Individuality and dependence in Mansfield's "The..." society. Mansfield describes a relationship between two sisters, Josephine and Constantia; Additionally, Mansfield describes each woman's struggle to cope with the loss of her father, Colonel Pinner. Each sister depends on the late colonel and without him, this dependence becomes exaggerated and senseless. In Part XII, the women seem to reach a moment of enlightenment but by the end, each woman's sense of clarity is gone. Mansfield explores each sister's feminine individuality despite the lack of maternal guidance. Although both have an intrinsic sense of independence deeply rooted within themselves, Mansfield reveals to her readers that each sister has become dependent on a male-dominated society; thus, neither can fully understand her existence as a woman. Part XII is crucial as the two sisters realize that the Colonel is gone. Like the organ player...

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