Character of “Miss Brill” Essay

In the short yarn, little girl brill by Katherine Mansfield, the main character, set down Brill, is developed with the use to symbols and patterns of fables. The story is about throw off Brills routine on Sundays, and how she is reading the orbit around her, and her role in it. The main metaphors that be used are her fur application, the hoar people, and her seat. All these metaphors help show that miss Brill doesnt live behavior, simply only views it.Miss Brills fur coat is introduced in the first paragraph of the story. She personifies the fur, and projects some of her own personalities and interests into it. She had interpreted it out of its box that afternoon, shaken out the moth powder, given it a good brush, and rubbed the life back into the faint-hearted little eyes(Mansfield p.357). Later, Miss Brill further characterizes the fur coat and states that is a little rapscallion, which further laments her personification of the fur. Furthermore, she feels that she is attracted to the personified fur, She could have taken it off and laid it on her lap and stroked it (Mansfield p.357). The fur coat is a metaphor for her, or what she sees attractive in herself.She if elderly, so is the fur coat ..shaken out the moth powder..(Mansfield p.357) she likes to position up and use makeup, just like what she does to the fur coat ..a little dab of black sealing-wax.. (Mansfield p.357). She views the world around her as it passes by, but never experiencing it for herself, similar to an inanimate object, such as her fur coat. This stopover is reinforced further at the end of the story, when she has been ridiculed, and is disgorgeting away her coat away But when she put the lid on she thought she heard something crying (Mansfield p.361). The author tells the reader that the fur is crying, but the metaphor shows that it is Miss Brill that is crying.Similarly, the old people sat on the bench, still as statues, is also a metaphor for Miss Brill. She is one o f the old people sitting on the benches, watching everyone else. It is ironic, because she seems to dislike these people, but at the same time, she is one of them They were odd, silent, nearly all old (Mansfield p.358). Miss Brill, like the other old people, is peculiar, quiet, and old. What she sees in these people, is whatthe reader sees in her. This metaphor symbolizes what she is in reality and what other people in the story see her as Because of that stupid old thing at the end there.. (Mansfield p.360) is what a young duet says when they see Miss Brill. The old people symbolize the old pathetic nature of Miss Brills routine of viewing everyone elses experiences, but never experiencing herself.Finally, the symbol of her special seat is the close to important and drives home the point of Miss Brill never experiencing life. The seat symbolizes her vantage point of the world. The metaphor of a play is also used, but they two symbolize the same thing they are both her eyepieces to the rest of the world, and this is how she can experience life, instead of doing it herself. How she enjoyed it How she loved sitting here, watching it all It was like a play (Mansfield p.359). Furthermore, she feels that she is living life and experiencing everything, because Miss Brill feels that she is apart of the play They werent only the listening.they were acting (Mansfield p.359). The author effectively uses the metaphor of her special seat and of a play to symbolize Miss Brills character, and how she feels that she is fully living life, but actually, she is only watching.Throughout the short story Miss Brill, by Katherine Mansfield, three important symbols are used to characterize Miss Brill they are the fur, the old people, and her special seat. All these show that Miss Brill is a watcher, who experience life through watching.