Katherine Mansfield’s story “Bliss” can be read as a satire on the artist-milieu of her time, combined with the subject of disloyality. But it also is full of symbols. To understand the complete meaning of the story, we have to interpret these symbols.
As Bertha Young, the protagonist, identifies herself with the pear tree, this symbol seems to be very important for our interpretation (especially of the last, mysterious sentence). In my opinion the pear tree stands for two aspects related to Bertha which might help us to get a deeper view on “Bliss”: her bisexuality and (far more relevant) her virginity.
Why is the pear tree a symbol for Bertha’s bisexuality?
Botanically a peat tree can be regarded as bisexual by nature because it is self-fertilizing . It has both female and male organs. But I also can verify my thesis according to text: When Bertha shows her garden to Pearl Fulton, this is a crucial moment of the story. Bertha is highly emotional in this scene because she forgets the world and the time around her and her thoughts are described emotively. The pear tree occurs in this scene in a remarkable way for it seems “to touch the rim of the round, silver moon” . We have to keep in mind that the pear tree symbolizes Bertha for she explicitly says that (p.123) and her dress resembles to the pear tree. The moon and its silver light are an important symbol, too. Therefore we need to find out its meaning. I suggest to interpret the moon in “Bliss” in a very classical way: The moon is an ancient symbol for the feminine principle in the world (as the sun stands for the masculine; cp. lat. luna, f., sol, m.). The cycle of the female sex hormone (i. e. menstruation) and the cycle of the moon are similar. So we can make a simple connection between the moon and female sexuality. Why is the moon so important in this story? Because Pearl is associated with the moon. She is dressed all in silver, she has “moonbeam fingers” (p.135) and Bertha compares her to the moonlight, thinking: “(...) the light of (...) [the] moon, silver as Miss Fulton”(p.129).
Table of Contents
1. Interpretation of the pear tree as a symbol for bisexuality
2. Interpretation of the pear tree as a symbol for virginity
Research Objectives and Themes
The essay explores the symbolic significance of the pear tree in Katherine Mansfield’s short story "Bliss," arguing that it functions as a central metaphor for the protagonist Bertha Young's dual struggle with burgeoning sexuality and psychological virginity.
- Analysis of the pear tree as a symbol for bisexuality.
- Examination of the moon as a feminine counterpart in the story.
- Investigation of Bertha's immature, child-like state of mind.
- Evaluation of the "bliss" experienced by the protagonist as sexual awakening.
- Deconstruction of the story's final sentence regarding the pear tree.
Excerpt from the Book
Why is the pear tree a symbol for Bertha’s virginity?
Once again the botanic quality of a pear tree can help us: A pear tree in full bloom, but without a single bud (as it is described in the text, p. 122) cannot bear fruits. It is not fertilized for it cannot fertilize itself. It seems to be pure – virgin. This realization is emphasized by the contrast with an apparently pregnant (i. e. not-virgin), grey cat.
First I admit that Bertha, of course, is not a virgin. She has a baby. Though the crucial point is that she feels, acts and thinks like a virgin.
Bertha regards her daughter more as a doll than as her baby. She is feeling “like the poor little girl in front of the rich little girl with the doll” (p. 119, italics by me), when she looks at her nanny feeding the baby. This shows her immature attitude towards her child and her immaturity in general. She thinks of her baby as the nanny’s baby (“Nanny (...) seizing her Little B.”, p.120).
Bertha’s childish character also comes clear by her wish “to run instead of walk (...), to bowl a hoop” (p.116) and her immaturity (her name, Bertha Young, could be another hint) makes it easier for us to imagine her as a virgin.
Since Bertha feels like a child, she cannot handle with the sudden feeling of arousal, which she calls “bliss”. Throughout the whole text it is emphasized several times that she does not know this feeling and she cannot deal with it. This might be the feeling of a teenage girl who is confronted with her sexuality for the first time.
Summary of Chapters
1. Interpretation of the pear tree as a symbol for bisexuality: This section links the self-fertilizing nature of the pear tree to Bertha's bisexuality and her intense, moon-associated attraction to Pearl Fulton.
2. Interpretation of the pear tree as a symbol for virginity: This section explores Bertha's psychological immaturity and frigidity, framing the pear tree as a symbol of her stagnant, yet blooming, virgin state.
Keywords
Katherine Mansfield, Bliss, Bertha Young, pear tree, symbolism, bisexuality, virginity, sexuality, moon, femininity, psychological immaturity, literary interpretation, sexual awakening, imagery, satire.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this literary analysis?
The paper focuses on the symbolic interpretation of the pear tree in Katherine Mansfield’s "Bliss," specifically how it reflects the protagonist's repressed or burgeoning sexuality.
What are the central themes discussed in the text?
The central themes include the protagonist's sexual identity, the clash between societal expectations and personal desires, psychological maturity, and the use of botanical and natural symbols.
What is the primary thesis of the author?
The author argues that the pear tree serves as a dual symbol for Bertha Young: representing both her bisexuality through its self-fertilizing nature and her psychological virginity due to its state of unfertilized blooming.
Which methodology is applied to interpret the story?
The essay utilizes a symbolic and text-based interpretive approach, drawing on botanical metaphors and psychological character analysis to decode the narrative.
What does the main body of the essay examine?
The main body examines Bertha's perception of her environment, her relationship with Pearl Fulton and her husband Harry, and her internal conflict regarding her newfound sexual desires.
How would you characterize the primary keywords of this study?
The study is characterized by terms related to literary symbolism, gender and sexuality, character psychology, and specific imagery found within Mansfield's narrative.
How does the author interpret the moon in the context of the story?
The author interprets the moon as an ancient symbol of the feminine principle, which is directly linked to the character of Pearl Fulton and Bertha's intense attraction to her.
What does the author suggest about the final sentence of "Bliss"?
The author concludes that the final description of the pear tree as "lovely as ever and as full of flower and as still" signifies that Bertha remains a "virgin" in her psyche—unfulfilled and emotionally stuck in her state of awakening.
How does the author reconcile Bertha being a mother with the claim of her "virginity"?
The author clarifies that while Bertha is biologically a mother, her character displays the traits of a virgin in terms of her immature attitude, lack of sexual experience, and disconnect from her own sexuality.
- Quote paper
- Florian Burkhardt (Author), 2004, The Pear Tree As a Sexual Symbol in Katherine Mansfield's "Bliss", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/46353
