Is the story Daughters of the late Colonel more comic than tragic Essay

Is the written report Daughters of the novel Colonel more comic than tragicfor the contributor overall? Be sure to comment on Mansfields use oflanguage.The story Daughters of the late Colonel, written by KatherineMansfield takes place during Victorian times, based around iisisters whose father had recently died. Mansfield describes thestruggles of these two women as they purify to express their femininityand overcome the barriers of etiquette and the presence of theirfather, whom they feared. The story ends as the sisters Josephine andConstantia effort to break free of their suppressed world but failto, thereof ending the story in tragedy. Despite this the path leading tothe tragic ending is riddled in humorous moments. Therefore it mightbe said slightly the story that it is more comic than tragic for thereader.Mansfield very much uses humor as a technique to reveal the darker,suppressed side of meat of the two sisters and she often does it subtly. Acasual reader might nee r discover this area of the story. It is as ifMansfield employs comic moments as a masquerade costume to cover the tragedy of theplay.On one occasion Constantia is worrying about an imaginary mouseA spasm of pity squeezed her heart. Poor small-scale thing She wishedshed left a tiny piece of biscuit on the dressing table. It was awfulto think of it not finding anything. What would it do?The way Constantia exerts herself is simply pathetic. The reader isamused at her antics to attempt to function the mouse some food. Thisobsession with detail is further emphasized with the rhetoricalquestion at the end of the quote, as well as the set phrase poor littlething- its short length and ecphonesis mark emphasizes itsimportance, and the use of poor... ...ephine was silent for a moment. She stared at a monumental cloud wherethe sunshine had been. Then she replied shortly, Ive forgotten too.During the final section, the sun represents their chance for freedom.Golden rays symbolized the richness and exiting new life which theycould have taken. Yet, the consentaneous new path the sisters might have takenwas blocked out, represent the cloud. It is thus that the story endsin tragedy- the sisters fail to break free, and remain stuck interiortheir self-imposed world. Their late fathers influence is too coarsefor them to overcome.In conclusion, it may be said that the story is both a japery and atragedy. However, because Mansfield cleverly disguises the tragedy toblend into hilarious moments the reader gets an overall sense of comicfun. Therefore, Daughters of the Late Colonel is more of a comedy thana tragedy.