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East of the Web: The Daughters of the Late Colonel
by Katherine Mansfield

Katherine Mansfield’s “The Daughters of the Late Colonel” explores the dynamics between a father and his two daughters. Gender issues ensue as Mansfield entails the notion of the inactive woman in a patriarchal society.

Daughters Josephine and Constantia have devoted their entire lives to “looking after [their father] and at the same time keeping out of [his] way.” When he dies, nothing really changes. His daughters are afraid to disobey him even though he’s dead. They’ve buried him “without asking his permission” and they’re afraid to go into his room in the morning without knocking as if he will rise from the dead and punish them. The sisters accept the fact that they are the inferior ones in the family and are dependent o their father. As Constantia puts it, “Let’s be weak….It’s much easier to be weak than to be strong.” Strangely enough, she says this right before she unlocks the wardrobe at the risk of “father being there among his overcoats.” But he isn’t there and much to their surprise, nothing has crashed down on them.

The Colonel’s daughters restrict themselves from becoming anything more than his progeny. Though they have their moments of hidden desire, in which each daughter wishes to break free from their father, both refuse to bring the issue of him into light and talk about it seriously. They are unable to stop feeling dependent on him. Mansfield’s story is a short read but it works at a somewhat slow pace. But the implications behind all the details make “The Daughter’s of the Late Colonel” a poignant and perceptive story about repression and self-restriction.

Read story here: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/DaugLate.shtml

HANA UDDIN is a contributing writer for Feminist Review and the opinion editor for MYMEME.

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