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Katherine Mansfields Miss Brill portrays humble attempts of a lonely English teacher to aggrandize herself and her surroundings and demonstrates the pitfalls of daydreaming. It reveals the inner workings of an ordinary persons soul showing that everybody has their passions and dramas. The plot and narrative techniques chosen serve the purpose of involving the reader emotionally and helping them become more empathetic.
An affectionate Little rogue! (Mansfield 1), a remark by Miss Brill, speaks volumes about her attitude to her fur and helps penetrate her innermost feelings. It shows Miss Brills attachment to her eiderdown akin to a bond with a pet or even a bosom friend. It also reflects her repressed wishes, her craving for a break from the habit of being a mousy girl, for a more exciting lifestyle.
The underlying claim is that it is Miss Brills meaningless life that has led her to wishful thinking as in They were all on the stage (Mansfield 3) camouflaged as an epiphany . If she had been living a life of purpose, there would have been no need to search for it in a crowd.
The events in the story are accompanied by the local orchestra. The tunes modulate from the vivacious the band sounded louder and gayer (Mansfield 1) to the indignant and the drum beat, The Brute! The Brute! (Mansfield 2). The accompaniment thus mirrors the characters moods and engages the reader emotionally.
The reader witnesses the unfolding of the conflict between illusion and reality. It is a clash between Miss Brills efforts to embellish things assigning the roles of the hero and heroine (Mansfield 3) to two impolite teenagers, the role of an actress to herself and the unpleasant truth of who wants her? (Mansfield 3). The reader is immersed into her fun world to, later, run into a sad truth.
The red eiderdown stands out as the main symbol of the story representing Miss Brills hidden longings. These neckpieces were considered a sign of respectability, even luxury. Her attachment to it, clearly shown via her address Dear little thing! (Mansfield 1), in view of her narrow means speaks for her desperate desire to be among the chosen, to be noticed.
The author includes Miss Brills direct speech directly into the canvas of narration, for example, an exclamation No wonder! (Mansfield 3). Moreover, this textual web, generally woven out of declarative and commentary sentences & gives an access to Miss Brills mental world (Dr. Akbar 1072). The effect thus achieved deepens the impression of looking at everything through the womans eyes.
The story is mostly set in a local park with the special bench as the focal point. The fact that the setting does not change contributes to the illusion of being present at a theatrical performance and looking at an encapsulated little world.
The author makes the best use of the traditional narrative structure to produce the desired effect. She walks the reader through the escalation and resolution of the conflict between reality and illusion. The reader feels the misery of her life after her denial to indulge in one of her small mercies. The resolution reveals that Miss Brills necklet was her last resort and she has nothing and nobody to turn to.
Through every detail the author conveys a deep understanding of human nature and renders it impossible for the reader to stay indifferent. Katherine Mansfield employs various techniques to create the effect of looking at Miss Brills inner world and teaches to be more understanding and purposeful.
Works Cited
Dr. Akbar, Ali. Cognitive Stylistic Approach to Characterization in Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield . International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, vol. 15, no. 5, 2021. Web.
Mansfield, Katherine. Miss Brill, Katherine Mansfield Society. Web.
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