Critical Analysis of Loneliness

The pain of loneliness is an emotion that all human beings have experienced. This is especially true for our aging society. Social disconnection has contributed negative effects to our seniors leaving a community lonely. Dr. Stuart Lustig the national medical executive for behavioral health at Cigna is quoted in The Boston Globe by reporter Robert Weisman stating, ‘Loneliness is a national problem and it manifests in several ways.’ In Katherine Mansfield’s short story, ‘Miss Brill’ Mansfield writes of an unmarried English woman living in France in the 1920’s era who routinely goes to the park on Sunday afternoons to watch, listen, and eavesdrop on others that surround her, creating a false world of importance, only to be shattered by the truth of how unimportant her role serves within her community.

Through characterization and symbolism, Mansfield explores the idea of how an individual can compensate for their loneliness by creating an alternate-reality.

Miss Brill, told in third person limited ominous view which allows the protagonist Miss Brill, come to life in a way readers can understand.

Observations indicating ageism when Mansfield writes, ‘She felt a tingling in her hands and arms, but that came from not walking I suppose’ (p. 259), is easily translated into a presence of elderly nature. With no mentions of social interaction besides, students that she teaches English to, the shaping of Miss Brill’s world seems lonely. To further this idea, Mansfield describes Miss Brill’s place of residence as, ‘a little darkroom”her room like a cupboard’ (p.261), providing the reality Miss Brill opposes to.

Her only deep connection that Miss Brill possesses is with her red eiderdown fur, referred to as her ‘little rogue’ (p.259). Mansfield connects readers to the elderly persona by writing, ‘Dear little thing! It was so nice to feel it again. She has taken it out of its box that afternoon, shaken out the moth powder, given it a good brush, and rubbed the life back into its dim little eyes.’ (p.259)

This not only gives concrete evidence of the meaningful connection with the fur, but it also provides the connection of delusion, that an object that cannot provide her with the mental stimulation needed to achieve healthy relationships contributes to the happiness of Miss Brill. The harsh critiques of her supporting actors as she refers to watching the people in the park ‘like a play’ (p.260), demonstrates the workings of her altered reality. Miss Brill wasted no time in creating her false world when she encounters the people that shared her ‘special’ seat (p.259) Even though these people were not talking to each other, the unknowing participants earns credits in her talent of eavesdropping. ‘Miss Brill always looked forward to the conversation. She had become really quite expert, she thought at listening’ (p.259) Readers are left wondering without a conversation how can one become an expert? This opens a clear passageway for Miss Brill’s over-the-top imagination to stretch far and wide, continuously making a judgment of all that surrounds her.

Mansfield’s use of irony through Miss Brill shows another layer of imagery. Her remarks towards an old woman wearing an ermine toque, insinuating that the reason for her rejection by the old man is due to her distasteful appearance. ‘Now everything, her hair, her face, even her eyes, was the same color as the shabby ermine’ (p.260), referencing that the woman’s old appearance is just a repulsing as the hat on her head. But with further analyzation of this woman, readers can access the similarities between the woman and that of Miss Brill. The direct rejection displayed with the woman connects with the indirect rejection that fuels Miss Brill altered the view.

Mansfield’s use of symbolism directs readers to the deepened denial of loneliness, that is prevalent in Miss Brill’s life. We are introduced early to the character of Miss Brill through her fur, her ‘red eiderdown’, watching her handle it with great care, speaking to it as if it were alive, and filling the void of a friend. In an era of social classism, Miss Brill’s fur historically presents a persona of high class and deserving of importance, making the fur a key element in the story. The usage of colors is equally shared with the fashion of the time, furthers Miss Brill’s denial, by convincing herself that she holds a high level of status amongst her community. The subtle similarities of the fur being kept in isolated through the box and that of Miss Brill’s home being compared to a ‘cupboard’ help shape the significance of the fur.

Throughout it all, her fur shares the same unknowingly status of its owner Miss Brill. Her emotional response is triggered after overhearing the young couple mocking her and saying, ‘Why does she come here at all who wants her? Why doesn’t she keep her silly old mug at home? It’s her fu-fur which is so funny giggled the girl’ (p.261), forcing Miss Brill to accept the harsh realities of her life. Mansfield carefully places the last line to indirectly link the ‘rogue’ and Miss Brill for the last time ending with, ‘She unclasped the necklet quickly; quickly, without looking, laid it inside. But when she put the lid on she thought she heard something crying’ (p.261). The indirect connection concludes readers to assume that it’s Miss Brill that is crying, that the overall prevalence of the fur is actually Miss Brill herself.

Mansfield exceptional usage of elements throughout her short story ‘Miss Brill’, allows her audience to pull apart the story piece by piece, and analyze the concept of the effects of an altered-reality contributed from loneliness. Miss Brill’s imagination over-shadowed her cruel reality, making readers think, if she dedicated herself to making considerable connections with others, as much as she dedicated her time to her imagination, her story would have ended much differently. One can only imagine what Miss Brill was thinking while painfully walking home after her altered-reality shattered before her eyes. The intriguing notion that loneliness is as common today, as it was in Miss Brill’s time, proves that human interaction is necessary, especially with our aging population.

Works Cited

Mansfield, Katherine. ‘Miss Brill.’ The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, and Writing, by Michael Meyer, Bedford/St Martins, 2016, pp. 259“261. Weisman, Robert. ”Disconnected from Other Folks,’ Seniors Grapple with a Loneliness Epidemic – The Boston Globe.’ BostonGlobe.com, The Boston Globe, 3 Aug. 2019, www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/08/03/disconnected-from-other-folks-seniors-grapple-with-loneliness-epidemic/CMvkmQhvOE6ysYpgogAFeM/story.html.