Katherine Mansfield's Miss Brill Essay

The kitten also has symbolic uses, adding to the message conveyed by Barton. Cats, historically are represented as intuitive and independent. Freely expressing themselves and not relying on other for comfort. With the kitten in Barton’s image, desperately clawing at the woman’s hand, and the woman holding the kitten close to her chest, it signifies the urgent attempt for the woman, or women in general, to pertain to sexual

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.

Miss Brill finally starts seeing herself the way that others see her after eavesdropping on a young couple’s interaction where they rudely talked of her “But why? Because of that stupid old thing over at the end there? Why does she come her at all - who wants her? Why doesn’t she keep her silly old mug at home?” ( Katherine Mansfield. p360). The fact that she does not fit in with society finally clicks in her mind. Unlike Miss Brill who gets to solve her conflict, Paul is not so fortunate as he tends to overwork himself ‘in his green pyjamas, madly surging on the rocking horse” (D.H. Lawrence. p346) riding his way to his death.

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

Another indication that Miss Brill has an epiphany is when Miss Brill puts away her fur. “She unclasped the necklet quickly; quickly, without looking, laid it inside. But when she put the lid on it she thought she heard something crying” (page 4). This represents her putting away her fantasy world and her fantasies about being an actress. In the beginning of the story, Miss Brill takes her fur out of a box and brushes its coat, polishes its eyes, and talks to the fur as if it’s a living thing. This shows the audience her poor mental state and how lonely she really is. The narrator tells us that Miss Brill liked the way the fur’s eyes looked sad at her and how soft the fur was. By the way that the narrator describes the fur as old and shabby, and the way that Miss Brill cares for the fur we understand that the fur represents Miss Brill and her fantasy world. It is also inferred that the crying sound is Miss Brill herself. Also Miss Brill putting away her fur is representative of her loss of innocence and her gaining insight to what her life is really like.

In “Miss Brill,” Katherine Mansfield uses indirect characterization to demonstrate how loneliness can distort a person’s perception of the world and leave one vulnerable when confronting the truth.

Elizabeth Strout’s novel, Olive Kitteridge, is filled with stories about the lives of regular people in Crosby, Maine. Throughout the stories, different characters are faced with adversity they are forced to deal with. While some handle their problems well and are able to cope with their hardships, others, even those with good intensions, do not find a happy ending. The story “Tulips” encapsulates the a recurring theme of the book; life is uncertain and takes us down roads upon which we had never imagined ourselves having to travel, and while these obstacles may very in their severity, it is how one is able to cope with their individual adversity that will ultimately determine their happiness.

In Ernest Hemingway’s haunting short story “Soldier’s Home” and Katherine Mansfield’s insightful short story “Miss Brill”, both isolated characters, Krebs and Miss Brill, experiences the many pratfalls of their solitude. Krebs and Miss Brill are both victims of isolation but for different reasons. They deal with different types of isolation, family support and perception of reality that hinder them from fully assimilating in to the present reality around them.

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

In “Miss Brill” by Katherine Mansfield, the reader is given a sense of the way that Miss Brill perceives the world around her “like white wine splashed over” the Jardins Publiques she visits every Sunday. Miss Brill is optimistic and inquisitive about the lives of the other visitors to the park and from her “special seat” weaves herself into their stories eavesdropping on their conversations to form her own opinion of the quality of their lives (Mansfield 1). We learn the reality as the story progresses, that her perception of others and most importantly herself is skewed and when hit with the harsh reality that her world is not as wonderful as she perceives she feel shame and sadness for her lonely life.

Every Sunday Miss Brill “enjoys her visits to the park, where she observes all that goes on around her” (Peltier 17). Miss Brill sits in her special seat and watches the band play while observing everyone who walks by. After spending all afternoon at the gardens, she would walk home. On her way

Firstly, the two main characters in this story, Kitty and Stew, are crucial elements of the story to present its theme. When Kitty was a child, her and Stew were intimate. She would laugh at her father's jokes about playing with the hairs of his nose. (Gaitskill, 290) This

Racism can have many defining meanings; the main one is whether it is belief that someone is less important due to different skin color. Africans were not originally considered to be inferior which means white people had the higher power. Due to the fact that Africans had no power, they were the ones who had problems living a normal life. Back in the day, racism has been a driving force behind slavery and racial segregation.

It was a gleaming Monday morning and I was cheerfully walking to the lunch tables where my friends were, until I was suddenly halted by a somewhat familiar person.

Katherine Mansfield was born October 14, 1888 in Wellington New Zealand. Mansfield was a well-known and respected prominent writer in the 20th century. She attended Queens College in London with her sisters. Mansfield broke barriers for female writers in the early 20th century and even still today. Her stories commonly focus on the theme of reality /world versus human nature while also touching the themes of the darker and more complex sides of life.