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Miss Brill Third Person

he reader’s view of Miss Brill. There is a touch of foreshadowing in her imagined statement to the old man that she reads to; “Yes, I have been an actress for a long time.”(52) This statement causes the reader to wonder how much of what came before was real and how much was fantasy. Early in the story Miss Brill lets us know that she feels she is different from the other regulars in the park when she thinks 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!”(51) In the final paragraph, Miss Brill sees herself going “into the little dark room—her room like a cupboard”(52) and this is when she realizes that she is no different than the other old people in the gardens. The catalyst for this transition comes from the overheard conversation between the young couple who sits on her bench. When the young girl rebukes his advances and the boy asks, “But why? Because of that stupid old thing at the end there?” “ Why does she come here at all—who wants her? Why doesn’t she keep her silly old mug at home?” These statements shatter her fantasy and her fears are realized as she sees herself as others do. Katherine Mansfield has brought her readers through the maze of Miss Brill’s imagination. In the end, one has to have a great deal of sympathy and maybe even some empathy for Miss Brill. The reader is saddened to think that Miss Brill had only her fantasy to live in and now she has lost even that small comfort. She is obviously a very imaginative and intelligent woman. Now that the fantasy is shattered, what joy can remain in her life? Will she remain one of those ‘others’ that just sit on the benches and watch the world pass them by? Will Miss Brill’s revelation be enough to motivate her to change or is it to late? The questi...

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