THE MAHOGANY

TABLE
B Y S Y LV I A T O W N S E N D W A R N E R

PRESENTER;
N U R S U H A D A A M I R A , F AT I N A I N & S H A L I Z A
 THE AUTHOR BACKGROUND
• Born in 1893
• An only child of Harrow School housemaster George
Townsend Warner (remembered as a brilliant teacher)
and his wife, Nora.
• Sylvia Townsend Warner contributed short stories to
the New Yorker for more than forty years.
• At Theodore Powys's house, Sylvia first met the poet
Valentine Ackland. When in 1930 she bought "the late
Miss Green's cottage" opposite the village inn, she
invited Valentine to live there. So began a love affair
which lasted until Valentine's death from breast cancer
in 1969.
• She died 9 years after Valentine’s death.
 SUMMARY
• The short story tells us about the life of an old woman, Letitia
Foley. She had a twin sister, Cecily Foley. During their
childhood times, they used to always play under the mahogany
table that they inherited from their parents. They lived
together in a small villa.
• Cecily got married to a Californian man, Dexter. After getting
married, Cecily left Letitia alone. Cecily did not take the
mahogany table along with her but she left it to Letitia
because her husband kept many furniture already.
• Letitia was glad to get to keep the mahogany table because
it reminded her of sweet memories she had gone through
with her family.
• Letitia alternately wrote to Cecily and Cecily’s letters came
intermittently. She told Letitia about her daughter. The next
letter to Letitia came from Dexter’s mother saying that
Cecily died in a road accident and Dexter had taken an
overdose.
• Letitia continued her lonely life till she died.
POV
• The third point of view.
• An outlook from the narrator.
• Clear descriptive of the situation and events, narrate
by the narrator, allow readers to imagine the story
and plot clearly.
• Reader can input their personal perception into
analysing the characters.
THEME

• A harmonious relationship with family members will

secure a happy home.
• Ups and downs in relationship among siblings
SETTING
FEMINIST
CRITICISM
MEN SHOULD BE STRONGER THAN WOMEN
• Men are synonym with the terms like strong, masculine, and rational.
• In this story, men were indirectly portrayed as a weaker character than women.
Dexter, Cecily’s husband who was had taken an overdose due to Cecily’s death.
• His action showed that he cannot face the problem. As a man, he should able to
accept the fact of his wife’s death instead of taking such action.
• Although he loved Cecily too much, he should be able to consider about the
consequences of his action, furthermore he still have a daughter to be raised up.

“The next letter came from Dexter’s mother. Cecily had been killed in a
road accident; Dexter had taken an overdose”
pg 26 paragraph 1
• While Letitia, a woman who was the closest sibling to Cecily, though she
had lost hers identical twin twice ( Cecily’s marriage and death), she did
not take the irrational action such Dexter did. She still able to carry on
her life although it would not be the same anymore. She managed to
handle the situation by make herself busy by doing housework. So that
she will forget about the problem temporarily. She died but the death
was not due to her irrational action but it was an accident.
“ By half-past eleven I have finished the housework and have the rest of the
day before me to do as I please in. I never find time heavy on my hands;
there is always something to do, polishing, or mending, ironing, spraying the
window-plants , turning out cupboard ;there is always something
interesting to do and always something interesting to do…”
page 24 paragraph 1 line 3-7
 SENSITIVITY OF A WOMEN
• In this story, women were seen as someone who appreciate something
that was memorable to them. Letitia kept the mahogany table because
she felt that the mahogany table gave a lot of memories for her and
Cecily. The mahogany table kept their childhood memories. But for
Dexter, he was not concerned on Cecily’s memories about the table
instead saying that he was already swarmed with furniture he calls
missionary.

“The invitation ripped open Letitia’s sense of injury. ‘Will you be taking the mahogany
table? She asked.The words were not sooner out her mouth than she blushed for them.
Cecily appeared to consider. ‘ Dear old thing … no, I don’t think so. Dexter swarms with
furniture he calls missionary’ “
MARRIAGE
• We can see the culture a wife of following the husband after
getting married. In the short story, Cecily Foley moved with her
husband his house after she became Dexter’s wife.

“As though she were speaking a part in a play she told

Letitia that everything was settled, that she had never been
so happy in her life, that as soon as Dexter’s new leg had
settled in they would marry and leave for California.”
 INHERIT FAMILY’S PROPERTIES
• The inheritance of family’s properties. In the short story,
Letitia and Cecily received their late parents property.
The got all the furniture in the house including the
mahogany table that they think was the most valuable to
them.
• “When she and Cecily set up house together after the parents were dead,
Cecily had insisted on the mahogany table. Neither of them wanted the
tallboys; but as belated twins at the end of a long family they had to take
what was allotted and be grateful of it.”
READER
RESPONSE
CHARACTER?

• Lettitia Folley- Discipline, Meticulous, Organise , Neat-freak,

Adhere, Loner
• Cecily Folley-Controlling, Exuberant, Care-free, wishful, Imaginative
• Mrs Carrington-Caring*, Gossiper, Socially-active, Important/well-
known
OHNE HAST OHNE RAST (GERMAN
QUOTE)
TWINS
SYMBOLS
THE MAHOGANY TABLE
• CHILDHOOD MEMORIES
• The mahogany table brings happiness to Letitia and Cecily
after their parents died as it is the only thing that being
inherited from their parents. Letitia and Cecily tend to play
with the mahogany table during their childhood times.
• “…none of the rich fruit-like glow of the mahogany table
under which she and Cecily used to play houses.”
IRONY OF THE MAHOGANY TABLE
• At first, the mahogany table brings happiness in Letitia and Cecily’s life.
Ironically, the mahogany table brings sadness to Letitia in the end of the story
when she died under it as the leg of the table broke when she tried to stand
but she panicked as her leg cramped and thus the table fall over her. “…none
of the rich fruit-like glow of the mahogany table under which she and Cecily
used to play houses.”
• “…she must get onto her knees, for that she must have something to haul on.
Still sitting, she writhed about directionless till she felt a table leg…it reeled
away from her, the flap of the table fell, and knocked her senseless.”
THE TWIN ( THE DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN TWO IDENTICAL TWIN)
HISTORIC
VALUE
• Sylvia Townsend Warner was portrayed as Letitia Foley meanwhile her lover,Valentine Ackland
was portrayed as Cecily Foley in the story. This can be proved as in real life, Sylvia was in a
special relationship with Valentine. Meanwhile Letitia and Cecily are twins. There is a relation
between the characters and Sylvia’s life.
• This was obviously shown when Letitia lost her sister, Cecily as Cecily was killed in a car
accident. In real life, Sylvia lost Valentine as she died due to serious breast cancer. As a result,
Letitia tried her best to move on her life and same goes to Sylvia but in a different way.

• “ The next letter came from Dexter’s mother. Cecily had been killed in a road accident; Dexter
had taken an overdose.”
• Real life : As Valentine died, Sylvia managed to live for another nine years, dying on May, 1978