We have been learning how to deconstruct reading responses in English. This is the first reading response I have done.
Author: Katherine Mansfield
Title: The Doll’s House
Text type: Modernist short story
After reading the short story “The Doll’s House” by Katherine Mandsfield I gained a deeper understanding on how social class and exclusion resonate with the real life world. The way the Kelveys are treated is something I come to realize with the fact that we do observe similar situations in our own areas or communities such as prejudiceness, racism, unfair treatment, bullying, etc. These are all themes in “The Doll’s House” that resonate with the world we are living in.
I think a majority of today’s generation could link their own experiences to this story as they have experienced these types of problems in their own daily lives. Certain individuals are judged and looked down on based on their background or how wealthy they are just like the Kelveys. This makes me angry and sad to know that the younger generation is already being brought up with a prejudiced mindset on other people. In my opinion I think people should start having empathy for others and their feelings. Just because they are of different cultures, religion, social class, and so on, it doesn’t mean that they should be judged upon.
Exclusion is the thief of joy for the Kelveys. “Nudging, giggling together, the little girls pressed up close. And the only two who stayed outside the ring were the two who were always outside, the little Kelveys. They knew better than to come anywhere near the Burnells”. My initial reaction after reading this led to frustration. It really does showcase the type of reality we live in. Having to witness and listen to people judge individuals on a daily basis for the reason that they might “look” poor or have no history of rich backgrounds is saddening. It made me think about a time where I was with a group of new people that I had just met. We were all sitting, laughing and telling stories until two students walked past. Everyone stopped talking and glared at them with disgust. “Look how hori they look”, “imagine being broke”. Scenarios like this happen very often where people are just constantly forming assumptions and opinions on other individuals.
Just like the Burnell sisters, we all grew up with influences, good and bad, that shaped us into who we are now. Some people grew up with knowledge and values around farming as those values have been passed down through generations and generations to come. Some people may have been brought up around a family that is associated with drugs and alcohol which is why some young individuals grew up with bad behaviour due to their upbringing.
I believe that children in today’s generation that act like the Burnell sisters often gather values, beliefs and attitudes through a variety of sources. The main influence being their families. Their elders or parents could have potentially shaped their views on how they see people at a low class or how those people should be treated. If they witness their own family members making judgmental statements or treating others without kindness they might think it’s acceptable behaviour and follow in their footsteps. They were raised like that which is why they act in such a way which shows how much power the adults have over the children.
People can start to take into consideration how society is unfair for people with less yet it can be fixed without the thought of social expectations. By this I mean that people shouldn’t assume someone isn’t good because of their background information or because they are “different”. They should judge how that person acts in society.
My favourite scene in this story is when Kezia ( Mr and Mrs Burnell’s daughter ) was swinging on the white gates outside her family home where she then comes across the Kelvey siblings walking past the gate. She then invited them inside allowing them to go and see this precious doll house that everyone has been talking about and that the Kelveys weren’t allowed to see. “You can come and see our doll’s house if you want to,” Keziah said to the Kelveys. The Kelveys hesitated and shook their heads as lil continued to say “ Your ma told our ma you wasn’t to speak to us”, Keziah then replied “it doesn’t matter. You can come and see our doll’s house all the same. Come on. Nobody’s looking”. After the hesitation wore away the Kelveys followed behind. Glazing at the doll house until Kezia’s aunty Beryl orders them to leave. This part of the story is my favourite because Kezia was brave enough to invite them in as well as ignore the rules of class that her family have tried to grow her into, instead she offered her kindness and friendship towards the Kelveys which is something I want to see more of. If Keziah can break rules of class we should be able to better our attitude and behaviour towards others in the real life world.
I would recommend this story to teenagers because it would help create a picture in their minds on how unfair some people can be treated due to their lifestyle, social status, etc. It might help them consider looking out for people that are treated poorly and start including them in daily activities. I think it would also help them create a picture in their minds that will teach them that it only takes one person to stop worrying about social expectations and that person could be themselves. It would be important for teenagers to read a story like this because it would help them understand how bad prejudiceness is in today’s modern society.
Within New Zealand society I have seen prejudice activity wherever I go. Within school, home, workplaces, everywhere. Someone is always forming their own opinions on people without even getting to know them first. Especially big events held here in Aotearoa such as Matatini. People have been making prejudiced and negative comments saying Te Matatini is a “freak show”. A diverse range of people are making these comments when it’s a cultural celebration for te iwi Maori. This just proves that there is prejudice behaviour no matter the time, place and situation. It’s never going to stop unless we make it stop.
This story made me react in a way to the point where I couldn’t bear the fact that such events still happen till this day. For instance, experiencing being excluded, name calling, etc, have affected the way I felt for the two little Kelveys because I can relate to them and understand how they felt to be excluded from society. Although I wasn’t excluded for being in a lower class than other students, it still made me feel concerned for people that may be going through similar situations today. It also made me realise that we all should start being kind to one another just like how Keziah was towards the Kelveys. Doing this would make our world a much more improved place to live in.
