What similarities exist between "The Poor Relation's Story" by Charles Dickens and "The Life of Ma Parker" by Katherine Mansfield? What conclusions can be drawn from these similarities about the literature of social reform?

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J.Hart

What similarities exist between “The Poor Relation’s Story” by Charles Dickens and “The Life of Ma Parker” by Katherine Mansfield? What conclusions can be drawn from these similarities about the literature of social reform?

The literature of social reform is a very different to other areas of literature in that it concentrates on one particular message ignoring all others, whilst other literature is generally aimed at providing a topic which can be interpreted in many ways. The message dispensed by the literature of social reform is one of social improvement. Its aim is to make people stop and think about the bigger picture for a change instead of their own personal affairs. Once that has been achieved, perhaps they will be motivated enough to take action and so raise society’s moral level. This idea of public motivation is achieved by a number of methods.

Both of the stories are told using a narrative platform of just a few hours. It is no coincidence that the same technique has been deployed in both stories. Both Katherine Mansfield and Charles Dickens are trying to make a point. If someone can tell you of their routine day in, day out, and so describe their whole lives in just a few hours, then their lives are seriously lacking in variety. A person needs to go on holiday, have a night out etc. If these variations are missing from a person’s life, then it is a clear indication that they lack either the resources or the will to afford these variations. In the case of the main characters, i.e. Michael and Ma Parker, we can see it is a little bit of both. Neither of these characters are wealthy for various reasons, but at the same time, they are resigned to their poverty. Neither Michael nor Ma Parker are angry at their current state of affairs. In fact Michael actually goes so far as to thank John Spatter who is responsible for his poverty.

“John our esteemed host to whom we are so much indebted for the great hospitality” (PRS p114)

Ma Parker goes even further by telling us that she feels sorry for her employer, the literary gentleman.

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“But Ma Parker bore him no grudge. She pitied the poor young gentleman for having no one to look after him.” (LMP p1 column 2 paragraph 2)

They have no desire to change their lives whether because of a lack of will or for fear of change. Consequentially, they will never be able to escape their poverty.

Whilst both authors show the main characters, the victims, to be docile and resigned to their poverty, the middle class characters are depicted as being cruel, malicious, selfish and greedy in their affairs.

“Eat your last under this roof, you feeble wretch, ...

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