Explore "The Voyage" short story by Katherine Mansfield. Read a summary, understand the plot, and examine the symbolism of the voyage and much more in the story.
Updated: 11/21/2023
The Voyage by Katherine Mansfield | Summary, Symbolism & Analysis
Table of Contents
- "The Voyage" Short Story
- "The Voyage" by Katherine Mansfield Summary
- Symbolism in "The Voyage" Story
- Lesson Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the protagonist in The Voyage?
Fenella is the protagonist in Katherine Mansfield's "The Voyage." Fenella must take a trip across the sea with her grandmother to begin a new phase of life. Along the way, her thoughts and emotions are expressed in the story through her own perspectives.
How old is Fenella in The Voyage?
Fenella's age is not given in the story, but textual clues indicate that she is a very young child. The author, Katherine Mansfield, took a similar trip across the same New Zealand strait when she was five years old. She is likely basing her story on this life event.
Where is The Voyage set?
Katherine Mansfield's "The Voyage" is set on the two main islands of New Zealand. The young girl, Fenella, embarks on a journey with her grandmother, which takes her across the strait that divides these two islands. When she arrives on the other side, she completes her physical journey and also enters a new phase of life under the care of her grandparents.
Who is the narrator of The Voyage story?
Katherine Mansfield's short story, "The Voyage," is told in third-person voice, but the narrator is the main character, Fenella. The reader becomes aware that all of the events of the story are witnessed by Fenella, and her awareness and interpretation of these events are expressed through her perspectives.
Table of Contents
- "The Voyage" Short Story
- "The Voyage" by Katherine Mansfield Summary
- Symbolism in "The Voyage" Story
- Lesson Summary
Katherine Mansfield's "The Voyage" was first published in 1922 as part of a collection of short works of fiction entitled The Garden Party and Other Stories. Mansfield, herself, was a master of the short story and devoted her entire literary career to perfecting it. Her biographers have noted her love for the brief, hard-hitting nature of a story, especially its ability to leave an urgent, striking impression in the minds of its readers. These characteristics likely follow the form of her own life, which was brief but packed with exciting adventures and constant emotional upheavals.
Mansfield was born in 1888 in Wellington, New Zealand. By all accounts, her mother and father were stern, but they wanted their children to have the best education available at the time. Katherine was therefore sent to England in 1903, accompanied by her older sisters, to be educated in London. It was here that she fell in love with artistic endeavors such as music and literature, and she quickly developed a taste for the city's display of sophisticated culture at the turn of the century. Mansfield would go back to New Zealand in 1906 but quickly return to England a few years later, ultimately leaving her homeland behind for the remainder of her life. Plagued with various debilitating illnesses, she died at the age of 34 in 1923.
Some of Mansfield's most powerful stories look back at her childhood in New Zealand. "The Voyage" is one of the best examples of her tendency to reminisce in her fiction. Set in the country of her birth, the story describes a brief trip across the sea that Katherine would have taken as a young girl. It also symbolizes a journey between significant phases of life, which is a theme that Mansfield often identified with and explored in her own writings.
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When the story opens, a boat is preparing to set sail for Picton, a town on the other side of the strait separating New Zealand's main islands. A young girl called Fenella, along with her father and grandmother, are hurrying to catch the boat. It is soon revealed that the father will stay behind, and Fenella and her grandmother will travel without him. The story is told in third-person voice, but the events are seen from Fenella's perspective, thus giving the reader a hint of the young girl's sadness, confusion, and fear. Her age is not given, but she is likely around five years old. Mansfield took this same journey to Picton when she was five and may be basing the story on her own memories.
Fenella's father gives a loving goodbye to his mother and his daughter. He also places a shilling in Fenella's hand, giving her the impression that she won't return or see him for some time. Fenella and her grandmother then board the Picton boat and carefully make their way to the cabin where they will spend the night. Fenella peers cautiously at the dark, shadowy images of the crew and other people on board, while her grandmother offers occasional prayers and leads them onward. Fenella is also constantly aware of her grandmother's umbrella, with a curious handle in the shape of a swan's head. She knows it is one of her grandmother's prized possessions, and both she and her grandmother take care to keep it safe while on the boat.
Before reaching their cabin, Fenella's grandmother talks to a stewardess on board. Their conversation is short and discrete, but it indicates in subtle ways that something tragic has recently happened. Here the story calls attention to Fenella's black coat and her grandmother's dark clothing, which suggests to the reader that a close relative has died. They finally arrive in their cramped cabin and begin their preparations for the overnight journey. The kind stewardess comes in to check on them. She safely stows the umbrella and sadly refers to Fenella as "motherless." Fenella soon falls asleep.
