Bliss Essay Level 3 Mock Exams (E8)

Statement: The context of the text is more important than the content.

In Katherine Mansfield’s short story, ‘Bliss,’ the context of the text is more important than the content if the reader
wants to maximise their understanding of the text. Bliss is set in New Zealand in the early 19th century, a time under
which women were slowly gaining rights, with the right to vote newly granted to them, and a variety of social
liberties being deemed available to them. However, society was still unequal, rotted in the patriarchal values present
in European dominant cultures at the time. This hindered the freedom of women in many ways, who were enslaved
to a model of society where success was dependent on the role of a steady male figure within their life, and their
ability to abide by the de facto rules of society at the time. Mansfield’s central character, Bertha Young, struggles
immensely with the confines of her social context, and Mansfield uses her as commentary to show her own
dissatisfactions within New Zealand society at the time.

In the text, Bertha is firstly introduced as her own person, free of relations with anyone else. Mansfield wrote “she
wanted to run instead of walk, to take dancing steps on and off the pavement, to bowl a hoop, to throw something up
in the air and to catch it, to stand still and laugh, at nothing nothing, simply.” This segment of the text was used to
describe Bertha’s emotions in the start of the text, and does so effectively. The diction choices of “run,” “dancing,”
“throw,” and “laugh” all create a childish air about Bertha, especially when juxtaposed against more lifeless and
conventional verbs such as “walk.” When paired with the listing, this causes a jumbled feel to the text, which is
further enhanced by the understanding of context. Bertha is limited by the social context of the 19th century to not
draw attention to herself, thus discreditiing all her wants in favour of conventionality, and it is this further
understanding which furthers the understanding of the reader. Bertha’s frustration with these rules is palpable in her
exclamation, “How idiotic civilisation is!”. Bertha is aware of the role her environment has to hinder her expression,
and the diction choice of ‘idiotic,’ creates the sense of awareness of societal expectation in Bertha she knows the
rules of soceity, she abides by the rules of society, but she does not enjoy the rules of her societal context in 19th
century New Zealand. It is when we are introduced to Bertha’s daughter when more commentary is provided as to
the way the rules of society inhibit Bertha’s ability to act freely. Bertha, and her husband, Harry, are evidently well
off, made clear by the presence of a nanny in their home, however this brings about new ideas regarding how the
context shapes Bertha’s life, when the Nanny refuses to allow her to hold her daughter. “Why have a baby if it is to
be ke not in a case, like a rare, rare fiddle but in another woman’s arms?” provides another insight into Bertha’s
mind and her frustrations. The simile “like a rare, rare fiddle,” creates the idea of her daughter being an object, an
idea visited on later, as amere byproduct f social determination, and the idea that this other woman should be better
equipped to care for her daughter is something that creates outrage of a sort in Bertha. It is only when she is able to
steal her daughter away “that she felt the feeling of bliss return, and again, and again she did not know how to
express it.” “Bliss,” is a key diction choice referring to an uninhibited happiness which shows the true role the
context of her situation plays for Bertha. Her happiness is truly “blissful,” when she is not forced to conform. Her
joy comes in the moments where she allows herself to break free from the standard “rules” of 19th century New
Zealand and live for herself in small moments, thus showing how the understanding of context allows the reader to
broaden their understanding.

As determined by the expectation of society at the time, Bertha Young is a married woman. She describes her and
her husband Harry to be “really good pals,” and that they “got along splendidly.” The tone of this text is somewhat
ironic, especially when contrasted against the breadth of language used earlier in the text to describe Bertha’s
emotions. We are then introduced to one of Bertha’s friends, Pearl Fulton, and the language used to describe her and
Harry again differ immensely. “What was there in the touch of that cool arm that could fanfanstart blazingblaxing
that fire of bliss.” This imagery created through the repetition of blazing, and the metaphor likening her touch to a
fuel for Bertha’s bliss demonstrates two key ideas: Bertha’s feelings towards Pearl are far more rooted in desire than
her feelings for Harry, and that her attitude towards her husband is simply indifferent. The rules of 19th century New
Zealand made it immensely difficult for women to succeed without a steady male presence in her life; for Bertha,
this figure is Harry, however it is blatantly clear to see how her desires do not lie with him. The social context of
19th century New Zealand forbade homosexual desire, however the idea that this may be where Bertha’s preferences
lie, especially in furtherdescriptions of interactions with Pearl at the dinner party. Descriptions such as emotions
“blooming in their bosoms, as silvery flowers fell,” from the pear tree outside create an intimacy between the two
and adjectives such as “exquisite” and “intimate,” being used to describe her interactions with Pearl cause the
description of “really good pals,” to pale in comparison. Pearl Fulton is a source of bliss for Bertha- she is allowed
to privately indulge in the emotions that so evidently defy the conventions of New Zealand society in the early
1900’s, and it is the understanding that comes with the context regarding relationships and desires at this time which
creates a sympathy for Bertha within the reader.

