Life of Ma Parker by Katherine Mansfield is a short story that focuses on the recent events that unfold in the life of a charwoman called Ma Parker. A realistic account of the predicaments of a lower-class woman, Life of Ma Parker deals with the themes of social hierarchy, loss, struggle, escape and death.

Life of Ma Parker | Summary

On Tuesdays, Ma Parker, an elderly woman, works as a maid at the home of a literary gentleman. When Ma Parker arrives for her weekly housecleaning, the gentleman enquires about her grandson after opening the door. She informs him that he passed away the day before. The literary gentleman, who was in the middle of his meal, is taken aback by this revelation. He wore a dirty dressing gown and had a crumpled newspaper in one hand. He enquires about the funeral in a flimsy attempt to offer his condolences. Ma Parker doesn’t say anything about it and walked straight to the kitchen to do her work. The gentleman continues his breakfast with the impression that the old lady may have recovered from the shock of losing her grandson.

Ma Parker removes her tightly fitted hat, unhooks her old and worn jacket, and hangs both of these items before tying her apron in preparation for her duties. She starts to remove her boots, which is a difficult experience for her because of her stiff joints. But she is accustomed to such pain and suffering. She remembers her small grandson standing on her lap after his playing. He is persuading her to hand over a cent. She recalls how, after feigning reluctance, she would reach for the purse and inquire as to what he would offer her in exchange. The small child would giggle a little and move closer to her, telling her he had nothing to give. She pauses the flow of her memories from the past to the present and resumes her mundane task.

The kitchen of the literary gentleman is a total disaster. When required, he would empty the tea leaves into a jam jar. He describes his ‘system’ as basic and appears perplexed as to why people are so concerned about housekeeping. Before the old woman came to clean his house, it would look like a gigantic bin. Toast crusts, envelopes, cigarette ends, and other items strew about the floor. Ma Parker has no ill will against the gentleman. She does feel sorry for him for not having anyone to look after him.

Ma has had a difficult life. This fact was acknowledged by her neighbours as well. She left Stratford-on-Avon when she was sixteen years old. She began her career as a kitchen maid in a cellar with a harsh cook. She was not permitted to leave the house. The heartless cook would refuse to let her read her letters from home and toss them away. Her second employment was as a ‘helper’ in a doctor’s office. She married a baker after two years. This marriage was an excruciatingly painful experience as well. She had thirteen children, seven of whom died young. Her husband was suffering from consumption. When he died, Ma Parker was left to raise the remaining six children on her own. The elderly widow remembers how difficult it was for her to raise her six small children and manage everything. Her sister-in-law joined them when the children started school. She fell down the stairs one day and hurt her spine. Ma Parker had to care for this new helpless woman, who acted and sobbed helplessly like a baby. 

Two of her children abandoned her and ended up in awful situations. Her other two sons moved to another country. One enlisted in the army and embarked on a journey to India. Ethel, Ma Parker’s youngest daughter, married a worthless waiter who died soon after, leaving behind a newborn boy, Lennie, to be cared for by Ma Parker. Just then, she overhears the literary gentleman getting ready for a stroll. He informs her that her half-crown was in the ink-tray. Before leaving, the man inquires if she had thrown cocoa the previous Tuesday. He repeats softly but firmly that he was dead sure he had left some cocoa in the tin, despite her unfavourable response. Before she hurled anything, he requested Ma Parker to inform him. 

Ma Parker resumes her work after his departure. She recalls Lennie’s tribulations. He would drench in sweat, and when he coughed, his eyes would bulge out. He had a chest infection that he couldn’t seem to get rid of. Her heart ached. She desires to cry. It becomes difficult for her to postpone it any longer. She couldn’t cry anywhere, not at home or on a park bench. She couldn’t cry in the gentleman’s flat or on the steps of a building. She couldn’t find any location where she could be alone and cry without bothering or being bothered by others. She looks around but cannot seem to discover any such spot. There is nowhere for Ma Parker to cry and find solace. It starts to rain and she has nowhere to go.

