Her First Ball

A detailed Summary of Her First Ball


At the very beginning of Katherine Mansfield's "Her First Ball", the protagonist Leila is very anxious about the ball. With the help of writer's vivid description, you can even hear the sounds of the ball: women are preparing at the ladies' room, the band is playing a beautiful music, men are watching at smart ladies. The atmosphere is so exciting and unforgettable for Leila, because it is her first ball. Her feelings are so exaggerated because she does not know what to expect. The protagonist looks forward to something very special, something exciting and new, certainly because it is her first ball.

When the bald man appears in the story, Leila changes from excited to a bit passive. The man shares his knowledge with Leila and for one minute he shatters her vision world. "Was this first ball only the beginning of her last ball after all?" (Mansfie


ld 219). But the youthful emotions overcome the pessimistic thoughts as Leila returns to the dance floor and "didn't even recognize him again" (Mansfield 223). Young girl is blooming with joyful emotions at her first ball with elderly and this situation illustrates everyone's mature life beginning.

Speaking about Leila's character, it is important to mention that she is very shy, not used to communicating with so many people at one place. She has recently arrived from rural setting. But, because of the excitement she forgets everything. "She quite forgot to be shy; she forgot how in the middle of dressing she had sat down on the bed with one shoe off and one shoe on and begged her mother to ring up her cousins and say she could not go after all" (Mansfield 234). Leila understood her life was just at the beginning and she felt quite confused about it.

Leila cr

Some common words found in the essay are:
Speaking Leila's, Mansfield's Ball, Careless Youth, life beginning, story leila,

Approximate Word count = 586
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

join now Save Paper

Related Essays

  • Her First Ball In the short story ampquotHer First Ball,ampquot the setting and imagery throughout the story help convey the message of the novel through its main character, Leila. ... 941 words
  • Unfinished ... The main character in this story is eighteen year old Leila who is attending her first ball along with her cousins. ... it was thrilling. Her first ball. ... 2280 words
  • Lucille Ball ... Desiree Ball. The first thought that comes into many peopleamp39s minds when this name is said would be ampquot Lucyampquot the well known funny character she played on her ... 2194 words
  • Pride ampamp Prejudice: First 23 Chapters ... For example, during the first ball at Netherfield, Bingley only dances with Jane ... She is not insulting her sister, but only acknowledging the reasons Jane was ... 918 words
  • Pride and Prejudice ... her because of her lowliness. Throughout the novel they both try to fight the feelings that they both have, with such instances as the first ball, the constant ... 829 words

Professional Essays

  • Theme of Pride and Prejudice ... as in other actions, so his pride is obvious in his attitude toward Elizabeth, something she discovers when she overhears him insulting her at the first ball. ... 1635 words
  • Critiques of 8 Short stories The subject of The Zebra ... Her First Ball Katherine Mansfield in ampquotHer First Ball,ampquot the ball of the title becomes a symbol for the maturing of the young lady who is the main character. ... 2899 words
  • Rebecca ... and Beatrice give her enough gossip on the first Mrs. de ... Giles is incredulous to find her only skill is ... to a showplace for events, like a masquerade ball. ... 1756 words
  • A Rose for Emily ... of the Peebles when she went home on her days off ... Peebles had an automatic washer and dryer, the first I ever saw ... p. 455 to trying on Mrs. Peebles ball gown and ... 1434 words
  • Personal Learning Experiences ... one player hinders an opponent, when a ball touches a ... a college tennis team had I not first learned the ... instance, when a player wins his or her first point, he ... 2154 words
  • Atomic Bombs and Japan ... as the target and the bomb is dropped, Lawrence describes the ampquotgiant ball of fire ... She begins by saying that she had finished her first year of college ampquotwithout ... 1239 words


Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

  • "Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
    Jack M.
  • "With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
    Brian P.
  • "I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
    Sara J.
  • "I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
    Rachel W.
  • "I love this site!!!"
    Marie N.
Home Join Now Support
Acceptable Use Policy About us FAQ
All papers are for research and reference purposes only!
© 2002-2009 DirectEssays.com. All Rights Reserved.