Initiation and anti-initiation in Hemingway and Mansfield

¶ … Indian Camp" and "The Garden Party"

Initiation, or what can also be called a 'rite of passage', is a common theme in Ernest Hemmingway's "Indian Camp" and in Katherine Mansfield's "The Garden Party." Both of these stories center around a child who crosses a natural contour to confront the dichotomy of life and death on the other side.

Nick is a young boy who accompanies his father and his uncle to an Indian Camp to help deliver a baby. After the baby is delivered through a painful C-section, it is discovered that the woman's husband has committed suicide, thus forcing Nick to face the complexities of both life and death in a single experience.

Laura is a girl in early adolescence who has trouble distinguishing between the classes as her parents and siblings do. While planning for her garden party she hears of the tragic death of a husband and father that resided in the poor district nearby. When she wants to cancel the party due to the shocking news, her mother and sister act as if she is being ridiculous. However once the party is over, she delivers a basket of leftovers to the grieving family and has an enlightening moment when she sees the deceased man resting peacefully on the bed.

Both of these stories use symbolism and imagery, including the customary use of light and darkness, to illuminate and shadow the experience of the initiation. However there is a major difference between the experiences of Nick in "Indian Camp" and Laura in "The Garden Party"; that is, the children's reactions to the events they face.

Mordecai Marcus, in his article, "What is an Initiation Story?" presents the supposition of Leslie Fiedler that "An initiation is a fall through knowledge to maturity" (222). However, I intend to show that this supposition applies only to Laura, and that in Nick's case, his initiation ends rather in a "fall through knowledge to immaturity" since in the end, he fails to recognize the importance of the night's events and naively assumes that he will never die.

The notably diverse outcomes of these two initiation stories are demonstrated through the use of symbolism and imagery, as well as through the concurrent themes of life vs. death; innocence vs. insight and activeness vs. passiveness. Each story culminates in an epiphany, which according to Marcus is conventional in an initiation story. However while Laura's epiphany is based on truth, Nick's is ultimately rooted in a false sense of security. Therefore while both stories contain the traditional elements of an initiation story, Indian Camp is actually an anti-initiation story because unlike Laura who matures from her experience, Nick retreats back into his womb-like comfort zone.

2.0 Use of Symbolism and Imagery

Symbolism and imagery are used quite liberally in both "Indian Camp" and "The Garden Party." Although they are employed in very similar ways in both stories, the representations of the initiation experience are set apart by the progression of Laura and the regression of Nick.

2.1 Symbols of Initiation

The most notable similarity between these two stories in terms of symbolism and imagery is that each protagonists crosses a physical line that also represents their traversal of an imaginary line. In "Indian Camp" Nick first crosses a lake on the way to the camp. When he crosses the lake he "lay back with his father's arm around him" (7) indicating a sense of safety, security, youth and innocence. After experiencing the traumatic events of the evening and getting back into the boat with his father, he does not physically rest in his arms, but he remains in the same child-like state he was in when they originally crossed. This time however, his innocence and immaturity is symbolized by the circle he observes in the water made by a bass. The circle represents Nick's journey back to where he started, remaining essentially unaffected by his confrontation with life and death just moments earlier. Another indication that Nick remains in an almost womb-like state is the fact that "It felt warm in the sharp chill of the morning" (12), meaning that even when faced with the coldness of death, he still feels incubated, which causes him to naively assume that he will never die.

Laura, instead of crossing a lake, crosses a road on the way to the Scotts' house at the bottom of the hill. Laura's own residence at the top of the hill is symbolic of the elitism of her family, and the road that she crosses when entering the poorer part of town represents her passage from naivete to maturity. This line has always separated the rich from the book both literally and figuratively. Laura has never really understood why she is not supposed to care about the people in this part of town as much as she cares about the people on her side of the tracks. When she talks with the construction workers, she ponders why she is not hanging out with people like them, who are interested in stopping and smelling the flowers (i.e. appreciating the simple things in life), as opposed to the material and image-obsessed friends she has now. Her passage into maturity is clearly on the verge of takeoff even before she hears the news about the workman who was killed in an accident. However this passage cannot occur if she stays on her side of the road because everyone she knows on that side is far more close minded and self-centered than she is, even at her young age.

Mordecai Marcus quotes Carl Benson as saying that lines such as the road Laura crosses represent "the passage from egocentric youth to human solidarity." This is a journey that even Laura's parents have yet to make, as they are far more concerned with their own contentment than with others. Moreover, they could never come to view themselves as sharing unity with the lower classes. They may pity them enough to offer them "scraps from their party" (56). However, Laura is already far more mature than her parents in her ability to see that they are all just people. Crossing that road merely solidifies what she already knew in her heart.

