A Literary Analysis Of Katherine Mansfields The Fly

NameProfessorCourseDateA Literary Analysis of Katherine Mansfield’s “The Fly”Katherine Mansfield’s “The Fly” is a character study of an unnamed protagonist, referred to only as “the boss” (Mansfield 1), who is so obsessed with his legacy that he has lost sight of his humanity. The boss’s name is never revealed in the story, which indicates that the boss prefers to be known for his rank rather than personal identity. When the boss is unexpectedly reminded of his son’s untimely death by Woodifield, an employee who recently had a stroke, the boss responds by retiring to his office where he ends up torturing a fly that has fallen into his inkpot. The act of torture is a subconscious attempt by the boss to reassert his own power over life and death, but in doing so, he also forgets that his original intention was to mourn his son. In this way, “The Fly” reveals how the boss is a narcissist only concerned with his own power, as evidenced by the way he brags to Woodifield, the way he tortures the fly, and the intentional repression of his memories of his son. The boss’s arrogance is first