Introduction:

“The Doll's House” is a short story by Katherine Mansfield, written in the year 1922. The story reveals the extent to which class consciousness has wreaked havoc in the social set up, so much so that the other children are discouraged from talking to the children from the lowest of the social classes. The story traces the problem of class consciousness through the character of Kezia, and her journey from innocence to the symbolic world of experience.

"The Doll's House", by Katherine Mansfield, is a story that treats the topics of social inequality, injustice, money as a tool of power, the shallowness of human dynamics.
Social inequality, although not in itself a rarity, is treated from the perspective of adults and the way that they teach their children to distance themselves from others based on social status. The wealthy Burnell girls receive a very unique and expensive gift: the rare scale-model doll house that other little girls would only dream to have. However, it is the adults (the Burnell's mother) who teaches the girls that there is such a thing as being different; in her case, she instills in the girls the feeling that, just by social ranking, they are superior.
"Mother," said Kezia, "can't I ask the Kelveys just once?"
"Certainly not, Kezia."
"But why not?"
"Run away, Kezia; you know quite well why not."
Injustice comes in the form of how the other girls view and treat the Kelveys just for being poor. The Kelveys are teased and verbally abused because they are the daughters of a washerwoman and an unknown father.
"Is it true you're going to be a servant when you grow up, Lil Kelvey?" shrilled Lena.
Dead silence. But instead of answering, Lil only gave her silly, shame-faced smile.
In the story, money is the powerful tool that defines happiness and popularity. The girls with money ate together at school enjoying mutton sandwiches and jelly cakes. The Kelvey's on the