Ageism in Katherine Mansfield’s short story: a stylistic and thematic exploration

The article explores the theme of ageism in Katherine Mansfield's stories, with an emphasis on stylistic and thematic techniques that the writer uses to criticize social attitudes towards aging. Mansfield's skill lies in her ability to convey complex emotional states through simple narratives, often using limited third-person narration to immerse the reader in the inner world of elderly, marginalized characters. The article analyzes two key works: "Miss Brill" and "The Daughters of the Late Colonel", which explores how Mansfield uses inappropriate direct speech, symbolism and imagery to illustrate the isolation and psychological limitations of her aging characters. Through the juxtaposition of public and private spaces, Mansfield emphasizes emotional and physical boundaries reflecting the social constraints imposed on the elderly. For example, in "Miss Brill", the fantasy of the main character about belonging to society is destroyed by the cruel attitude of society towards the elderly, the symbol of which is an old and out-of-fashion fur turtleneck, with which Miss Brill sometimes talked. Similarly, in "The Daughters of the Late Colonel", the sisters find themselves locked in their late father's house, where every object embodies their inability to free themselves from the past. Through themes of loneliness, self-deception, and social neglect, Mansfield forces the reader to think about the emotional consequences of ageism and the barriers that isolate older people from full participation in life.