In "The Garden Party," Laura is a very difficult character. Explain this and characterize Laura.

Laura is a character that attempts to change in the story. Many stories center on a character's growth or change. The problem with this character is that the reader cannot ascertain that any change has occurred by the end of the story.

Laura is struggling with her ideas of class. The death of a neighbor of the working class makes Laura think that her family's garden party should be canceled out of respect to the neighbors. Yet, while Laura makes an attempt to convince her mother of this, she is easily swayed with the new hat her mother gives her.

Laura switches back and forth between having insight and empathy for the working class and retreating back into her family's elitist attitude. The end of the story does not give the reader a verifiable change in Laura's outlook.