Miss Brill by Others

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Miss Brill Made by Others In the short story "Miss Brill”, a Sunday afternoon is spent with an elderly woman during her weekly ritual of visiting a seaside park. The woman, Miss Brill, enjoys her habitual outing to hear the band play and soak in the atmosphere, but most of all she enjoys the chance to sit in on the lives of others by listening and watching. Mansfield's "Miss Brill" illustrates the old woman's attempt to alleviate loneliness by creating an alternate reality for her, yet she is ultimately forced to face the self-deception for what it truly is. It is clear how much enjoyment the old woman derives from the simple activity as the narrator states, "Oh, how fascinating it was! How she enjoyed it! How she loved sitting here, watching it all!" (185) The weekly outing provides an opportunity for Miss Brill to place herself in the company of others. Miss Brill employs the tactics of listening and watching to passively include herself in the activities of the park crowd. She is an expert at imagining how the life of others is. This habit of listening and watching helps her to feel included. Being an avid people watcher, Miss Brill pays attention to those who surround her. By the same care she takes in noticing others, she hopes that someone could notice her there every Sunday. This thought allows her to feel a sense of community with the strangers at the park. Miss Brill takes every opportunity of imagining that she has a connection with the individuals she observes too feel like she belongs there. This helps Miss Brill to escape her solitary life at least once a week. However, as Miss Brill observes and listens, she prefers to view her world through a beautiful glass to protect herself from confronting the truth of her lonely life. Miss Brill exaggerates her perception of reality to avoid facing the bad things of her life. The first example of this is

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