The gentleman opens his door to his charwoman, who tells him that her grandson has died. Through an analepsis, the grandson asks his grandmother for money, which she says she does not have. She then thinks back to her move to London; her husband's death; her grandson's death. After cleaning the gentleman's house, she wishes she had somewhere she could go and cry, but as it starts raining she realises she cannot even do that outside – and Ethel is at home, thus preventing her from doing it there too.
Jim, a son of Ma Parker's, who went to India in the army.
Lennie, Ma Parker's deceased grandson.
Ethel, Ma Parker's daughter, and the mother of Lennie.
Major themes
class-consciousness: the gentleman believes Ma Parker only cared about the funeral, and is not upset about the untimely death itself. The difficulty of her job and of her life is also emphasised many times.
Literary significance
The text is written in the modernist mode, without a set structure, and with many shifts in the narrative.
life, parker, 1921, short, story, katherine, mansfield, first, published, nation, atheneum, february, 1921, later, reprinted, garden, party, other, stories, contents, plot, summary, characters, major, themes, literary, significance, footnotes, external, linksp. Life of Ma Parker is a 1921 short story by Katherine Mansfield It was first published in The Nation and Atheneum on 26 February 1921 and later reprinted in The Garden Party and Other Stories 1 Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Characters 3 Major themes 4 Literary significance 5 Footnotes 6 External linksPlot summary EditThe gentleman opens his door to his charwoman who tells him that her grandson has died Through an analepsis the grandson asks his grandmother for money which she says she does not have She then thinks back to her move to London her husband s death her grandson s death After cleaning the gentleman s house she wishes she had somewhere she could go and cry but as it starts raining she realises she cannot even do that outside and Ethel is at home thus preventing her from doing it there too Characters Editthe young literary gentleman Ma Parker his charwoman She was born in Stratford upon Avon Mr Parker a baker Ma Parker s deceased husband Maudie a daughter of Ma Parker s Alice a daughter of Ma Parker s two other sons of Ma Parker s Jim a son of Ma Parker s who went to India in the army Lennie Ma Parker s deceased grandson Ethel Ma Parker s daughter and the mother of Lennie Major themes Editclass consciousness the gentleman believes Ma Parker only cared about the funeral and is not upset about the untimely death itself The difficulty of her job and of her life is also emphasised many times Literary significance EditThe text is written in the modernist mode without a set structure and with many shifts in the narrative Footnotes Edit Katherine Mansfield Selected Stories Oxford World s Classics explanatory notesExternal links EditFull text The Garden Party and Other Stories at the British Library This article about a short story or stories published in the 1920s is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Life of Ma Parker amp oldid 1099366853, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
