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Summary
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Cup of Tea, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Beauty, Wealth, and Power
Class and Social Identity
Vanity, Materialism, and Kindness
Summary
Analysis
Although Rosemary Fell is not the kind of woman who most would describe as beautiful or even “pretty,” her life is filled with the most beautiful and abundant blessings. She is young, charming, extremely intelligent, and she has read all the newest and most popular books. Moreover, the parties she hosts are famously exclusive and marvelously eclectic; she invites artists of all sorts—even the most shocking and unconventional—to mingle with the elite coteries she belongs to, a mixture of people Rosemary takes pride in assembling.
The first sentence of the story introduces the protagonist, Rosemary Fell, as a character preoccupied with appearances. However, the remainder of the opening passage works to compensate for Rosemary’s perceived lack of beauty by highlighting her intelligence and significant social standing within elite society. This passage also delineates Rosemary’s relationship with lower social classes, describing how she uses “artists” as show-and-tell objects, in a sense, to entertain and impress her peers at parties. This early depiction of Rosemary’s casual exploitation of those less privileged foreshadows her eventual treatment of the poor Miss Smith later in the story.
Active
Themes
Rosemary has been married for two years to her husband, Philip Fell, who worships her. They are important people, and her family is exceptionally wealthy—far beyond just “comfortably well off.” Their immense wealth affords Rosemary the luxury of shopping wherever and whenever she chooses, with a private car and chauffer at her disposal. Shop attendants who serve her are aware of her status in society and treat her with the utmost reverence, attending to her every whim with the same consideration they would show any individual of similar esteem and refinement.
Continuing the opening passage’s lauding of Rosemary’s accomplished, privileged life, this section establishes two critical aspects of the story: the full extent of Rosemary’s wealth and her young marriage to Philip Fell, elements that significantly shape Rosemary’s identity. Her position of power in society, derived from her wealth, creates a kind of rose-colored-glasses perspective where she expects the world to cater to the whims and wishes of the wealthy. Consequently, Rosemary moves through the world driven by her own desires, which tend to center expensive, lavish, and beautiful purchases. Her obsession with beauty and aesthetics, particularly when juxtaposed with her two-year marriage to Philip, hints at underlying insecurities as she strives early on in her marriage to remain beautiful—and therefore valuable—in her husband’s eyes.
Active
Themes
One winter’s day, Rosemary 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 jewelry box he knows she will be unable to resist, adorned with blue velvet and fine detail. Rosemary thinks the box is a darling thing, “a great duck,” and admires how graceful and elegant her hands look as she holds it. However, upon learning that the box costs 28 guineas, Rosemary decides against the purchase, comforted by the knowledge that the shopkeeper will hold the item for her forever if she so desires.
As Rosemary steps outside into the rainy and sad winter afternoon, she thinks about how lovely a hot tea would be and wonders why anyone would want to be out and about in such dreadful weather. Suddenly, a frail, shivering young girl approaches Rosemary and faintly asks her for enough money to purchase a cup of tea. Seeing this as an opportunity for “adventure,” as in Dostoevsky’s novels, Rosemary insists on bringing the less fortunate woman home with her. She plans to feed her, revive her, and most importantly, demonstrate that not all rich people are cruel. The girl hesitantly agrees, driven by excessive hunger and her fear of refusing Rosemary’s forced generosity. On the drive, Rosemary reflects on how selfless she is, viewing her actions as an expression of care and sisterhood.
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Rosemary brings the girl inside her large, decadent home and into her bedroom, hiding her from the servants to spare the cold, sick girl needless attention. While struggling to take off the girl’s coat, Rosemary becomes annoyed with her lack of cooperation and, by extension, her lack of gratitude. After Rosemary asks her maid for brandy, the other girl becomes so overwhelmed by her hunger and thirst that she begins to cry, lamenting her misfortunes, and Rosemary finally calls for the tea she promised. As the girl eats, Rosemary smokes, intentionally looking away to make her more comfortable. Rosemary notices that, upon finishing her meal, the young girl appears revitalized and aesthetically transformed.
Just as Rosemary is about to begin her inquisition into the woman’s life story, her husband Philip enters the room. Introducing herself for the first time, the woman reveals that her name is Miss Smith. The couple quickly excuse themselves to speak privately in the library, where Philip teases Rosemary about her choice to bring home the poor stranger in the first place. As Rosemary tries to explain the reasoning behind her good deed, Philip remarks that Miss Smith is actually “astonishingly pretty.” He suggests his wife rethink her “kindness” and makes a joke about the other woman’s lack of status in elite society.
Prompted by her husband’s comments about Miss Smith’s beauty, and in a fit of jealousy, Rosemary resolves to pay her and send her away immediately. She first grabs her checkbook, but then realizes the other woman probably has little use for checks. Instead, she removes five pounds from a drawer but decides to keep two, ultimately sending Miss Smith away with just three pounds. After touching up her appearance, Rosemary informs Philip that Miss Smith has chosen to leave. Sitting on his lap, she asks if Philip will buy her the 28-guinea antique box, to which he happily agrees. They embrace, and then Rosemary asks her husband what she really wants to know: “am I pretty?”
