During the modern period, writers were concerned with “making it new.” People had become disillusioned, largely due to the devastation of the First World War, and they were fed up with the hypocrisy of Victorian society. The way people perceive themselves and society has changed; they wanted to solve problems ignored by the Victorians and improve society. “The Daughters of the Late Colonel” by Katherine Mansfield is undoubtedly a modernist short story. The characteristics it possesses, both in form and content, prevent it from belonging to an earlier literary period. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The very fact that the author, Katherine Mansfield, is writing shows that this short story belongs to the modernist period. In the past, writers were traditionally upper-class white men from central European cities (notably London). Mansfield, however, is an average middle-class woman from the colonies (New Zealand). Mansfield didn't need to write under a man's name to succeed. If this story had been written in an earlier time, it would not have been taken seriously unless it was believed to have been written by a man. With the modern period, the emergence of feminism appears. In the 1920s, most women had the right to vote; but they still fought for equality. Writing allowed women to prove that they were equal to men. It also gave women a voice, proving that they had a point of view and it was worth listening to. This is a new development that was only realized in the modernist era. Although it is a modern story written by a modernist writer, the main characters, Constantia and Josephine, are not modern women. At the beginning of the story, their behavior makes them seem like little girls, it is only later that we discover that they are actually a little older. This is because they have stopped their development. Under the strict tyranny of their father, they were trained as soldiers to serve him and stay out of his way. They see themselves with enormous guilt as additional expenses. They have been infantilized, because everyone expects them to marry and their husbands to provide for them. The colonel symbolizes Victorian society. Now that he is dead, the girls have the freedom to do whatever they want. However, because of the way they were raised, Victorianism is so ingrained in them that they don't know how to express anything else. In their father's room, everything is covered in white sheets, symbols of the false facades or hypocrisy of Victorian society. When Joséphine pulls up the blind, it “flies away and the cord flies away afterwards, rolling around the pole of the blind, and the little pompom taps as if trying to free itself”. He tries to free himself from the shackles of the Victorian period. Constantia and Joséphine unconsciously wish to be free too, but first they must realize that they have been prisoners. Girls are afraid to open anything because they know it will lead to major changes and just want to leave everything as is. Likewise, by the end of the story, the girls have made no progress in their own lives. As Constantia's name suggests, the girls are constant in their ways. They are afraid that their father will be angry because they buried him; but these girls were buried all their lives. This news represents a precipice, after the periodVictorian, and right at the very beginning of the modern period, where there is still so much potential. The girls arrive at the edge of this precipice when the organ player arrives and the sun appears, as a visual representation of their "lightbulb moment." The epiphany is sadly lost in all their civilities as to who will speak first; but it presents possibilities for the future. This strong symbolism/abstraction is another aspect of the story that places it in the Modern period. In previous periods, literary works tended to have literal meanings that were clear and easy to understand. Constantia and Joséphine are not modern women; but they are not heroines either. They are more like antiheroes, seeming inadequate in many ways. They didn't have the opportunity to do anything heroic because modernists thought such opportunities were rare in real life. This goes hand in hand with the “No more parades” attitude that followed the First World War. No words like "Glory", "Noble", "Honor" or "Heroic" are used in this story, whereas in earlier periods these were common words. Modernists were fed up with the hypocrisy. They wanted everything swept under the rug, so there would be no false facades; everything was presented as is. Although these girls seemed inadequate, modernists believed that this was a more realistic, and therefore better, image. Instead of finding comfort in religion at the time of their father's death, when Mr. Farolles comes to visit them, they describe the scene as "awkward." The Victorians, and even more so the Romantics, had a deep faith in God It is only in modern times that we have the feeling that "God is dead." When Mr. Farolles asks the girls if they would like to receive communion, they compare it to sitting "in torture." Communion is one of the most important and revered aspects of the Church, and to refer to it as torture would have been heresy in previous times. Lack of respect for God goes hand in hand with lack of respect for! the authority that followed the First World War Not only do the girls not have God, they have no one else – they are alienated as “old maids” and see no prospect of marriage. , but they also don't see another way of life. As single women, they feel like they don't fit in with the rest of society. For modernists, however, it was inevitable, and everyone experiences it. It showed that they were not in sync with everyone, that they were individuals. In the Victorian era, integration was one of people's main concerns. The fact that these girls are alienated from the rest of society and have no faith in God shows that this is a modernist work. Another aspect that helps place this literary work in the modernist period is the absurdity of the conversations. If you look closely at what the characters say, very little of it actually has any importance. In one instance, the girls discuss Cyril and the fact that he was unable to come to their father's funeral. Josephine says it would have been nice if he could have come, and Connie replies "'and he would have appreciated it so much", without thinking about what she was saying. Of course, Cyril would not have appreciated a funeral; this response is just mindless nonsense. The "not thinking about what she was saying" part is the key, this conversation really doesn't matter to her; she only half listens. Indeed, modernists believed that much of life was meaningless. In previous writings, the conversations were impeccable. Someone would ask.