Katherine Mansfield’s “Miss Brill” makes for an interesting comparison to William Faulkner’s “A Rose For Emily.” Despite that there are significant differences between the two stories, their similarities are fundamental. Thus it must be acknowledged that through the use of symbolism and irony, Faulkner and Mansfield are efficacious in telling stories of isolation.
First and foremost, "Miss Brill" and "A Rose for Emily" portrays solitude via symbolism. For instance, "...only Miss Emily’s house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps" (Faulkner 16). Throughout the story, the townspeople ascribe Miss Emily's qualities to her house, as though the two were the same. Figuratively, Emily's …show more content…
In essence, “Other people sat on the benches and green chairs, but they were nearly always the same, Sunday after Sunday, and–Miss Brill had often noticed– there was something funny about nearly all of them. They were odd, silent, nearly all old, and from the way they stared they looked as though they'd just come from dark little rooms or even– even cupboards” (Mansfield 185). Ironically, this is how everyone else sees her. A cupboard stores items that are only taken out when they are deemed useful. However, Miss Brill fears this perception of herself—a useless object in a cupboard, living in a box alone. This rationalizes her belief that she is an actress; she just wants her life to be filled with purpose. So, she puts herself into a frame and makes her world a set, where her identity exists only in the setting of manuscripts and critics. Thus, a bad review is a bad performance, and with her outlook, a sad life. Similarly, William Faulkner uses irony to convey a lonely Miss Emily. The narrator states, “That was when people had begun to feel really sorry for her” (Faulkner 18). It is apparent that nobody has ever attempted to help Emily, despite the amount of pity the town had for her. They thought of her as an eccentric recluse. Nonetheless, with death comes a morbid curiosity and intrusiveness. Suddenly, everyone honors Miss Emily and acknowledges her as a prominent figurehead once again. All in all, Faulkner’s and Mansfield’s use of irony depicts
First and foremost, "Miss Brill" and "A Rose for Emily" portrays solitude via symbolism. For instance, "...only Miss Emily’s house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps" (Faulkner 16). Throughout the story, the townspeople ascribe Miss Emily's qualities to her house, as though the two were the same. Figuratively, Emily's …show more content…
In essence, “Other people sat on the benches and green chairs, but they were nearly always the same, Sunday after Sunday, and–Miss Brill had often noticed– there was something funny about nearly all of them. They were odd, silent, nearly all old, and from the way they stared they looked as though they'd just come from dark little rooms or even– even cupboards” (Mansfield 185). Ironically, this is how everyone else sees her. A cupboard stores items that are only taken out when they are deemed useful. However, Miss Brill fears this perception of herself—a useless object in a cupboard, living in a box alone. This rationalizes her belief that she is an actress; she just wants her life to be filled with purpose. So, she puts herself into a frame and makes her world a set, where her identity exists only in the setting of manuscripts and critics. Thus, a bad review is a bad performance, and with her outlook, a sad life. Similarly, William Faulkner uses irony to convey a lonely Miss Emily. The narrator states, “That was when people had begun to feel really sorry for her” (Faulkner 18). It is apparent that nobody has ever attempted to help Emily, despite the amount of pity the town had for her. They thought of her as an eccentric recluse. Nonetheless, with death comes a morbid curiosity and intrusiveness. Suddenly, everyone honors Miss Emily and acknowledges her as a prominent figurehead once again. All in all, Faulkner’s and Mansfield’s use of irony depicts