Snehal, Subject matter expert at Edumarz
“The Little girl” by Katherine Mansfield
‘The Little girl’ is a story narrated by Katherine Mansfield. The entire story is based on a little girl named Kezia who was afraid of her father and how her perspective changes with time. Kezia lived with her parents and grandmother. She loved her grandmother the most and always wanted her whenever she confronted any nightmare. She didn’t like her father, that’s why she would feel solace when he leaves the house for work. She would stammer in fear whenever she stands up in front of him.
Kezia’s grandmother frequently persuaded the little girl to talk and understand her parents as much as possible. She would often try to implement her grandma’s words but always got her efforts to go in vain. A week before her father’s birthday, her grandmother suggested to her that she should gift her father a handmade pin-cushion. Kezia felt enthusiastic about the Idea and stitched three sides of the cushion and left one side open to stuff something. She strolled into her mother’s bedroom in the hope to find some stuffing material. In her mother’s bedroom, she found numerous sheets of paper aggregated by the table. She picked them up, tore them into fine pieces, and stuffed them hurriedly to finally sew the fourth side of the pin-cushion.
The scraps she used for stuffing were actually her father’s speech for the Port Authority. When her mother got to know about her demeanor, she was soon called to the drawing-room. Her father looked furious at her and without knowing the actual reason he punished her with a ruler on her little pink palms. She felt disgusted and sobbed miserably, but didn’t have any clue on why she was punished. Amid the sobs, she questioned God over the purpose of creating fathers. She observed that not all fathers are curt and harsh like her father, some fathers are courteous and loving like Mr. Macdonald.
One day, her mother got sick and was soon advised to be hospitalized. Her grandmother went along to take care of her mother. Kezia was left alone in the house with a cook, Alice. Everything went quite well during day time, but at night she was afraid to confront the nightmares. She missed her grandmother and slept downheartedly. She encountered a nightmare in which a butcher was moving towards her with a knife and a rope. He had a peculiar smirk on his face and the little Kazia was unable to move from her place. Amid the nightmare, she woke up restlessly and frightened to see her father standing right next to her bed. Kazia’s father lifted his little girl and took her to his bedroom. He made her feel comfortable and pampered lovingly. He told her to rub her feet against his to have some warmth. She felt safe and comfortable in the presence of her father for the first time. She understood her father’s love and the fact that he works hard to provide a living for his family. That’s why he couldn’t get enough time to play with her. From that day, she loved and admired her father profoundly.