Character Analysis Miss Brill

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The Life and Times of Miss Brill Miss Brill is a very lonely lady. Her loneliness has led to her being extremely observant of others and to creating a fantasy life to help meet her need for a closer connection with other people. While reading the short story “Miss Brill“ written by Katherine Mansfield, the reader will clearly see the many ways Miss Brill has learned to help her cope with her solitary life. Her loneliness has led to her being extremely observant of others and to create a fantasy life to help meet her need for a closer connection with other people. Miss Brill is lonely. This shows when the author discusses how she spends every Sunday alone at the park. The reader can infer that she has no one to spend her time with. Her loneliness is apparent when she gives her fur coat human characteristics. When she takes it out, she talks like it is an old friend: “What has been happening to me? said the sad little eyes”(86). Her assigning life-like qualities to inanimate objects shows how isolated she feels. Her descriptions of strangers in the park also give the reader a feeling of just how alone she feels. She fantasizes she has a relationship with them: “They weren’t only the audience, not only looking on; they were acting. Even she had a part and came every Sunday“(88). Miss Brill is referring to her delusion where she is a part of a play and co workers with all of the other people at the park. This makes it obvious how lonely Miss Brill is. Miss Brill is also observant. Her observation powers are seen when she talks about an elderly husband and wife she sees every Sunday. She described their attire as “he wearing a dreadful Panama hat and she button boots”(87). Miss Brill never fails to notice even the smallest of details when observing the other Sunday visitors, even down to the type of headwear and shoes they have

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