Miss Brill Illusion Vs Reality

Miss Brill and Sandra are both alienated by their community, but they do not seem to do much about it. Sandra seems to be isolating others instead of the other way around. During her own party, she “[refuses] to allow [people] into her kitchen”. She believes other people are strange and avoids them. Miss Brill also goes through a similar experience. She goes to a park because she “always looked forward to [listening] to [other] conversation”. She is lonely

A fourth indication that Miss Brill has an epiphany is when Miss Brill goes home and sits on her bed silently thinking to herself. It can be concluded that Miss Brill has another epiphany of how no one really cares for her and how alone she really is just by sitting in this room. The author describes

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 journey that Janie embarks on is to find herself. She learns that she can be happy with or without a man, and with or without riches and superficial items. It is also a quest for love and fulfillment. In her marriage to Joe, Janie has all of the worldly possessions one could dream of having, but she does not love Joe. She is not happy in that marriage because even though she has every tangible item she could want, she does not have love, and that is an essential part of life. With Tea Cake, however, she does not have expensive items galore, but she does have love. Her marriage to Tea Cake shows that you do not need what money can buy to make you happy, you need love. The contrast between the two places also shows that individual freedom is necessary to be happy. Living with limited expression is harmful to a person. No one desires to live a life, having their ideas suppressed by another. Janie’s need to be free and for expression is one that every person in the world can relate to. The contrast between Eatonville and the Everglades highlights the meaning of the

about the depths of her loneliness. Loneliness and desire are integral to Blanche's being. She

One word that would describe Miss Brill would be delusional. In the story Miss Brill has convinced herself that she's not lonely. She is struggling with the reality of her insignificance. Miss Brill felt as if she was playing a role in a play. She refered to herself aa an actor and has persuaded herself into thinking that if she wasn't at "the play" that the performance would not go right. Also the fact that she talked to the fur and treated the fur as if it was alive and personified the fur. The last reason why I would describe Miss Brill as delusional would be the fact that she deemed the other elderly people odd, silent, old, and sad, not acknowledging the fact that she is just like them. Not knowng that to the outside world she appeared

This quote continues to reinforce the characterization of Miss Brill as a lonely person because she does not seem to enjoy conversing with others. Instead, she would rather observe and eavesdrop on other conversations and take joy as if it was her own. This continues to contribute to the meaning by augmenting Miss Brill’s loneliness and implication that the old couple may not like her that much because of her tendency to eavesdrop.

Throughout the story, Miss Brill continues to dismiss any feelings of sadness that she momentarily felt, up until the realization of her reality towards the end of the story. Similar to Miss Brill, I find that I sometimes isolate myself from others, and that I hide any feelings of loneliness that I might experience. There have been some situations in which I am surrounded by friends or a large group of people, however find it hard to engage in conversation or engage in activities that make me feel like I had belonged. As these events play out, I usually just dismiss the fact that I do not feel included in the conversation and just act as though I did, similar to how Miss Brill places herself in a world where she plays a significant role. I also find myself reminiscing on the past whenever I begin to feel dissatisfied or unhappy with my life in the present. The past always holds good memories that will never fade away, and it is always nice to look back on when I feel as though there is nothing else to make me feel less lonely. On days where I don’t feel like I can engage with others, I find myself watching either television shows or YouTube videos and live vicariously through the lives of the fictional and real friendships that I see before me, because it is sometimes easier to experience and watch the happiness of others even if that may be fictional or just

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

The line separating reality and the illusion of reality is a blur. The line separating the narrator’s self-aware expression and his story telling is a blur. The line separating Ambrose and the narrator is a blur. All of this may blur understanding. It is clear, however, that these blurs exist because of the “funhouse”. A funhouse, Lost in the funhouse, in which exist other funhouses. Various funhouses exist in the story and in the writing. For this reason, the title Lost in the funhouse is very significant.

Miss Brill is a single woman, probably in her mid to late fifties. She lives alone in a very small space without even a cat or bird. She has a collection of vintage clothing. Her physical appearance is only alluded to in the 18-paragraph short story by Mansfield, but in reading about a day in her life, one has the impression of an intelligent, sensitive

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.

From the beginning of the story, it becomes apparent that Miss Brill is the epitome of the definition of lonely. She starves to have just a little warmth and companionship. In the story, she has a fur necklet that she tenderly caresses as if it were a pet that she rubs “the life into the little dim eyes” (Mansfield 175). Loneliness in Miss Brill is also shown through the music in the park. The loneliness is shown through her perception of how the music is “like someone playing with only the family to listen” (Mansfield 175). The whole time, Miss Brill thinks of herself as part of this family playing the music, but in reality she is just an on-site observer. On this particular Sunday, it was the first day of the Season so the band seemed “louder and gayer” (Mansfield 175). However, Miss Brill is somewhat disappointed that there are only two people near where she is seated (Wilson 2: 136) Because they do not talk, her little world that she is rebuffed by that world and her fantasy falls apart (Wilson 2: 140).

The only thing in my life that I can be positive about is change. Everything changes, from the moment we’re born to the moment we die. Reality has many twist and turns, and our perception of reality is what shapes us to become who we are. Our life is spent on deciphering the difference between reality and not reality. This is hard to define because reality is unique to each individual.