THE LITTLE GIRL (Beehive)

By Katherine Mansfield

1. Why was Kezia afraid of her father?

Kezia’s father was a very commanding personality and to the little girl he was always a figure to be feared and to be avoided. He always commands Kezia to do things in a certain way. Kezia was often scolded by her father when she did not do the things expected by him. 

2. Who were the people in Kezia’s family? 

Kezia’s family consisted of five members her father, mother, grandmother and their cook Alice. 

3. What was Kezia’s father’s routine 

(i) before going to his office? 

Every morning before going to work he came into her room and gave her a casual kiss, to which she responded with “Goodbye, Father”. 

(ii) after coming back from his office?

After coming back from office he asked his mother in a loud voice to bring him tea, newspaper and his slippers. 

(iii) on Sundays? 

On Sundays Kezia’s Father stretched out on the sofa, his handkerchief on his face, his feet on one of the best cushions, sleeping soundly and snoring. 

4. In what ways did Kezia’s grandmother encourage her to get to know her father better? 

On Sundays her grandmother encouraged her to go and talk to her parents and also encourages her to give a gift to her father on her birthday. 

5. Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much. How did this happen?

One day, when she was kept indoors with a cold, her grandmother told her that father’s birthday was next week, and suggested she should make him a pin-cushion for a gift out of a beautiful piece of yellow silk. Laboriously, with a double cotton, the little girl stitched three sides. After stitching three sides Kezia was looking for some material for stuffing. The grandmother was out in the garden, and she wandered into Mother’s bedroom to look for scraps. On the bed-table she discovered a great many sheets of fine paper, gathered them up, tore them into tiny pieces, and stuffed her case, then sewed up the fourth side . But unfortunately the sheets that were torn were her father’s speech before the port authorities. Her father was extremely angry with her on knowing this. Her attempts to please her father resulted in displeasing him. 

6. Kezia decides that there are “different kinds of fathers”. What kind of father was Mr Macdonald, and how was he different from Kezia’s father?

Mr Macdonald was the neighbour of Kezia's family. He was different from Kezia's father because he played with all his five children. He spend time with his children. But Kezia's father did not played with Kezia. 

7. How does Kezia begin to see her father as a human being who needs her sympathy?
She snuggled her head under his arm and held tightly to his shirt. At that moment, she discovered that her father was very much a human being and needed her sympathy.

8. What is the message conveyed in the story?

The story is about inter-personal relationship between parents and children. The story gives the message that there is a strong emotional binding between parents and children. Sometimes parents are very strict because they want their children to be disciplined and obedient. They try to impose strict rules in the daily routine but sometimes this tends to create a lot of fear in children and they lose their self-confidence. This story conveys the message that for strong relationship there should be regular communication and understanding between parents and children. Parents should spend time to listen to their children.

Click for the Poem included in Unit 3 of Beehive