Miss Brill
Katherine Mansfield
Miss Brill recounts her Sunday in this short story, and she tells the reader all about the people she sees and interacts with. I have an analysis that Miss Brill either embodies these people or possesses similar qualities that characterize her visitors. I may be so rash she thinks she is all of the people she talks about. With every guest at her "special spot," she tends to resemble them or a previous visitor. This leads me to believe she has multiple personalities that exemplify the traits of all those that she notices. However, the kicker is that Miss Brill doesn't realize she's crazy (well most people tend not to admit their insanity). She believes that she "[has] been an actress for a long time" (Mansfield 185). These Sunday trips may not be real at all, for she could just be "acting out" what she would see and do and recounting her acting to the reader. Even the music shifts to match her mood or the atmosphere around her, implying a more play-like story. Miss Brill is an actress, but she's an actress within her own mind, putting on a play for her deranged mind to enjoy.
Im about 8 years late but i had just came up with the same idea for my analysis on the story. Wanted to see if anyone had thought up the same thing.
ReplyDeleteNot nearly a decade late this time, but yeah. Miss Brill being schizophrenic reinforces the conceit (extended) metaphor of such a woman's role as an actress. Miss Brill labours under the illusion that she is essential to this unilateral play of hers, another suggestion that her attitude is a form of escapism, if not a comfort mechanism. Appreciate you still following up after such a period. 7th grade english is getting kinda macabre, yeah?
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