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Katherine Mansfield's Miss Brill

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In ¨Miss Brill,¨ a short story written by Katherine Mansfield, the main character Miss Brill gives us insight on the real world around us both through herself as a character and through the life of others that she portrays through her own perception. The underlying message in this story is that while the world around us may be blissful at first, everyone will have to face their true reality at one point or another. Mansfield helps convey this message through having Miss Brill describe her surroundings in a way that's conflicting with reality, including through the personification of various pieces of clothing, and through her encounter with the young couple toward the end of the story. However, it is through this encounter, that she realizes her grasp on life is weaker than she thought. …show more content…

Through her descriptions, we learn that Miss Brill overanalyzes simple everyday events and affairs and views them in a way different from most, almost even stretching the truth of what she's seeing. She also demonstrates this through personifying pieces of clothing she sees people wearing and brings them to life. The first clothing piece that we see her give human characteristics to is her own fox skin which she wears over her shoulders throughout the story. She ¨rubbed the life back into the dim little eyes,¨ and had it speak back to her with ¨sad little eyes¨ (1). The way she describes people seems more as if she's seeing clothing that just happen to be connected to a person, rather than a person wearing said clothing

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This article points out many forms of imagery and expresses the true character of Miss Brill. Terry White quoted, “Miss Brill’s life is one of shabby gentility and pretense”(n.p.), which sums up Miss Brills life as a whole. The part of White’s article conversing about Miss Brill not having any love in her life so she cares so much for her fur, “Maternally caressing the fur” will be a useful topic in my essay. White wrote that readers “behold her pathetic attempt to build a fantasy life to protect her from the harsh facts of her existence” (n.p.), and I agree with White. Also Terry White sums up the story of “Miss Brill” by writing, “Like the insidious illness that seems to be creeping to life inside her, Miss Brill is abruptly forced to confront the reality that her imagination seeks to escape”(n.p.).

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Bernice’s dull life and outlook on it is changed when Marjorie informs her, “‘What a blow it must be when a man with imagination marries the beautiful bundle clothes that he 's been building ideals round, and finds that she 's just a weak, whining, cowardly mass of affectations!’” (Fitzgerald, “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” 5). Marjorie wants Bernice to become an interesting person who does not live for the chance to please a man. When Bernice asks her cousin, “‘Don 't I dance all right?’ Marjorie responds, ‘No you don 't-- you lean on a man; yes you do-- ever so slightly” (Fitzgerald, “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” 6).

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Today, we are going try to talk about the short story of “Miss Brill”, written by Katherine Mansfield, about an older lady named Miss Brill who loves to go to the park and wear a fancy fur coat. The next story were going to talk about is “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” ,written by Flannery O’Connor, this story about a Grandmother going on a trip to Florida with her son and his family but she has a bad feeling about going… Miss Brill was a lovely and sweet older lady who just enjoyed going to the park on Sundays. She never missed a Sunday going to the park. It was a routine for Miss Brill to go and enjoy her day at the park.

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As a result, she begins to blur the line between fantasy and reality, believing that she is an important part of the Sunday gathering; that “No doubt somebody would have noticed if she hadn’t been there” at the park. Sadly, this thought is more of a fabrication born out of her loneliness as compared to the truth around her. Hence, the truth; when revealed by a young couple, leads to a brutal awakening for Miss Brill. During this, one can see how Miss Brill’s loneliness and misconception of the truth lead her to face a harsh dose of reality, leading to her sense of rejection as she cries back home to her

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She judges other people to make herself feel more superior and normal and to hide her true character. Later on as Miss Brill observes a young couple, “the hero and heroine, of course, just arrived from his father’s yacht” (p.188), she comes to the realization of who she truthfully is. This wholly destroys Miss Brill, causing her to change her typical plans and go home in grief, “But to-day she passed the baker’s by, climbed the stairs, went into the little dark room-her room like a cupboard… she unclasped the necklet quickly; quickly, without looking, laid it inside. But when she put the lid on she thought she heard something crying” (Mansfield 189). Terry White sums up the story of “Miss Brill” by writing, “Like the insidious illness that seems to be creeping to life inside her, Miss Brill is abruptly forced to confront the reality that her imagination seeks to escape”(White)

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He shook his head, lit a cigarette and “slowly breathed a great puff into her face” and walked away while the young lady was still talking and laughing (836). Following the unrelenting encounter the young lady smiles and raises her hand as if she saw “someone else” and “pattered away” (836-837). Miss Brill also experiences disillusionment at the ending of the story due to spiritually empty and even vulgar humankind. In the article “Reductive Imagery in ‘Miss Brill’” Miriam B. Mendel states, “Miss Brill consistently reduces the world in which she lives in”

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Katherine Mansfield’s story “Miss Brill” explores people’s nature under the watching and imaging of Miss Brill, a middle-aged, unmarried and lonely English woman. The story is set in Jardins Publiques (Public Gardens), a park where Miss Brill goes to with her fur stole on every Sunday. She likes to sit there alone watching, in detail, the happenings around her. Through that, Mansfield expresses the theme which is the loneliness of Miss Brill. Mansfield uses the symbolism such as the “fox fur” and “the ermine toque” to support the theme.

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Miss Brill, a lovely respectable women who lives in a perfect world or so we thought. Miss Brill seemed to be a happy being, who as though was a cheerful optimist, didn 't see the sadness of herself but she did of others. In the text ‘Miss Brill’ written by Katherine Mansfield, Miss Brill feels as if she appears to be wanted by others, but only plays a part in a fantasy world. The reality is, she is not wanted and is just a lonely old women. The author shows the difference between appearance and reality by using a range of language features to show that Miss Brill has her idea of herself as a fantasy and the way that near the end, reality hits her.

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Story: “Miss Brill,” 1922 Author: Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) Central Character: The central character of the story is that of Miss. Brill. She is an older woman who often sits in park benches admiring the people in front of her. Other Characters: The other characters in the story are more of minor characters. They do play in a role in affecting the way that Miss Brill feels about herself. Through their dialogue we read just exactly what they think of Miss. Brill, “Why does she come here at all – who wants her?”

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