The hat also symbolizes the progress of Laura's initiation. When her mother originally gives her the hat she is too distracted by the news of the death to focus on it. However after she catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror and is told repeatedly by others how beautiful she looks in the hat, she decides to put the death out of her mind and just enjoy the party. This symbolizes the fact that she is still not fully mature and is able to retreat back into ignorant bliss at will, much like Nick does when he all but ignores the pain and tragedy going on around him. However when she goes to visit the Scotts, she is suddenly extremely aware of her hat, and all that it represents in regard to her lavish lifestyle as compared to the lifestyles of those that are staring at her. Her apology for the hat to the dead Mr. Scott signifies that she has matured enough to know what really matters in life, and in death; it is not how many beautiful things you have that matter, but rather how many people beautiful hearts with which you surround yourself.

3.0 Comparison of Themes

Three prevalent themes appear in both The Garden Party and in Indian Camp. These are: life vs. death; innocence vs. insight and activeness vs. passiveness.

3.1 Life vs. Death

Understanding the cycle of life and death is an important lesson in the coming of age of children and a vital part of their initiation. Thus it is not surprising that both stories explore these themes at length. In "The Garden Party" Laura sees what it looks like to be dead, which ultimately changes her perception of life. When she sees how utterly peaceful Mr. Scott looks as has been "given up to his dreams" (57) she crosses the threshold of her initiation. It is at this point that she truly matures and comes to understand the meaning of the life cycle. Laura has to accept the simultaneity of it all, death and life happen side by side and there is beauty in death, too.

In "Indian Camp," Nick also experiences the simultaneous nature of life and death, as a child is brought into the world at almost the same moment when another life is taken from it. However, unlike Laura, Nick is not willing to look at what is happening and is therefore unable to cross that threshold of knowledge the way that Laura did. The following exchange indicates Nick's desire to remain innocent and avoid maturity.

"See, it's a boy, Nick," he said. "How do you like being an interne?"

Nick said, 'All right." He was looking away so as not to see what his father was doing.

"There. That gets it," said his father and put something into the basin.

Nick didn't look at it (9).

It is as if Nick somewhere deep inside himself understands that if he accepts his initiation and seeks to make sense of the cycle of life and death, this would mean the destruction of his harmless and untouched world, and thus he represses it.

3.2 Innocence vs. Insight

Laura and Nick both have not experienced much of life outside of their comfort zone, and thus they both begin their stories in a protected childhood bubble; in a state of innocence. But in "The Garden Party," Laura is forced to overcome her family's sheltered and ignorant ideals to be able to understand life for herself. She has a moment of innocence when she accepts the hat her mother gives her, the emblem of class, but she later feels guilty when she recognizes its symbolism. She even winds up apologizing for the hat to the deceased Mr. Scott because she now understands that is just a frivolous and meaningless representation of personhood.

In "Indian Camp," Nick is offered the opportunity for insight but instead opts for the comfort of innocence. He is not yet ready to cross that line and begin looking at life through the discerning and often cynical eyes of an adult. Thus, essentially, his initiation is a failure because he does not, as Marcus describes, "fall through knowledge to maturity" (222). Instead, he simply falls short.

3.3 Activeness vs. Passiveness

In "The Garden Party," Laura seeks out her own initiation. She matures on her own when she leaves her family's house and goes to the cottage by herself. Although she is frightened and wishes to turn back around several times, she realizes that she cannot. She must proceed forward or remain as ignorant as the rest of her family. She is ready for her initiation, which was already indicated when she talked and supervised the workmen in the garden. Her family tried to shield her from the outside world and from experiencing the reality of the world by only keeping her in their house on the hill trying to impose their worldview on her. She longed to see another way to look at the world and she set out on her own to find it.

Nick, on the other hand, is has been dragged to the camp by his father and really has no interest in having any type of initiation experience. He is therefore only a passive participant in the initiation process, which is likely a large part of the reason that it was not successful. Had maturation and enlightenment been something he wanted from the start, he would likely have been far more receptive to the lessons made available.

4.0 Conclusion

Both "Indian Camp" and "The Garden Party" focus on the initiation process that Marcus describes in his article. Both Nick and Laura set forth on a journey that involves the confrontation of life and death. Both have lived sheltered lives that are about to be disrupted by events outside of their control. Both have experiences with light and darkness and all that it represents. However, despite these similarities, it is clear that the outcome of each young protagonist's experience varies considerably. While Laura takes a proactive stance in her initiation and winds up having an epiphany that makes her view both life and death from a new perspective, Nick leaves the camp feeling as innocent and naive as he ever was. Therefore, while Laura's initiation can be considered a resounding success, Nick's is unfortunately, a failure.