Katherine Mansfield's Miss Brill

The character of Miss Brill
“Delay is the deadliest form of denial.”1 Katherine Mansfield’s short story Miss Brill, highlights the loneliness of individuals in a society more connected than ever, trying to fit in. The protagonist, Miss Brill: an old, solitary lady has the mirage of fantasies she has created to protect her from the society’s judgement stripped away when confronted with the judgement of society. This reveals the true, pathetic life she lives that she has for so long denied by imagining the people around her as actors in a play. In anguish and shame, Miss Brill abandons the routine she has loved and finally recognizes herself as one of the other “odd, silent old people” (89); that also go to the Jardins Publiques every Sunday. This develops her character from someone being convinced in her importance in the world to one who realizes how insignificant she really is.

Primarily, Miss Brill is an intrusive and judgemental lady who enjoys observing and faceting the lives of others. According to the narrator, “Miss Brill always looked forward to the conversation” (88). She even prides herself on perfecting the ability to “listen as though she didn’t listen...at sitting in on other people’s lives” (88). She does not directly interact with anyone but loves imagining what their lives may be instead, by avoiding the less desirable realities people. Including her own face. Ironically, Miss Brill even criticizes the people similar to her in the story when she refers to them as the “old people on the bench” (89). Miss Brill’s description of them is negative