The Tiredness of Rosabel, Essay Example

The Tiredness of Rosabel is a short story by Katherine Mansfield, which was published in 1908. It was written during a period where social inequality was escalating, and there was a considerable gap between the lower and the upper class in the community. The short story exploits the life of Rosabel, a young girl who seems confused with where she is in life and where she would want to be in the future. Rosabel has fantasies, which draw her from reality once in a while. Her dreams of owning a car and having a man by her side bring themes such as class difference, loneliness, and happiness. Mansfield uses literary devices to explore Rosabel’s life while appealing to the audience with a sympathetic tone.

Mansfield brings out social inequality by showing the audience the work and the means of transportation that Rosabel uses. The individual also seems to be delving into class, or at the very least, the inequalities that might have persisted between social groups at the time the story was written. Unlike the young woman who bought the hat in the store, Rosabel is a working-class woman who leads a humble life. Rosabel travels by public transportation rather than driving or riding in an electric brougham, as the young lady does. Rosabel, in her fantasies, moves by a car while imagining living a better life. Only the very rich could afford to own or drive by car when the story was published (1908). It is likely that by making Rosabel travel by car in her fantasies, Mansfield illustrates the lower social class’s desires (Rosabel) to be equal or to attain equality to those of a higher social level.

The fantasies experienced by Rosabel bring the aspect of loneliness, desperation, and dissatisfaction in her life. Rosabel imagines or daydreams of what her life would be if Harry had left the shop with her instead of the young woman who purchased the hat while gazing out the window of her lodgings. She fantasizes about living a life that is entirely different from the one she has. Rosabel’s daydreaming is also intriguing because she imagines herself married to Harry. It may be significant because Mansfield may be implying that Rosabel is lonely and wishes to be married or, at the very least, have male companionship. It is plausible that Mansfield indicates that Rosabel associates happiness with marriage and does not believe she can be happy if she lives independently of others (particularly men) and does not marry. It’s also possible that by allowing Rosabel to run from her own life’s realities, Mansfield is demonstrating to the audience how unhappy Rosabel is with her life. Rosabel finds something while riding the bus back to her place. Rosabel cannot avoid the complexities of her life and the commercials she sees on the bus.

Through symbolism, Mansfield uses a sympathetic kinship between her and the main character of the story, Rosabel. Throughout the tale, Rosabel is depicted as a struggling young woman. The four flights of stairs leading to Rosabel’s room symbolically show the hardships that she was experiencing. In another instance, Rosabel buys violets and imagines Harry buying him other violet flowers. Typically, violet is usually associated with royalty. Rosabel wanted to leave her life in that everything she pictured was associated with a higher social class.