In english we were learning about reading respones.
Having read Katherine Mansfield Short story “The Dollhouse” I felt that it isn’t the kids that are the unfiltered or “bad” people in the story but instead it is the parents. The parents are the role models and who the kids look up to so when they see their parents looking down upon the lower class people the kids see that as normal. The parents are the ones with the power and I have realized that the kids are merely representatives of the actions their parents make, leading them to believe that status is more important than the well being of others.
This story made me think about how unfair life really is to people and how we don’t understand the situations of others. It makes me appreciate how fortunate I really am and to be grateful. People are judged based on the jobs they have, there is an example of this in the story. We learn that the Kelvey family are shunned by everybody, the teacher included, all because their mother was a spry, hardworking washer woman compared to the other parents who were judges, doctors, storekeepers and so on. We see this in our everyday lives: richer people treat people with less money than them differently to someone they would treat with an equal amount.
In “The Dollhouse” Katherine Mansfield depicts the cruelty of class discrimination that can be inflicted upon others and how kids feel excluded based on things they cant change. A lesson we can take away from this is to include everybody no matter the situation, get to know people and who they really are. Things like this make me think about discrimination and exclusion happening and we don’t even notice. Another lesson is that as a society we must treat each other better, to not judge based on tangible things or status. During the story the Kelveys dont speak much at all; this is important because the author could be suggesting that in life neither Lil or Else have a voice, or remain unheard. The take away from this is that we must not stay silent, and should speak up during moments of prejudice.
My favorite part of the text was when Kezia invited the Kelveys over to look at the dollhouse. “You can come and see our doll’s house if you want to,” said Kezia, and she dragged one toe on the ground. But at that Lil turned red and shook her head quickly”. This is a great example of inclusion as Kezia isn’t demanding them to come look and being too aggressive, she is being polite and gentle. “ Why not?” asked Kezia. Lil gasped, then she said, “Your ma told our ma you wasn’t to speak to us”. “Oh, well,” said Kezia. She didn’t know what to reply. “It doesn’t matter. You can come and see our dolls house all the same. Come on. Nobody’s looking”. This is the moment that makes this my favorite part of the story. We learn that Kezia isn’t like the others, she is more independent than both Isabel and Lottie. From this we can learn to become more independent and take action on things. She challenged her mothers beliefs and taught us to not always listen to our elders and to gain a different understanding by experiencing things on our own.
I would definitely recommend this story to other teenagers as it takes place in a school environment. It is a relatable story that anyone can take something away from, whether that’s including others, not judging based on status and class and overall becoming more understanding of others. I believe that in our community we need to do these things more and that is why I would recommend this to teenagers as they are the next generation.
In today’s modern society I have witnessed racism, gender discrimination and unequal treatment. This happens everyday whether it’s at home, work or school people just can’t seem to escape it. For example the Kelveys weren’t ignored because they were annoying or mean but because all the parents told their kids to stay away from the Kelvey girls. Having experienced name calling and exclusion has made me empathise with the two little Kelvey girls as it happens to them throughout the story and I can relate to that which gives me a different perspective to stories like these.