Miss Brill

What is the theme or main idea the author is saying about life, people, society, etc. How does your character help the author to develop the theme.


The theme of the short story “Miss Brill,” is that loneliness is often self-inflicted, rather than the result of society, and that it is possible to believe oneself to be active and participatory in society when, in reality, one is merely living vicariously through the experiences of others. In addition, one can see oneself differently than other people do. Miss Brill demonstrates this theme through her thoughts as well as her epiphany at the words of the young lovers.
As Miss Brill sits in the park, we are listening to her inner thoughts. As we listen, we can pick up on her loneliness, which she is not really aware of at this point. Everyone she observes is part of some group, “Only two people shared her ‘special’ seat: a fine old man […] and a big old woman […]Two you girls in red came by and two young soldiers in blue met them, and they laughed and paired and went off arm-in-arm. Two peasant women with funny straw hats passed.” (pgs 252-253.) This subconscious observation leads Miss Brill into thinking of the whole park as a stage show, in which everyone has a valuable part. It is during this “realization,” that one aspect of the theme becomes apparent. However, it is not until Miss Brill hears the words of the young lovers that the theme will become totally apparent.
Miss Brill’s perception of herself and her place in the world is shattered when she hears a young man remark, “…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?” (pg 254.) To add salt to her wounds the young girl replies, “It’s her fu-fur which is so funny. It’s exactly like a fried whiting,” (pg 254.) These words would be meaningless if Miss Brill did not take them to heart. Not only does she come to understand that she is not nearly as important to the others in the park as she believe, but she realizes that her prized neck-fur is not as glamorous as she thought. This is apparent as she decides to put the fur back in its box when she returns home. Since the fur is widely symbolic of Miss Brill herself, it is safe to assume that Miss Brill has also been put into a box, in other words, she will most likely stay at home, never returning to the park.



hmmm....