A cup of tea

A Cup of Tea

 A  cup of tea is a short story  written by Katherine Mansfield which holds class consciousness and materialism. It  represents a crystal clear image of class distinction and ones mad fondness towards materialism. 

Rosemary Fell is a very rich and well off woman. She is married form two years to a very rich and devoted man Mr. Philips Fell,. Once she spends her day out shopping at some west corners of London in the finest of shops. She visits an ingratiating antique dealer’s shop that shows her a beautiful small blue velvet box. Rosemary is taken by the beauty of the creamy piece of art but decides not to buy it and asks the shopkeeper to save it for her. she comes out from the shop into the rain. When she reaches towards the car a girl approaches her asking her to pay for the price of a cup of tea.

  Rosemary asks the girl to come home with her for tea. She is trying to finding  an opportunity of adventure and experience. Just like she read in books and stories of Dostoevsky. She wants to show the girl that rich people do posses mercy. The girl agrees apart from her great fears to ride with Rosemary in her car.

They reach the house.Rosemary takes the poor girl into her room and asks her to sit by the fire. She helps her take off her coat and hat and tries to sooth her. The girl cries out that she can not  stand there anymore fearing that she will faint out of hunger. Rosemary hurriedly orders tea. After that her husband Mr Philips came back to home. He gets surprised by seeing the strange girl at his home. He told his wife that it is dangerous. After all this thing Rosemary gives some cash to girl and tells her to go back at her home. After all things she remember small blue velvet  box. 

It shows that she can't freed herself from the materialistic life. She is just tring to act fake by act as sympathetic woman towards poor girl. It highly criticised the rich people and their materialistic life.