Katherine Mansfield’s short story Bliss is a remarkable work that lends itself to a feminist reading, particularly in its exploration of gender roles, female identity, societal expectations, and suppressed desires. Through Bertha Young, Mansfield critiques the constraints of patriarchal societies while dealing with the complexities of female subjectivity and sexuality.

Gender Roles

At its core, Bliss examines the restrictive nature of traditional gender roles. Bertha Young is portrayed as a woman who outwardly conforms to the ideal of a happy wife and mother. She appears to lead a “perfect” life, with a child, a successful husband, and a beautifully maintained home.

However, this perfection is merely a façade, concealing Bertha’s deep dissatisfaction and unfulfilled desires. Her inability to express her feelings of “bliss” underscores the silencing of women in patriarchal societies. Even Bertha herself trivializes her emotions, describing them as “drunk” or “disorderly,” aligning with historical notions of female hysteria. Such pathologization of women’s emotions reflects how patriarchal structures have dismissed women’s self-expression as irrational or insignificant.

Pear Tree

Central to the feminist reading of Bliss is the pear tree, which serves as a powerful metaphor. The tree symbolizes Bertha’s vitality, creativity, and unexplored desires. Its harmony and beauty mirror Bertha’s inner feelings of sensuality and aesthetic appreciation.

The tree also becomes a focal point for Bertha’s connection with Pearl Fulton, a woman whose presence elicits unspoken intimacy and admiration. When the two women stand together in front of the tree, Bertha senses a “secret” understanding between them. This moment hints at same-sex desire, a subtle yet bold theme for Mansfield’s time. The pear tree thus transcends its physicality, becoming a symbol of Bertha’s suppressed longing and her struggle to articulate her individuality.

Sexuality and Desire

Bertha’s attraction to Pearl Fulton challenges the rigid boundaries of heteronormativity in a patriarchal society. Her feelings of “bliss” are intertwined with her sensual and emotional response to Pearl, reflecting a struggle to reconcile personal desires with societal expectations.

In this context, Bertha attempts to redirect her feelings toward her husband, Harry. However, her marriage lacks true intimacy, with Mansfield highlighting Bertha’s “frigidity” and sexual unfulfillment. This disconnect underscores how women were often forced to suppress unconventional desires, conforming instead to societal roles as wives and mothers.

Disillusionment and Patriarchal Constructs

The story’s climax delivers a devastating revelation when Bertha discovers Harry’s affair with Pearl. This shatters her illusions of both her marriage and her connection with Pearl.

This moment of betrayal exposes the fragility of the societal constructs Bertha has relied upon to define her identity. Her bliss, initially tied to her relationships, is revealed as an abstract, internal force that exists independently of her external life. In this way, Mansfield critiques the notion that women’s happiness must derive from their domestic roles or relationships with men.

Feminist Critique

Critics have highlighted how Bliss challenges patriarchal notions of gender and power. Cherry Hankin observes that Mansfield’s female characters often “exist in a world shaped by male dominance” and reflect “the tension between conformity and rebellion.” Bertha exemplifies this tension, as she simultaneously adheres to and resists the roles prescribed to her.

Angela Smith adds that Mansfield’s subtle exploration of women’s sexuality “questions the boundaries of desire.” By presenting Bertha’s feelings as complex and multifaceted, Mansfield critiques the heteronormative frameworks of her society and opens a space for alternative expressions of identity and longing.

Commodification of Women’s Roles

Bertha’s life is carefully curated to project an image of perfection, much like the artistic fruit arrangement she creates for her dinner party. This arrangement, however, is as hollow as her carefully constructed life.

Mansfield uses the domestic space as both a site of creativity and confinement for women. While the home gives Bertha a sense of identity, it also acts as a prison, stifling her individuality and freedom. The juxtaposition of beauty and entrapment within Bertha’s domestic sphere critiques the commodification of women’s roles in bourgeois society.

Gender and Identity

Ultimately, Bliss is a meditation on the contradictions of gender and identity in a patriarchal world. Bertha’s fleeting moments of happiness and her eventual disillusionment reflect the constraints imposed on women.

Her undefined and incommunicable “bliss” becomes a metaphor for the untapped potential of women’s lives, stifled by societal expectations. Mansfield’s famous remark in her letters—“women’s lives are the only lives which are never simple”—perfectly encapsulates Bertha’s experience. Through Bliss, Mansfield exposes the gendered structures that shape women’s lives, making the story a timeless exploration of female identity and agency.

Katherine Mansfield’s Bliss remains a powerful feminist text, critiquing patriarchal norms while exploring the complexities of female identity, sexuality, and suppressed desires. The story’s symbolism, emotional depth, and layered critique challenge readers to reflect on the societal constructs that continue to define gender roles. Through Bertha Young, Mansfield paints a poignant picture of the contradictions faced by women, making Bliss an enduring cornerstone of feminist literary analysis.