stories are known as the canvas painted with complexities of life. They explore the innermost recesses of the mind and unearth dramatic situations.
A Lady helps a poor girl and takes her home for tea and food. When the husband (Philip) gets to know this, he tries to stop Rosemarry as he feels that Miss Smith should not be there with them. He declares that he has found the girl awfully pretty. This changes the equations and jealousy wons over generosity.
There is another aspect, may be hidden, in the story. The husband does not fall for the poor girl's beauty, rather he just wants his wife to get rid of the lady she has brought in. Philip, who suggests that he shall read The Milliner's Gazette (Cheap magazine popular among the working-class women) so that he can talk to their new guest. It is a reference to the 'snobbishness' of the husband as well. Rosemarry was not helping the girl out of some true-love. It was an effort to pacify her own 'Social Service Fashion' which is as much in trend as it was in those days.
Husband plays a trick by showing his 'affections' towards Miss Smith. He knew his wife and generates a feeling of insecurity and jealousy intentionally.
Money is given to the girl but she is chased away by Rosemarry and then she returns to her 'stereotype character' and tries to woo the husband by her looks and make-up. Nothing wrong though, but we are confused and intrigued about her fake helpful heart which forgets the purpose of helping others the moment she feels that the charity she was doing can be a threat to her own family life.
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