Miss Brill

McEwan effectively shows that “She would.simply wait on the bridge,calm and obstinate, until events, real events, not her own fantasies, rose to her challenge, and dispelled her insignificance.” (77) Though it is not possible to see the world in a subjective way through Briony’s contemplation, Briony as an author is confused between what is true and what is not.Through the juxtaposition of Briony’s false perceptions, McEwan is able to showcase the importance that perception has on the understanding of the truth.

In the short story “Miss Brill” the protagonist, Miss Brill, is a lonely and isolated woman who likes to spend her Sunday afternoon’s in the park observing everyone around her and listening to their conversations without them knowing. We can infer that Miss Brill has created her own fantasy world to escape the harsh reality of her own life. At the end of the story the audience can come to the conclusion that Miss Brill experienced an epiphany that will change her life.

The tragedy of the story rests in that she does not see herself as this. She describes some of the other people in the park as "... they were nearly always the same, Sunday after Sunday, and - Miss Brill had often noticed - there was something funny about nearly all of them. They were odd, silent, nearly all old, and from the way they stared they looked as though they'd come just come from dark little rooms or even - even cupboards!" (Mansfield 259), this is exactly what she is. Not only does this

The character of the mother executes the tell-tale signs of counterfeit happiness when she tells the murderous story of the narrator’s father’s brother. “‘Oh honey,’ she said, ‘there’s a lot that you don’t know. But you are going to find out’” (36).

During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s women were not treated as equals and had extremely low expectations on them.All their existences consisted of was cleaning,cooking,and taking care of their husband and kids.With these types of duties expected on to them you could imagine how it would eventually cause them to feel empty ,unfulfilled,and restricted in their life.These types of emotions are expressed through the main character in Mrs. Mallard in the book ‘ Story of An Hour’ ,and is the main reason why She rejoices when her husband is said to be dead.

The following characters Mildred, Clarisse, and Montag each have problems with being happy. Mildred who overdosed on “sleeping tablets which earlier had been filled with thirty capsules” is an unhappy person in the society (13). She has her up and downs about being happy but in this specific time she was not happy. Montag goes to Faber and says “we aren’t happy” because he thinks nobody is listening to him (82). Montag does not want to burn books anymore because he is unhappy when he does burn them. Clarisse states that she does not fit in “I don’t mix” shows that she is unhappy in the society that they live in (29). She does not like the place she lives because of the problem in the society. These characters do not like the way the society works which makes them unhappy.

In the story, Miss Brill, by Katherine Mansfield, colors are used to describe the mood of the day, the people, and the scenery. Miss Brill is an elderly woman who spends days in the park listening to the bands playing and people watching. Miss Brill see the good in people and also sees everyone as an actor or actress on a big stage. " Miss Brill nearly laughed out loud. she was on stage."

This quote shows again that Miss Brill takes joy in being an observer of her surroundings. This suggests that she may be trying to distract herself from her own loneliness because she tries to stay included and feel like she is a necessary person who is an integral part of others’ daily lives. This contributes to the meaning that society has a lack of care for these type of people because no one in the surroundings really care

Miss Brill often finds herself personifying this fox fur, giving it gendered pronouns as opposed to objective pronouns. This indicates how the fur seems to be the only companion or friend that she has, and that she projects her loneliness onto this fox fur. The style of Mansfield’s writing shows that Miss Brill deeply cares about this fur, showing some of Miss Brill’s internal monologue as she takes the fox fur out of its box that afternoon. In the park, Miss Brill finds herself listening in to people’s conversations, as she feels like she can be a part of their lives this way even if it was just for a moment. The deep isolation and loneliness that Miss Brill experiences causes her to long for human connection -- though she never figures out how to achieve it. Also, it is interesting to see how Miss Brill describes the other elderly people in the park around her. She observes that they looked as though they had “just come out from dark little rooms or even — even cupboards!” This is significant because she compares them to her fox fur, which is something that she keeps in a cupboard until she is ready to leave her house again. She makes this comparison between the other elderly people at the park, however she does not make this connection to herself. This could show how Miss Brill separates herself from the other elderly people, because she longs for

