Mansfield also appears to be using colour, particularly the colour white, to symbolise happiness and prosperity. That other young women also felt a need to escape from the world and realities around them. The young woman who is reading the book on the bus may also be symbolically significant as Mansfield may be suggesting (again at the time of writing) that Rosabel is not alone in her desire to escape from the world that she knows. The title of the story may also be symbolically important as Mansfield may be not only suggesting that Rosabel is physically tired (from work) but she may also be mentally tired of living the life she lives and sees no other alternative apart from daydreaming about living a life that is very much different, if not unattainable, to the life she is living. By introducing the violets into the story Mansfield may be at least symbolically highlighting Rosabel’s need to escape from the realities of her own life and imagine herself to be living a life (with Harry) that is different to what she is used to. Violets as the reader would be aware are purple and purple is commonly associated with royalty. The violets that Rosabel buys at the beginning of the story and later those that she imagines Harry buys for her may also have some symbolic significance. Mansfield may be using the four flights of stairs that lead to Rosabel’s room as symbolism for the struggle that exists in Rosabel’s life. There is also some symbolism in the story which may be important. It is possible that by having Rosabel also travel by car that Mansfield is highlighting to the reader the aspirations that may have existed among those of a lower social class (Rosabel) to live their lives as those of a higher class may have lived. At the time the story was written (1908) only the very wealthy could have afforded to own or travel by car. However it is noticeable that when Rosabel daydreams about living a different life she too travels by car. Rather than travelling by car or electric brougham as the young woman does Rosabel uses public transport to go from one place to another. Unlike the young woman in the shop who purchases the hat Rosabel is working class and lives a very different type of life. Mansfield also appears to be exploring the theme of class or at least the differences that may have existed between social classes at the time the story was written. Not even the advertisements that Rosabel sees on the bus help her to escape from the realities of her life. Something that is noticeable while Rosabel is on the bus travelling home. It may also be a case that by having Rosabel escape from the realities of her own life that Mansfield is also highlighting to the reader how dissatisfied Rosabel is with her life. It is also possible that Mansfield is suggesting that Rosabel is associating happiness to marriage and does not see the possibility of herself being happy should she live independently of others (men in particular) and not get married. This may be important as it is possible that Mansfield is suggesting that Rosabel is lonely and as such longs to be married or at least have male companionship. What is also interesting about Rosabel’s daydreaming is that she imagines herself married to Harry. She daydreams about living a life that is totally different to the one she finds herself living. While Rosabel is looking out the window of her lodgings she imagines or daydreams about what her life would be like should it have been her that Harry left the shop with rather than the young woman who bought the hat. Taken from her Something Childish and Other Stories collection the story is narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator and after reading the story the reader realises that Mansfield may be exploring the theme of escape. In The Tiredness of Rosabel by Katherine Mansfield we have the theme of escape, loneliness, class, dissatisfaction, disillusion and happiness.
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