Are most relationships nothing more than mere momentary impulses that fade with time? In everyday life, relationships are complex interactions that require nurturing, protection and consistency. In this respect, they are so much more than just about fiery first encounters. The literary work discussed for this paper was Katherine Mansfield’s short story entitled “Something Childish but Very Natural,” a literary piece published in 1914 about two characters, Henry and Edna, who meet each other randomly in a train station. In telling this story, Mansfield utilizes a lot figurative language and symbolism to tell the story of Henry and Edna, bringing home the point that while such meetings are commonplace, what they ultimately teach us about our reaction to love is something we can all relate to.
In this way, the theme of “Something Childish but Very Natural” is quite simple. Through Mansfield's clever prose, the story strongly equated the fresh breath of spring with young romantic love; where the birds, butterflies and flowers of that first romantic encounter provide contrast with the shadows, snakes, moths and dark tunnel of their unknown future. In fact, Mansfield describes Henry and Edna’s love in a very classic way, presenting it as a childish affair that is half like a happy dream and half like an unrestrained game. Sometimes, they walk into the peaceful woods holding hands, bathed in sunlight while the tree branches brushing against their shoulders quivering. Much like the telling of an ancient fairytale.
While this may be a purely romantic story for some, I see it more as the author’s way of discussing the beautiful randomness in how two people at this point in time could possibly meet. In the story, Henry and Edna meet each other in a train station by accident. While what Henry most loved doing was reading books, his life was forever changed when he met Edna in that train carriage. In fact, it upset his routine and the plot thickened when they spoke and decided to meet each other at the same place every evening. They kept their promise and eventually their friendship grew as they became more comfortable with each other.
In this manner, I agree with the author's implied belief that we tend to most value people who we meet naturally - and sometimes by accident - as opposed to those we are forced to meet. Henry and Edna presumably had their own circle of friends, although no one really knows. Perhaps Edna was on her way to visit a family or relative when she accidentally met Henry. Whatever the reason, it remains that they still met in a very normal way and that, in itself, is what served as the spark for their eventual friendship. In this way, it is the spontaneity of their encounter that hooked me to the story. After all, times have changed. And while it's not like one can't still meet people in this way, the thought of meeting a stranger in a train station or any other public place, engaging in small talk and letting that very innocent stranger-to-stranger relationship grow into something as big and complex as the relationship between Henry and Edna, is a far-fetched proposition that keeps the reader dreaming throughout.
Far from being a hopeless romantic or a bitter loveless person, I am amused by how we value people based on the circumstances under which we met, something Mansfield may have also been commenting on in this story. In my experience, I do not see how people could associate themselves with others who don't share their common interests. Unfortunately, they would not even be able to share those interests without talking. In this way, any relationship, whether it evolves into an eventual friendship or romance, must start with that simple encounter. The quality of that initial encounter is what ultimately determines the outcome of the relationship. In Henry and Edna’s case, the author made sure their encounter was perfect. In fact, it was as if destiny was laid out perfectly for them to meet and have that first conversation, which is what eventually led them to continue meeting and talking until they finally fell in love with each other, both enamored as much about their love story as they were about each other.
Most common relationships, however, are much more complex than that. There are bound to be bumps along the way. In fact, relationships are as fragile as a budding human life; they require protection from all sorts of external destructive agents. This thought can easily be proven by the short story that represented the weeks or probably even months of Henry and Edna’s long relationship. Mansfield portrays them as both extremely young and most likely not yet mature enough to handle such a romantic relationship. But let us base our theories and assumptions on what actually happened in the story. Just when the reader is led to believe that everything between the two will be just fine, the unthinkable happens. During a concert they attend together, Edna suddenly appears to be somewhat distant from Henry, as if lost in deep thought and isolation. To those holding a more cynical outlook, it even seemed in that moment that the flame of love had suddenly been extinguished in her and that, for some unexplained reason, she would not want to continue seeing Henry anymore.
Of course, this sudden change of heart happens all the time in real life, although it is important to note that it can happen to either the male or female in the heterosexual relationship. The real question the author wants us to ask, I believe, is what held them back in the first place? To put it simply, I believe their complete cluelessness as to what to do next that eventually held Edna and Henry back. While they both knew that they loved each other, they were too young and possibly not courageous enough to admit it. Perhaps something deep in their subconscious made them realize that they could not go on chasing each other in train stations and attending concerts forever. Perhaps they both feared that the fire that had grown in them when they first met each other and fell madly in love at first sight in that train station would eventually dissolve and vanish. Maybe they both realized it was not just a matter of how, but when. Perhaps this was what struck Edna during the concert. After all, the love that was kindled proved to be a constant battle for both of them. By the end of that ordeal, they decided that they wanted to be with each other forever. While the story was far more complex, it was its uncertainty that forced me to read right to the end.
Tragedy can strike without warning, whether in the pages of a fiction novel or in real life. In fact, far from simply pertaining to death or injury, tragedy often pertains to any untoward event. In the case of Henry and Edna’s story, it’s the slow unraveling of their relationship that serves as the tragedy. There was Henry, completely unaware and playing around a train station when he suddenly met Edna out of the blue. And then, just as quickly as he could imagine the thought that she would be the woman of his dreams for the rest of his life, she was gone in a similar wink of an eye. It is also worth noting that the story’s ending is a purposely-ambiguous one. It ends with the image of a heartbroken Henry receiving a telegram from Edna, making it clear that whatever was written in that telegram is what ultimately broke them. And while the most logical explanation would be that she simply broke up with him based on whatever convenient reason she could muster, it is possible that the real reason went beyond the numerous childish (albeit very natural) issues that the young couple had. What cannot be debated is the book's tragic end, as perfectly captured by Mansfield: “The garden became full of shadows, they span a web of darkness over the cottage and the trees and Henry and the telegram, but Henry did not move” .
As so eloquently points out, relationships - just like people - can come and go. It is not the amount of time that one has spent with the other those matters, it is the affection that has developed between the two. In Henry and Edna’s case, the only theory that I have to explain this tragedy is that both were too childish to continue whatever was going on between them. Edna was too afraid to let go of her innocence while Henry was too young to man up and care for Edna. In short, it was the right love at the wrong time.
While the story of Henry and Edna might sound simple, this is exactly the way it goes in real life. You meet one person, talk to them and become friends. That meeting is the only thing that determines what comes next. One important takeaway from the story is that tragedy, much like an accident, usually happens when you least expect it. A friendship - or any relationship for that matter - can take weeks, months or even years to build and only a split second to destroy. I guess this is what makes establishing relationships so rationally unacceptable: It requires hard work, guts and effort and can come unraveled in a matter of minutes - the way it ultimately did for Henry.
Far from being an expert in relationships, whatever thoughts I wrote here are simply the product of my personal observation and reflection on Henry and Edna’s story. It is pretty clear to me that Mansfied used this beautiful and tragic story to drive home the point that all relationships - even those born out of a beautiful and passionate flame - are complex interactions that require constant nurturing, protection and consistency if they are to survive the test of time. In this way, relationships are simply not all about first encounters. More important is the way in which one goes about managing succeeding encounters.
Works Cited
Mansfield, K. "Something Childish But Very Natural." Katherine Mansfied Society (1914): 01-15. Print.
Yaan, A. "The 4 Most Important Things I ever Learned About Relationships." Beyond the Dream (2013): Web.
