The function of the hat in The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield

Composition "the garden party" 16-09-'02 Klas A Third version The function of the hat in "the garden party" Almost everybody in the story wears a hat; it tells something about the person who wears it. It is used as a statussymbol; the classes are expressed by their hats. That is why it has an important place in the story. Laura's feeling towards class distinctions is related to the hat. The hat gives her a …

…other people. When she wears a hat she immediately thinks she has more status; for example when she is looking in the mirror. When she is walking to the house of the dead man, she feels so ashamed for wearing such a beautiful hat, that she apologizes. She has the feeling she has to apologize, because she wears it in front of the poor people, that could never afford it: "Forgive my hat, she said." (2433