Analysis of Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield - Essay Example

? Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield Introduction Katherine Mansfield became famous for her abilityto skillfully project states of mind onto the paper with the help of image and symbol. According to Bloddgett, disillusionment and despair can be traced in “Miss Brill” “at comments on her appearance that destroy her self-deception of desirability and importance” (268). Human emotions seem to be unknown to Miss Brill. The protagonist seems to be from the other planet in terms of her psychological workings of mind and way of her surrounding perception. A number of characteristics of Miss Brill like talking to oneself indicate that the protagonist is somewhat ‘unhealthy’ perception of reality and herself. Female poverty and loneliness are two central ideas of Mansfield’s short story titled Miss Brill. Mansfield’s Symbolism Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield is a literary realization of an incredible life drama. Portrayal of the main heroine is achieved through detailed description of the woman’s characters and inner workings of her mind in a very short, only four-page essay. Mansfield’s creative and fine work can be compared to that of a jeweler dealing with some precious stones and jewelry. Symbolism is skillfully placed within a simple plot of Miss Brill. Literary masterpiece of Katherine Mansfield really deserves acknowledgement and admiration. Even the title of the story points out a great literary genius in this great writer, Katherine Mansfield. A great attention to details as well as author’s originality is presented throughout work of Mansfield. Miss Brill is a spinster who has neither friends nor any other close people. Source of her earnings comes from working as an English tutor. Besides, she is engaged in reading press to an old disabled person whose ability to hear and understand is very doubtful. Furthermore, it becomes obvious that Miss Brill lives somewhere close to the seaside in France. From the very beginning the reader begins to comprehend the mood of the main character as well as the atmosphere of the whole story. The weather is intriguingly unstable since “the blue sky powdered with gold and great spots of light like white wine splashed over the Jardins Publiuqes” (Mansfield) point out on possible rain in the nearest time. So, Miss Brill is obviously ready to such conditions of weather as she takes out her fur which she calls “Dear little thing”. Soon, the reader associates fur coat with Miss Brill. Both of them are approximately of the same age. Depression – Psychological State of Mind of the Protagonist As the story unfolds, we find out that the old lady is happy to live and be active observer of someone else’s life. Thus, she is an active participant of daily life drama surrounding her. It is Mansfield’s style of writing as well as language used in this short story that makes the symbolic meaning strikingly distinctive. Everyday routine is covering all life of Miss Brill and she, as many woman of her age and status, cannot afford to see other attractive sides of life available to her. being an active life observer, the main heroine does not have time to live her own life actively. Being an elderly lady Miss Brill does not realize that her beauty has vanished away with her youth years. Speaking as an observer of other people of older age the protagonist does not even have a clue that she is describing people like herself (Morrow 82). One of the descriptions made by Miss Brill is very similar to those she makes on regular bases: ...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! (399) Misery of the humankind depicted in this short story is underlined with the help of Miss Brill’s image of her surrounding. Female characters in Miss Brill do not have any positive qualities that deserve mentioning. Being unable to realize her dreams, Miss Brill becomes a passive observer, whose feelings and emotions are kept tied and hidden without any possibility to be seen or uncovered by any other human sole. Female characters who surround Miss Brill are either afraid of her or simply feel awkward in her presence like the boy who appears at the end of the story. The young man reacts negatively to Miss Brill’s presence in his company. Cynical attitude and harsh reality make Miss Brill’s true feelings hide further into ‘inner shell’ of her soul which became a fortress defending her from outer disillusionment, misery of life, and any unlikable feelings or emotions. Such banal life circustances make her get back into her “little dark room - her room like a cupboard”. Conclusion Unlike at the beginning of the story when Miss Brill takes out her fur coat to go out for a walk, at the end of the story the protagonist puts her precious outfit back into the box. It seems like her fur coat is en embodiment of some imaginary or idealistic personage whom Miss Brill could have loved if it was human or some living being. She is completely lonely and there is no hope to make her situation any better, less so lonely. Mansfield’s story may seem too simplistic at the beginning. However, the literary meaning is just the top of the symbolic iceberg, while the true meaning is hidden much deeper. The reader has to be able to read between the lines to understand well this short story. Unfortunately, Miss Brill’s loneliness leads to her inability to live her own life normally. The major symbols in this story are fur coat and the box, actually representing Miss Brill’s own life. She is not simply lonely; she confines herself in her house getting out only once a week together with her coat. The end of the story, fur crying means nothing else but Miss Brill’s inner state of mind. She is miserably lonely and depressed. Works Cited Blodgett, H. “Mimesis and Metaphor: Food Imagery in International Twentieth-Century Women's Writing.” Papers on Language & Literature, 40(3): 2004, 260-275. Daiches, David. The Critical Response to Katherine Mansfield. London: Greenwood press. 1996. Mansfield, Katherine. “Miss Brill.” Stories. New York: Vintage-Random 1991, 298-302. Morrow, Patrick D. Katherine Mansfield’s Fiction. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1993. 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