She pays attention to the smallest details. "Wasn’t the conductor [of the band in the park] wearing a new coat, too? She was sure it was new. He scraped with his foot and flapped his arms like a rooster about to crow… Now came a little ‘flutey’ bit—very pretty!—a little chain of bright drops. She was sure it would be repeated. It was; she lifted her head and smiled" (98). Even if she’s only an observer, Miss Brill is an involved observer. She draws enjoyment from simply being in the park atmosphere. However, her enjoyment is more than a passing mood. It’s actually an indication of a deeper emotion—a kind of happiness. This becomes clear after Miss Brill has paid close attention to several small exchanges between people at the park. "Oh how fascinating it was! How she enjoyed it! How she loved sitting here, watching it all!" (99). That Miss Brill does not actually participate in anything is clear to the reader, but not to her. Vicarious involvement in other people’s lives seems to be fulfilling for her, even though there is no actual interplay with others. The most telling evidence that Miss Brill is happy (and that her happiness is based on a false impression) is when she comes to the conclusion that she’s somehow needed at the park. "No doubt somebody would have noticed if she hadn’t been there; she was part of the performance after all… Miss Brill nearly laughed out loud" (100). This realization eventually moves Miss Brill to

The details as told, seem to be coming directly from Miss Brill at times. The narrator gets us settled into the park with Miss Brill and tells us that she sees those around her as “odd, silent, nearly all old, and from the way they stared they looked as though they’d just come from dark little rooms or even-even cupboards!” This tells me that Miss Brill sees herself differently than she sees others, not odd or funny. She is a part of all this life and activity at the park! An actor in the grand play and “somebody would have noticed if she hadn’t been there.” She really loved to be out with others and thought that she was very much a part of the world and not apart from it. Don’t we all feel this way? Some people are truly introverted and care little of interacting, but I think the majority of us strive to become part of the world and at times feel like this life is one big drama and we have a big part. Our role might only be important for one scene, but we feel like the leading man or woman at times. The narrator leads us to what appears to be a fitting climax; a crescendo of music and song, with all players involved. Miss Brill’s dreams of this were quickly shattered. The comments by the young people, “Why does she come here at all-who wants her? Why doesn’t she keep her silly mug at home?” leaves Miss Brill with the cold realization that she is in fact like the odd, old people that she watches in the

Miss Brill engages in shameless people watching. She has taken the practice of keen observation and elevated it to an art form. Miss Brill ascribes to the notion that since we all coexist on this planet, we are acting out our lives alongside each other, the entire world is a stage and we are all in it together. She understands that most people do not feel quite so connected to one another and that her rose-colored-glasses-approach to life is not universal, but still she carries on, thriving amongst the non-believers, quietly living out her interpretation of days.

This quote leads you to the imagining Miss Brill goes through. I just picture her putting on this fur, playing dress up and becoming part of this whole other life every Sunday.

Katherine Mansfield’s short story, Miss Brill, is a well-written story of an elderly, unmarried woman in Europe. In Miss Brill, Katherine Mansfield uses stream-of-consciousness point of view to show alienation and loneliness, appearances and reality, and Miss Brill’s perceptions as she attempts to make herself fit in with the park goers. Miss Brill is an older lady who makes a living teaching English to school children and reading newspapers to an “old invalid gentleman” (Wilson 2: 139). Her joy in life comes in her visits to the park on Sunday where she is notorious for “sitting in on other people’s lives” (Wilson 2: 140). It is there that her ritualistic, monotonous journey that Miss Brill refers to as a “play” takes place.

Shenli Song College of Foreign Languages, Zhejiang Gongshang University Office of Foreign Language College at Zhejiang Gongshang University Xia Sha City-University-Town, Hangzhou 310018, Zhejiang, China E-mail: windyforever@gmail.com Abstract Katherine Mansfield, remembered as one of the finest writers of English short stories, enjoys enduring fame and a somewhat awesome literary status with her short stories, Miss Brill as one of her representative pieces. The interest of our Chinese critics, in general, locates more in the modernist techniques and devices she employs to present the inner world of the characters in her stories,