By the time Fenella awakes, the boat is already in the harbor at Picton. They soon disembark, and Fenella takes in the new scenery around her, now bathed in the light of dawn. A man called Mr. Penreddy picks up Fenella and her grandmother in a horse and cart. They soon arrive at a little house, accompanied by the noticeable pleasing scent of flowers in a nicely tended garden. Fenella's grandmother brings them into the house, where they are greeted by Fenella's grandfather. He is sick and bedridden, but he cheerily welcomes Fenella and lifts her spirits. The swan-handled umbrella is carefully placed on the bedrail, and Fenella's attention is drawn to a painting of a poem on the wall. It was painted by her grandmother, and it reads as follows:
"Lost! One Golden Hour
Set with Sixty Diamond Minutes.
NO Reward Is Offered
For It Is GONE FOR EVER!"
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Like most of Mansfield's short stories, "The Voyage" is rich with symbolism. The idea of a journey across the sea, for example, has its own double meaning. The main items of interest in the story, including the umbrella and the framed painting, also carry with them important details about Fenella's emotional state. The imagery is important, too. In particular, the contrast between darkness and light allows the reader to identify more closely with Fenella and fully experience this brief but traumatic episode in her life.
The Voyage
Fenella and her grandmother must take the overnight trip to Picton because Fenella's mother has died. Her father would not have been able to care for her alone, so she is forced to live with her grandparents. She is therefore swept along completely against her will. By witnessing the voyage through Fenella's perspective, readers get a sense of the young girl's vulnerability and fear of change. Symbolically, too, the boat journey represents a major turning point in Fenella's life. It marks a transition from the innocence of childhood to the harsh realizations that accompany death and separation. As Fenella is hurriedly ushered onto the boat, she is also unwillingly pulled along into another phase of life.
The Umbrella
In response to Fenella's persistent fears and anxieties, the swan-handled umbrella offers comfort and stability. Like Fenella's grandmother, the umbrella is protective. It symbolizes responsibility, and it shelters the young girl from the cold, cruel realities of a new life away from her parents. The swan-figured handle, which pecks at Fenella's shoulder when they're boarding for Picton, seems to take on the immediate role of guardian and guide. The swan is like Fenella, too, in that it stands for innocence. It represents the virtue of youth and the harmony of nature, both of which contribute to the idea that Fenella will find peace at the end of her voyage. Fenella's grandmother also senses the importance of the umbrella, mentioning the need to care for it as they climb the steps to their cabin and settle in for the night. At the story's end, it is safely placed on the bedrail of Fenella's grandfather. Thus, it completes the journey and becomes an emblem of the love that this family will share in their new home.
The Painting
The framed painting provides a significant end to the story as well. The painted words lament the passage of time, which speaks to the grief and sorrow that go along with the loss of a loved one. Those words can be applied directly to the death of Fenella's mother, but they also refer generally to a yearning for the past and the desire to relive the joyful experiences of youth. Because Fenella's grandmother painted the words, there is also a sense of optimism. With Fenella under her care, she'll be able to enjoy the "Golden Hour" of raising a child once more.
The technique of representing words within a visual image relates back to the author, too. Mansfield is known for bringing vivid pictures to life in her writing. In this case, those words exist in an actual painting. They are a symbol of the story, itself, which in many ways is an emotional remembrance of her own distant childhood, now gone forever.
Darkness vs. Light
Mansfield's story, "The Voyage," is made up of two distinct sections. In the first, Fenella and her grandmother are boarding the boat to Picton and preparing for sleep. As such, it is night, and the imagery of the scene is dominated by darkness. The author constantly brings up descriptions of the blackness that surrounds the characters. Even their clothes are black and funereal. This gives the reader a feeling of dread and suggests the overhanging presence of death. The coffin-like closeness of the boat cabin reinforces this sentiment.
When Fenella awakes in the second part of the story, there is a renewal of light and life. This feeling culminates with Fenella's arrival at her grandparents' house. There are soft, warm, and inviting images attached to this scene, which are all displayed in the brightness of a new day. Mansfield combines this sense of sight with other pleasant associations, including the sweet smell of flowers in the garden and the warm fur of a gentle cat. All of this comes together to let the reader know that Fenella's transition to this new phase of life is symbolic of rebirth and regeneration.
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Katherine Mansfield's "The Voyage" is told in third-person voice, but it represents the perspectives of a young girl called Fenella. As the short story progresses, readers only experience what she sees and feels. The title refers to a trip that Fenella is taking with her grandmother across a narrow New Zealand strait. Fenella's mother has recently died, and she is traveling to her grandparents' home to be raised. This journey symbolizes change, in that Fenella is transitioning from one phase of her life to another. Along the way, she and her grandmother take special care of an umbrella with a swan figure for a handle. The umbrella is a symbol of responsibility, because Fenella's grandmother must take the place of her parents and protect her from the harsh, cruel world that death has unexpectedly brought upon her. The story moves between darkness, at its beginning, to light at the end. This idea of a bright new existence is particularly evident when Fenella arrives at her grandparents' house and meets her grandfather. He is cheerful and positive, which strongly suggests that Fenella's new phase of life will be peaceful and restorative.
