What Is the Setting of “The Doll’s House” by Katherine Mansfield?

“The Doll’s House” by Katherine Mansfield is set in rural New Zealand in the early 1900s. The setting mirrors the location and circumstances of the author’s childhood.

The story opens in the beautiful home of the two wealthy New Zealand girls. Other action in the story happens at the rural New Zealand school the girls attend with children from all classes of society. These two main settings of the story illustrate the divide between the levels of society in rural around 1900. While all levels of society must coexist so the community can function, as they do at the school, the upper class maintain superiority by separating themselves as the girls must do at home.