At the end of The Garden Party, Laura is exposed to an aspect of life she has never encountered before and suddenly realizes that " life and death “can indeed coexist and that their common existence in the same world is beautiful” (Magalaner 101). Death is not necessarily associated with ugliness, she learns, but rather a natural process that she compares to deep, peaceful sleep. However, his supposed revelation is in reality nothing more than an astonishment. Laura's world revolves around the beautiful things in life, garden parties and flowers, and she has been surrounded by beauty her entire life. Her social class is too ingrained in her for a momentary glimpse of the contrasting lives of the lower class to really affect her (Sorkin 445). Laura, the main character of The Garden Party, acts as narrator and establishes a connection between the two. contrasting forces in the story: the Sheridans' world, filled with privilege and gaiety, and the Scotts', one of hardship, death, and sorrow (Fullbrook 120). At the end of the story, Laura is faced with a dilemma: she must cross the barrier between the two worlds and face the death, grief and loss that her own class hides. The Garden Party represents Laura's gradual progression in many ways: the search for her own identity, her maturity and her passage towards her final journey to Saunders Lane. His progress can be seen in terms of his behavior before, during and after the party. The opening paragraph of The Garden Party sets the tone for the rest of the story by "[suggesting] the unnaturalness of what must occur in a 'natural' setting" (Magalaner 98). Mansfield's imagery and diction reflect not only the wealth and elitism of the Sheridan family, but also their attitude that they can "rely on... middle of paper... will not be much affected by his experience as she escapes into her world Works Cited Davis, Robert Murray. "The Unity of 'The Garden Party'". -65.Fullbrook, Kate. Katherine Mansfield. The Harvester Press, 1986. 86-128. Hankin, CA “Haunted by Death.” Katherine Mansfield and her confessional confessions. St. Martin's Press, 1983. 235-247. Magalaner, Marvin. “The Legacy of Fiction.” The fiction of Katherine Mansfield. Southern Illinois University Press, 1971. 74-119. Satterfield, Ben. "Irony in 'The Garden Party.'" Ball State University Forum. Flight. XXIII, No. 1. Winter 1982. 68-70 Sorkin, Adam J. "Katherine Mansfield's 'The Garden Party': Style and Social Occasion." Studies in Modern Fiction, Vol. XXIV, No. 3. Autumn, 1978. 439-455.