This article offers a comprehensive comparative and descriptive analysis of Katherine Mansfield’s short story “The Child Who Was Tired,” examining its narrative technique, thematic structure, and ethical implications within the framework of literary modernism. The study integrates close textual analysis with comparative insights drawn from Mansfield’s other works, particularly “The Garden Party” and “Prelude,” as well as broader modernist representations of childhood. The research demonstrates that Mansfield’s restrained narrative voice, psychological realism, and symbolic use of domestic space expose the exploitation of marginalized children and challenge sentimental portrayals of childhood. The findings highlight Mansfield’s contribution to modernist social critique and confirm the story’s relevance to contemporary discussions of class, labor, and human vulnerability.

Katherine Mansfield; modernism; childhood suffering; comparative analysis; descriptive analysis

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