Bliss

by

Katherine Mansfield

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Mr. Norman Knight Character Analysis

Mr. Norman Knight is one of Bertha Young’s guests at her dinner party and is the husband of Mrs. Knight. Mr. Knight comes across as a man who lives a conventional life but who is ironic and self-aware about the clichés that he embodies. Mr. Knight makes several ironic references to the middle-class conventions he follows—such as having nothing to do with his daughter until she has a suitor that he can object to—and seems to satirize himself and the society to which all the characters belong in a good-natured and undisruptive way. Like the other guests, who are described as “modern and thrilling” but who give little actual evidence of being so, Mr. Knight makes no reference to “social questions” throughout the evening. The only physical detail offered about Mr. Knight is the fact that he wears a monocle that keeps one of his eyes behind glass. This suggests that Mr. Knight is a detached personality who does not become emotionally involved in causes and who, in contrast to Bertha, does not have a strong emotional response to other people.
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Mr. Norman Knight Character Timeline in Bliss

The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Norman Knight appears in Bliss. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Bliss
Sexuality and Desire Theme Icon
Aesthetics, Appearance, and Performance Theme Icon
...dinner. Bertha thinks about the guests she has invited: “the Norman Knights” and Eddie Warren. Mr. Norman Knight is an aspiring theatre director, his wife Mrs. Knight is interested in “interior... (full context)
Sexuality and Desire Theme Icon
Women’s Roles and Social Constraint Theme Icon
Aesthetics, Appearance, and Performance Theme Icon
Mr. Norman Knight and his wife, Mrs. Knight, arrive. Mrs. Knight is wearing a bright, orange... (full context)
Women’s Roles and Social Constraint Theme Icon
Aesthetics, Appearance, and Performance Theme Icon
...feels she is under. The other guests are in the room and are making coffee. Mr. Knight is complaining that he never sees his daughter and that he will take no... (full context)
Aesthetics, Appearance, and Performance Theme Icon
Mr. and Mrs. Knight say that they need to leave to catch the last train and... (full context)