Characters

The main character of the short story “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield is Laura Sheridan. Her mother, Mrs. Sheridan, is also an important character and her opinions are often the opposite of Laura's. The story also mentions Mr. Sheridan and Laura's siblings, Laurie, Meg, and Jose. Except for Laura, the rest of the Sheridan women illustrate the attitudes of the upper-class towards the lower class. Mr. Sheridan and Laurie are presented only briefly heard, as the story’s focus is more on the perspectives of Laura and Mrs. Sheridan. 

Some of the other characters – Hans, Sadie, the cook, and the Scotts – illustrate class differences. They belong to the lower class and are either servants or workers, which means the Sheridans rarely interact with them. 

You can read a full characterization of Laura Sheridan and Mrs. Sheridan in the following pages.