“Miss Brill,” was written in 1992 by Katherine Mansfield. The setting takes us on a Sunday afternoon at a seaside park. Miss Brill is an elderly unmarried woman visits the park on Sunday to help her cope with her loneliness and depression by creating an illusionary world for herself, yet she is deeply forced to face her reality for what it truly is. We get a clear image of what the elderly woman is really like since the story is written in third person. The story is an interior monologue of Miss Brill, portraying how complex day to day life is of the character. We can reveal and get to know the character in every moment in the story, the way she feels and acts. “Smoothed the newspaper as though it was the manuscript of her part and said gently:
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While sitting at her special bench she is only comforted by her fur that she refers to as the “little rogue” as “she laid it on her lap and stroked it,” indicating that her fur is more of a pet, or as an only friend. Miss Brill alters her reality is when she observes the other bench sitters every Sunday, and refers to them as odd, silent, nearly all old as though they just come from dark little rooms. Meanwhile she doesn’t recognize her own reflection in that category of the elderly people. Miss Brill then proceeded to fancy herself as an actress. The park every Sunday was her stage, imagining it to be exactly like a play. This indicates that Miss Brill feels importance to the strangers surrounding her. After witnessing another lady with fur hat who was ignored by the man who she met to the point where he was being rude. Miss Brill is forced to realize her own self-deception while empathizing with the women. She feels humiliation, and pain, but places herself in the actress mode to avoid those emotions. This part of Miss Brill’s coping mechanism to avoid any disruption in her life. That sets her up for even bigger disappointment when a young man referred to her fur as “that stupid old thing.” Knowing that Miss Brill is listening his girlfriend goes on to say,” It is her fu-fur which is so silly.” In that moment she felt not as integral or important at all to the people surrounding her as she choose to
While sitting at her special bench she is only comforted by her fur that she refers to as the “little rogue” as “she laid it on her lap and stroked it,” indicating that her fur is more of a pet, or as an only friend. Miss Brill alters her reality is when she observes the other bench sitters every Sunday, and refers to them as odd, silent, nearly all old as though they just come from dark little rooms. Meanwhile she doesn’t recognize her own reflection in that category of the elderly people. Miss Brill then proceeded to fancy herself as an actress. The park every Sunday was her stage, imagining it to be exactly like a play. This indicates that Miss Brill feels importance to the strangers surrounding her. After witnessing another lady with fur hat who was ignored by the man who she met to the point where he was being rude. Miss Brill is forced to realize her own self-deception while empathizing with the women. She feels humiliation, and pain, but places herself in the actress mode to avoid those emotions. This part of Miss Brill’s coping mechanism to avoid any disruption in her life. That sets her up for even bigger disappointment when a young man referred to her fur as “that stupid old thing.” Knowing that Miss Brill is listening his girlfriend goes on to say,” It is her fu-fur which is so silly.” In that moment she felt not as integral or important at all to the people surrounding her as she choose to