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Philip Fell
The shopman runs an antique store on London’s Curzon Street, a favorite of Rosemary’s due to its exclusivity and the shopman’s undivided focus on her patronage. When the shopkeeper is first introduced, the narrator notes that he is “ridiculously fond of serving [Rosemary],” implying his skill at catering to the desires of a wealthy clientele. Ultimately, Mansfield uses the shopkeeper to illustrate a certain dynamic between the wealthy and the working class: while Rosemary views him as inferior and blatantly uses his services to feel special and valuable, the shopman, in turn, uses Rosemary for his own financial gain, knowing she will buy almost anything if he sells it to her strategically, such as the enamel box. The result is a fairly symbiotic, class-based relationship, one that is built on unspoken, mutually agreed-upon deceptions.
The Antique Store Shopman Quotes in A Cup of Tea
The A Cup of Tea quotes below are all either spoken by The Antique Store Shopman or refer to The Antique Store Shopman. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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A Cup of Tea Quotes
[S]he couldn’t help noticing how charming her hands were against the blue velvet. The shopman, in some dim cavern of his mind, may have dared to think so too. For he took a pencil, leant over the counter, and his pale bloodless fingers crept timidly towards those rosy, flashing ones . . .
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This passage occurs as the antique store shopman presents Rosemary with the expensive enamel box he hopes she will purchase, and she responds by privately admiring the way her hands look against the box’s luxe blue velvet. This quote exemplifies the complex and performative dynamic between Rosemary and the shopman, as his “pale bloodless fingers” are directly juxtaposed to her “rosy, flashing ones,” formerly protected by gloves, drawing the reader’s attention to the disparities between their social classes and personal experiences. As the narrator describes the shopman’s fingers “timidly” approaching Rosemary’s, his comparatively subservient position is highlighted, suggesting that his Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui simi
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The Antique Store Shopman Character Timeline in A Cup of Tea
The timeline below shows where the character The Antique Store Shopman appears in A Cup of Tea. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
A Cup of Tea
...visits an antique shop on Curzon Street that she frequents for its privacy and exclusivity. The shopman , who eagerly anticipates her visits, presents her with his latest find: a delicate enamel...
(full context)
