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Year 9

Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' (1922): exploring character foils and symbolism

I can explore Katherine Mansfield’s use of character foils and symbolism in her short story, 'The Fly'.

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Year 9

Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' (1922): exploring character foils and symbolism

I can explore Katherine Mansfield’s use of character foils and symbolism in her short story, 'The Fly'.

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Share activities with pupils
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These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Mr. Woodifield and the boss are foils to one another.
  2. Symbolism is when writers use something to represent intangible ideas.
  3. The fly is a powerful symbol in ‘The Fly’.
  4. The fly could symbolise the boss’s son and the idea that his life was short, and perhaps even needlessly wasted.
  5. The fly could also symbolise the boss’s feelings of powerlessness and despair over his son’s death.

Keywords

  • Foil - in literature, a character who contrasts with another character

  • Intangible - something that can’t be touched, that doesn’t have a physical presence

  • Symbolism - when writers use something to represent intangible ideas; the fly in this story is an example of a symbol

  • Methods - the tools a writer uses to create their work; character foils and use of symbolism are both examples of methods

  • Infantilise - to treat someone like a child

Common misconception

Every character is a foil to another because all characters are different.

Whilst characters, like humans, are unique, not every character serves as a foil. Strangely, character foils often have similarities in terms of who they are, and what has happened to them, but their reactions to these things are different.


To help you plan your year 9 english lesson on: Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' (1922): exploring character foils and symbolism, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Consider if you have read any texts with your pupils which include the use of a foil. Would drawing on this example remind pupils of this method, or help develop their understanding of it in relation to 'The Fly'.
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Equipment

You need a copy of 'The Fly' by Katherine Mansfield, which can be found in the additional materials.

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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
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Supervision

Adult supervision required

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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Here are the characters from Katherine Mansfield's short story, 'The Fly'. Match each character to what we know about them.
Correct Answer:Mr. Woodifield,a retired gentleman whose son died in World War One
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a retired gentleman whose son died in World War One

Correct Answer:the boss,a working man whose son died in World War One
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a working man whose son died in World War One

Correct Answer:Reggie,a young man who was killed in the war
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a young man who was killed in the war

Correct Answer:Woodifield's wife and children,visited Belgium recently
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visited Belgium recently

Correct Answer:Macey,an office messenger
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an office messenger

Q2.
Starting with the first, put these plot points from Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Fly’ in chronological order.
1 - Mr. Woodifield admires the boss's office.
2 - Mr. Woodifield mentions seeing the boss’s son's grave.
3 - The reference to his son plunges the boss into despair.
4 - The boss notices a fly which has fallen into his inkpot.
5 - The boss purposefully drops ink on the fly three times.
6 - The fly dies; the boss is upset.
7 - The boss can't remember what he was thinking about before he killed the fly.
Q3.
Starting with the first, put these plot points detailing the incident with the fly from Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Fly’ in chronological order.
1 - The boss notices the fly trying to clamber out of his ink pot.
2 - The boss helps the fly out of the ink pot.
3 - The boss is impressed by the fly’s ability to clean itself.
4 - The boss decides to drop ink on the fly.
5 - The fly manages to clean itself once more.
6 - The boss drops ink on the fly two more times.
7 - The fly dies; the boss can’t remember what he was thinking about previously.
Q4.
In ‘The Fly’ by Katherine Mansfield, how is the boss presented at the beginning of the short story?
caring
Correct answer: smug
Correct answer: superior
retired
Correct answer: condescending
Q5.
In ‘The Fly’ by Katherine Mansfield, the boss says that when he heard of his son’s death, he felt like the future he had planned came “ about his head”.
Correct Answer: crashing
Q6.
In ‘The Fly’ by Katherine Mansfield, Mr. Woodifield admires the boss’s ability to be “still at the ” of his company.
Correct Answer: helm

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
All of these words are important to ‘The Fly’ by Katherine Mansfield. Match the words to their definitions.
Correct Answer:foil,in literature, a character who contrasts with another character
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in literature, a character who contrasts with another character

Correct Answer:intangible,something that can’t be touched, that doesn’t have a physical presence
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something that can’t be touched, that doesn’t have a physical presence

Correct Answer:symbolism,when writers use something to represent intangible ideas
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when writers use something to represent intangible ideas

Correct Answer:methods,the tools a writer uses to create their work
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the tools a writer uses to create their work

Q2.
In ‘The Fly’ by Katherine Mansfield, how does the boss treat Mr. Woodifield?
Correct answer: The boss infantilises him.
Correct answer: The boss is condescending towards him.
Correct answer: The boss is patronising towards him.
The boss is angry towards him.
The boss orders him about.
Q3.
In ‘The Fly’ by Katherine Mansfield, what are some of the differences between Mr. Woodifield and the boss?
Mr. Woodifield is much older than the boss.
Correct answer: Mr. Woodifield can talk about his son’s death.
The boss fought in the war; Mr. Woodifield did not.
Mr. Woodifield’s son is alive; the boss’s son is dead.
The boss cries when his son is mentioned; Mr. Woodifield does not.
Q4.
Starting with the first, put this sequence of plot points about what the boss does after Mr. Woodifield leaves from Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Fly’ in chronological order.
1 - He stares at nothing.
2 - He tells Macey that he mustn’t be disturbed for at least 30 minutes.
3 - He tries to cry, but finds he can’t.
4 - He looks at his son’s photo but still doesn’t cry.
5 - He remembers when he heard of his son’s death.
6 - He reflects that life is meaningless without his son.
7 - He sees a fly in his inkpot.
Q5.
In ‘The Fly’ by Katherine Mansfield, the boss believes that "other men might " from the loss of their son(s) in WW1, "but not he".
Correct Answer: recover
Q6.
In ‘The Fly’ by Katherine Mansfield, Mansfield describes the fly as " , and afraid to move" after the boss drops ink for the first time.
Correct Answer: stunned

Additional material

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