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Video Transcript
Stories About Travel
How many stories can you think of that have travel in them? Probably quite a few, right? Travel is a common subject that comes up in books and short stories. Sometimes a trip is the entire focus of the action in the story. This is the case for Katherine Mansfield's short story ''The Voyage.'' The story focuses on a boat trip that a grandmother and granddaughter take to Picton, New Zealand.
Summary of ''The Voyage''
''The Voyage'' begins with a grandmother, her son, and his daughter walking quickly to catch a boat to Picton. The girl's name is Fenella, and the story is from her perspective, or point of view. No specific reason is given at first for their leaving, and it's only the grandmother and Fenella who get on the boat. Fenella's father comes on long enough for them all to say tearful goodbyes and to give Fenella a shilling, and then he gets off.
We can see that they aren't rich people when the grandmother asks about sandwiches and is shocked at the price. We can also see that the grandmother has been on this boat before. The stewardess recognizes her and remembers that she doesn't usually get her own cabin. Grandmother comments that her son kindly paid for it.
Throughout the trip, Fenella is given the responsibility of carrying Grandmother's umbrella. She has to be careful with it so that it doesn't break, and Grandmother mentions the umbrella and asks if Fenella has it several times. Fenella does remember it, except for once when she forgets to lay it down flat and Grandmother asks the stewardess to do it.
During the boat trip, we find out why Fenella and her grandmother left. The stewardess notes the black clothing the girl and grandmother are wearing, and later refers to Fenella as ''Poor little motherless mite!'' Fenella falls asleep during Grandmother's conversation with the stewardess, so we do not hear exactly what happened. However, from the stewardess' comments and descriptions, we can tell that Fenella's mother recently died.
Fenella's descriptions of the small cabin, and the fact that she has rarely seen her grandmother without her hat, tell us that Fenella has not traveled much and has not stayed with her grandmother often.
Eventually, the pair reach Picton, and a horse and cart pick them up and take them to Grandmother's house. They go inside, and Fenella meets her grandfather, who is ill and stays in bed. Fenella sees a painting hanging over the bed. It says:
''Lost! One Golden Hour Set with Sixty Diamond Minutes. No Reward Is Offered For It Is Gone For Ever.''
After she reads this, Fenella's grandfather tells her that her grandmother painted it. He also smiles cheerfully at her, to the point that he might even be winking, though Fenella is not certain if he did.
Symbolism in ''The Voyage''
Katherine Mansfield makes excellent use of symbolism, which is when an object represents something more than its literal self. Let's look at a few examples.
1. The Umbrella
One major symbol in the story is Grandmother's umbrella. It symbolizes responsibility. Fenella has to carry it and look after it throughout the whole story, and she does so very responsibly. This represents that Fenella will have to be more responsible since her mother has died, and the umbrella symbolizes her first steps towards this new level of responsibility.
2. The Voyage Itself
The trip itself is also symbolic. It represents the changes happening in Fenella's life. Her mother has died, and she is going to live with her grandfather and grandmother in a new city, away from her father. The trip to Picton literally shows a minor change (that of location), and in the process, it represents Fenella's major life changes.
3. The Painting
One other symbol in the story is the painting that Fenella sees at the end. The painting symbolizes that what is lost sometimes cannot be found again. That is, Fenella's mother has died and is not coming back. However, Fenella's discovery of the painting is accompanied by the kind words and looks from her grandfather, which symbolizes that life might be all right in the future, even though the past can't be changed.
Lesson Summary
All right, let's take a moment or two to review. As the title indicates, Katherine Mansfield's ''The Voyage'' focuses on a trip. It's told from the perspective, or the point of view, of a young girl, Fenella.
Fenella's mother has died, and the girl is going to Picton, New Zealand, to live with her grandparents. She travels there by boat with her grandmother. It is on this trip that we find out that her mother died and that Fenella has not spent much informal time with her grandmother before. Finally, they reach Picton, and Fenella meets her grandfather.
We also learned how Mansfield uses symbolism, which is when an object represents something more than its literal self, several times throughout the story. One symbol is the umbrella that Fenella looks after during the trip. The umbrella symbolizes responsibility. The trip itself symbolizes the major changes going on in Fenella's life. One other symbol is the painting Fenella sees in her grandmother's house. It symbolizes that her mother is gone and cannot come back. However, meeting her grandfather, who is very cheerful, shows her that things might not be so bad after all.
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The Voyage by Katherine Mansfield | Summary, Symbolism & Analysis
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