24 pages • 48 minutes read
Katherine MansfieldThe Fly
Katherine MansfieldFiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1922A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Literary Devices
Setting
The micro setting is the boss’s office. The narrative takes place within the confines of the office, which is filled with materialistic comforts (such as a new carpet, new furniture, electric heating, and an expensive bottle of whiskey). Woodifield describes the office as “very snug.” It becomes clear that the office is snug like a coffin, for it is where the boss is trapped. Other characters in the story, such as Woodifield and Macey, move in and out of the space, but the boss never does.
The macro setting is London, six years after the death of the boss’s son. It is not specified whether the son died at the beginning, middle, or end of World War I. Therefore, the narrative takes place sometime between 1920 and 1924. The impact of the post-war period is evident in the boss’s refusal to dilute the alcohol he offers Woodifield, a practice made popular during wartime.
Simile
Mansfield uses figurative language to describe her characters and characterize their relationships. For example, Mr. Woodifield is first introduced sitting in an armchair, looking out at his boss’s office “as a baby peers out of its pram” (74). This simile not only establishes a sense of Woodifield’s helplessness but also imparts that his friendship with the boss is not one of equals. Just as a baby in a carriage has a caregiver, Woodifield is coddled by his wife and daughters, who dressed him before allowing him to go to the city on his one day out of the house.
Metaphor
Metaphor is used to describe the boss’s office manager, Macey. After the boss requests that Macey fetch some paper for him, Macey leaves to obey and is compared to a dog: “[T]he old dog padded away” (84). This metaphor characterizes Macey and demonstrates his subservient relationship to the boss. Macey is a faithful, obedient companion who has been with the boss for years. The boss rings a bell and Macey comes to his side. Much like a dog, he is expected to fetch the boss items quickly and obey his commands. The boss speaks to him as one would speak to a subordinate one has little respect for, repeating words and questioning his ability to comprehend: “I’ll see nobody for half an hour, Macey […]. Understand? Nobody at all” (79). Macey is not given any dialogue in response to his boss’s command, only the immediate compliance of an “old dog.”
Personification
Personification, the act of attributing human characteristics to nonhuman things, is used to develop the fly as a symbol of the boss’s grief. The fly is given imaginary dialogue: “Help! help! said those struggling legs” (81). The boss also attributes human emotions to the fly: joy when it escapes the ink, shock and fear when he drops more ink on it, and courage when it tries to free itself again. Personification of the fly allows the boss to use the fly to work through his own painful emotions surrounding his son’s death. The fly’s tenacity reminds the boss of platitudes he received from others when grieving: “That was the way to tackle things; that was the right spirit. Never say die; it was only a question of….” (83). Giving the fly human characteristics also helps create a stronger antagonistic relationship between the fly and the protagonist, the boss. The fly creates an inner conflict for the boss when its recovery reminds the boss of his own failure to recover after six long years.
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By Katherine Mansfield
