Symbolism In Miss Brill By Katherine Mansfield

Symbolic objects can be found in real life and in most cases in literature. Symbolism in literature it gives a story depth and a deeper meaning of the story and its characters. In Louise Eldrich’s “The Red Convertible” the car becomes a symbolic representation of the brother’s bond.

In the Bedford Introduction to Literature, Characterization is defined as "... the process by which a writer makes that character seem real to the reader"(2126). In order to do this a writer has multiple tools at their disposal that add to the depth of a character and simplify roles in a story. This includes the use of Protagonists and Antagonists, static and dynamic characters, showing and telling, and motivated and plausible action, as well as many others. The short story "Miss Brill" by Katherine Mansfield is no exception to this and displays the main character of Miss Brill as the protagonist, who is confronted with the reality of her existence.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a book with several examples of symbolism. Although the story is seen through a child’s perspective, it includes multiple instances of symbolism, some more obvious than others. Mockingbirds, Mayella’s geraniums, and the Radley household are all big symbols in To Kill a Mockingbird.

In the short story “Young Goodman Brown” written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the symbolism was used throughout the story. Hawthorne used symbolism to create another world of ideas concerning Goodman Brown’s faith. The symbolism in this short story shows points in Goodman Brown where he begins to make comparisons between his religious beliefs and the evil he is “witnessing.” Brown’s view on people and life becomes conflicted when he starts to realize that there is evil all around him. Nathaniel Hawthorne portrayed symbolism in this short story by giving his main character the name “Goodman Brown and naming Goodman’s wife “Faith”, the pink ribbons in her hair, the path Goodman chooses to take, the forest he goes through, the staff his companion carries and the significance of the townspeople he discovers in the forest all contribute to the symbolism that Hawthorne is delivering in this story.

Symbolism is a technique that author’s uses to bring out the main importance of an object, but more emphasized details are being extracted in the usage of it. Alice Walker uses quilts, for example, to symbolize a “bond between women” (Spark Notes) a relationship between women, that would get passed down from generation to generation.

Katherine Mansfield's "Miss Brill" is a woman self-contained, not pessimistic but settled, content. She is not a victim of her circumstances, but the satisfied creator of them. You could say she has her ducks lined up the way she wants them. Through the character of Miss Brill, Katherine Mansfield reveals a woman who has the ability to enjoy a simple world of her own elaborate creation.

The author of 'Miss Brill', Katherine Mansfield has written several other stories that are highly valued in New Zealand literature, including 'The Doll's House'. Parallels between these stories are initially unclear as both have seemingly innocent content but when examined further, darker underlying themes become apparent. Katherine  Mansfield demonstrates the theme 'detachment of emotion in order to cope with the harsh reality of life can be dangerous if the illusion shatters' throughout the film by a range of techniques including animal imagery and narrative perspective.   Katherine Mansfield uses animal imagery to demonstrate the dangers of detachment from emotion in relation to Miss Brill through brill fish and a fur necklet. Brill are

In my opinion, the fur coat represents herself. Miss Brill lives in a cupboard of a room and the fur lives in a box. She goes to the park each Sunday and this is the only moment that she takes it out to wear it. When the couple at the park deride her and her fur, she perceives it to be because of the latter, so she decides to put the fur away. Then she hears it crying. Which I think, , she actually hears herself cry because she was treated so badly by all the people.

Symbolism is used a great amount in the story The Scarlet Letter. “Both characters and actions are soaked in symbolism” (Wagenknecht 61). Both characters from the novel and even main settings and objects in the novel were symbolized by something in some sort of way. Examples of characters and objects from the book that used symbolism in some way were Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, the forest, Pearl and many more were in the story. Hester was one the most if not the most popular fictional, female character in American fiction. Hester Prynne, dark beautiful of form and featured, and unmistakably of genteel background, was the first great female character in American fiction” (Wagenknecht 64).

In the novel “How to Read Literature like a Professor” the author, Thomas Foster, analyzed and broke down many literary techniques and reoccurring themes in literature. One of the most widely used literary techniques as shown in the novel was Symbolism. Symbolism is heavily used in literature from precipitation and weather to politics, almost everything we read in literature is a form of symbolism.

Symbolism is often utilized in literary pieces to help express an idea and reveal a deeper meaning. In Zora Neale Hurston's short story "Sweat," the main character, Delia, is a victim that suffers from her husband Sykes' cruelty and abuse. The symbols of clothing, sweat and snakes play a major role in "Sweat" and reveal hidden meanings (the truth) about the two characters Delia and Sykes.

Beauty and the Beast is a story that is loved by many. One of the many ways symbolism is shown in this story is by words and objects, like the rose. Word symbolism is very significant in this story and it shows a lot about the author. Symbolism works in this story by showing the true characters. It also

Symbolism in literature is using an object to portray a different, deeper meaning in a story. Symbols represent ideas or qualities that the author has maneuvered into his or her story that has meaning. There can be multiple symbols in a story or just one. It is up to the reader to interpret the meaning of the symbols and their significance to the story. While reading a story, symbols may not become clear until the very end, once the climax is over, and the falling action is covered. In William Faulkner’s, “A Rose for Emily,” there are multiple examples of symbolism that occur throughout the story.

At the beginning of the story Miss Brill pulls out an old fox fur referring to it as a, “Dear little thing!” (86), and is very careful with it before putting it on. This symbolizes how much she cares for the fur. While she is at the park, a young couple sits next to her and starts making fun of the fur, saying that it looks like a, “fried whiting” (89).

In Miss Brill one of the central theme is isolation as Miss Brill is mentally isolated this is portrayed when she takes her fur out of the box which is symbolic of