Miss Brill

The way Katherine Mansfield writes Miss Brill allows the reader an unusual perspective. The short story is written in third person but the only insight on thoughts and feelings of characters is through the main character, Miss Brill. Because of this, the reader gets to witness the world through the eyes and mind of Miss Brill. With this perspective in mind, the reader gets a strong sense of loneliness in her. First off, with the title "Miss" instead of "Mrs.," we can conclude that she is not married. That fact alone would make it reasonable that an old, unmarried woman would be in solitude. Another aspect that added to Miss Brill's lonely character was the speaking to her fur coat. "Miss Brill put up her hand and touched her fur. Dear little thing! It was nice to feel it again...She could have taken it off and laid it on her lap and stroked it" (Mansfield, 182). Miss Brill clearly had an odd connection with this garment. The fact that wearing it made her feel a sense of companionship is a bit sad. The last clue that showed her loneliness was the act of going to the park every Sunday afternoon. Here, she would sit on a bench for hours on end and people-watch. This action alone may sound a bit creepy; however, Miss Brill was only trying to imagine her life through watching the lives of all of the people as they walk by.