Life of Ma Parker | Analysis       

Katherine Mansfield explores the trials and tribulations of a widow, Ma Parker. Set the turn of the 20th century, the narrative of “Life of Ma Parker” occurs in London, England. Ma has lived a difficult life. She is struggling to recuperate from the grief, which is the result of the death of her grandchild. Throughout the story, the author mentions events from the past to offer the readers a hint about Ma Parker’s current condition.

In a classic modernist style, Mansfield blends the past with the present. Past is not a separate entity; it enters the present. The story begins with the opening of a door.

When the literary gentleman, whose flat old Ma Parker cleaned every Tuesday, opened the door to her that morning, he asked after her grandson.  

This is a classic example of media res (mid-action), another trait of modernism. Modernists employ this technique since it allows them to convey poignant details and avoid lengthy descriptions of the setting. 

Mansfield employs another important literary device, that of interior monologue. Although the readers are aware that Ma is working at the literary gentleman’s home, her thoughts stray and information about her prior life emerge.

The perspective also keeps on shifting throughout the narrative. While it is sometimes that of the literary gentleman, we also get to see Ma’s point of view. Mansfield has tried to put forward the perspective of the female who has endured such suffering. The character of Ma is multi-layered. While at the outset, she appears to be a caring and strong woman who has had her share of sufferings. Her mental agony is depicted through her interior monologue. 

The theme of class consciousness has been intricately weaved in the story by Mansfield. The literary gentleman’s use of the term ‘hag’ exemplifies it. It urges the readers to question, whether or not she would have to deal with such tribulations had she been from an affluent family. The character of the literary gentleman who does not have a name represents the entire class of affluent people who are unaware of the misery of those who work for them. Ma is a working-class woman who is hiding and at the same time struggling with her grief. This battle between her true nature and the person she pretends to be is fundamentally a survival tactic. Given her terrible life, she felt compelled to keep her emotions hidden. This pattern of emotional regression may be traced all the way back to her first work in London as a cook’s maid.

That was a dreadful place – her first place. She was never allowed out. She never went upstairs except for prayers morning and evening. It was a fair cellar. And the cook was a cruel woman. She used to snatch away her letters from home before she’d read them, and throw them in the range because they made her dreamy …

Lenny’s death has wrecked the old widow’s patience. She has bottled up emotions for many years but now she feels the urge to cry. All of the psychological damage produced by the other events in her life finds a way to surface. However, it is shelved once more, and it is depicted by the fact that she cannot find a place to cry, despite her desire to do so.

Life of Ma Parker | Themes

Life of Ma Parker deals with the themes of social position, loss, struggle, escape and death. The theme of social position appears early in the story. It gets witnessed in the kind of work Ma Parker does. She being a charwoman also signifies that she is illiterate. Soon after, the theme of loss is introduced. We get to know that Ma has lost her grandson whom she loved dearly. The theme of the struggle gets an expression through the use of internal monologue as a literary device. Through the interior monologues of Ma Parker, we get to know that she is struggling to recuperate from the loss she has undergone. The death of a few individuals especially Lenny altered the life of Ma. 

Life of Ma Parker | Character Sketch

Ma Parker – Ma Parker is a widow who has lived a difficult life. She works hard and provides for her family after the death of her husband but ends up being alone. Her agony is largely suppressed because of the circumstances in which she lives. After the death of her beloved grandson, she feels the need to cry only to find out that she doesn’t have a quiet place where no one would disturb her.   

Life of Ma Parker | Literary Devices

Mansfield makes use of various literary devices in the story. The readers learn about Ma’s prior life through flashbacks, including how she got to London, the death of her husband, and the tragic death of her grandson. Mansfield has also used interior monologue to reveal the inner thought process of Ma. 

In the very beginning of the story the writer foreshadows the agony of Ma and later explains why she is so accustomed to pain.

To take off her boots or to put them on was an agony to her, but it had been an agony for years. In fact, she was so accustomed to the pain that her face was drawn and screwed up ready for the twinge before she’d so much as untied the laces.

Life of Ma Parker | About the Author

Kathleen Mansfield Murry was a writer, essayist, and journalist. She is widely regarded as one of the modernist movement’s most influential and essential authors. Under the pen name Katherine Mansfield, Mansfield created short stories and poetry that addressed anxiety, sexuality, and existentialism in the context of an emerging New Zealand identity.