Despite the intimacy Bertha perceives there to be between her and Pearl, this is quickly ripped away from her in the
closing of the text when the realisation is made that Miss Fulton and Harry have been having an affair all along. This
is not Bertha’s initial perception of the relationship between the two, with an underlying belief that they hated each
other. “Harry pushed past,” and “repenting his rudeness,” clearly show how Bertha perceived this initially. Verbs
such as “pushed,” created an urgency to his movement and the alliteration of “repenting,” and “rudeness,” create a
strong understanding that Harry is deeply sorry about his earlier rudeness and distasteful behaviour directed toward
her. This initial impression is quickly shattered by Bertha’s observation of the two in the hall. “His lips said: ‘I adore
you’ and Miss Fulton laid her moonbeam fingers on his cheek and smiled her sleepy smile.” The intimacy and
connection between the two is undeniable in this description, with verbs such as “adore,” showing a love in Harry
never seen to have been directed towards Bertha, and “moonbeam fingers,” and “sleepy smile,” painting Miss Fulton
to be a seductress. Her seductiveness had entranced Bertha, however in this stabbing betrayal it rapidly turned out to
be a negative trait. Harry’s affair with Miss Fulton is further augmented by an in-depth understanding of the context;
yet again rooted in the existence of the deeply patriarchal society. He was not dependent on Bertha for stability. He
was aware she could not afford to leave, and that there were effectively no consequences to his actions. Society
made him impenetrable, and it is the understanding of this which makes his betrayal gut wrenching to the reader.
Whilst Bertha was not overtly emotionally invested in the relationship, the awareness of social limitations prevented
her from doing anything that compromised her marriage, and subsequently status, however these limitations did not
hinder Harry, who was free to take what he wanted, leaving Bertha with one question: “What to do now?”

Throughout the text, Mansfield employs a long-standing extended metaphor to reflect Bertha. This is established
with a simple observation on Bertha’s behalf, thinking that “the pear tree with the wide blossoms was a symbol of
her own life.” The state of the tree was reflective of her life at the beginning, free, blossoming, and blissful. When
she observes it with Pearl, in the peak of her desire for the other woman, it was described as “like a candle,” a simile
relating back to the desire, but in hindsight, reflective of the burn that would come with her betrayal. “Quivering,”
was another diction choice used to describe the action of the tree, creating a tension, simply waiting to be broken.
“Seeming to touch the rim of the silver moon,” does inherently relate back to Pearl Fulton, who is described as
“silvery,” with “moonbeam fingers,” throughout the text- Bertha can almost reach her, but falls slightly short. It is
mere perception that allows her to touch the moon, rather than the distance between the two in reality, and it is this
which is most reflective of their relationship. At the close of the text, Miss Fulton makes a comment, “Your
wonderful pear tree,” which following the revelation of the affair, can only be perceived in an ironic tone. Her affair
should have ruined Bertha’s life, however there is no real difference in her life, nor the tree. Her and Harry never had
a loving, doting marriage, and were confined to a relationship best suited to the contexts of their lives. Social
propriety superseded any desires or betrayal, and it is in this sense where the context influences the understanding
most deeply; Bertha’s life was tied to the confines of expectations, and standing still. The only movement of the tree
came when she was not meeting these expectations and was hoping for more than 19th century life granted. The life
of Bertha Young was unwittingly tied to the confines of rules and expectations, however ‘idiotic’ they may be.

Through the exploration of Bertha Young's experiences with desire, betrayal, and her standard daytoday life, it is
clear to see how the context of New Zealand in the 19th century was integral to developing a deeper understanding
of the text itself. Whilst there is a strong importance of the content within this text, with the plot of the text being
important to driving themes within Bliss, it is impossible to maximise the understanding of the text without the
context, thus Bliss must be interpreted with strong focus on both content and context to gain the deepest
understanding of Mansfield’s writing.