Skip to main content

How would you describe Miss Brill as she is presented at the beginning of the story?

At the beginning of the story, Miss Brill is old fashioned but whimsical.  She clearly has a ritual where she walks to the park and listens to the band play each Sunday, and she decides to wear her old fox fur, a very old fashioned accessory.  Moreover, her bygone-era formality is further indicated by her appellation: we aren't told her first name; we can only call her "Miss."  Despite her age, she is somewhat playful,...

At the beginning of the story, Miss Brill is old fashioned but whimsical.  She clearly has a ritual where she walks to the park and listens to the band play each Sunday, and she decides to wear her old fox fur, a very old fashioned accessory.  Moreover, her bygone-era formality is further indicated by her appellation: we aren't told her first name; we can only call her "Miss."  Despite her age, she is somewhat playful, thinking of her fox fur as a "little rogue."  The narrator's descriptions of her perception are also whimsical.  The band's music, the ages of the people passing by, what colors they wear: Miss Brill is thrilled by the colors and conversations and sounds.  She is quite imaginative when she begins to fantasize that they are all in a play. 


However, the narrative begins to shift when it seems that she doesn't recognize this fantasy as a product of her imagination.  Miss Brill seems to actually believe that they are in a play, that she would be missed if she failed to appear one Sunday.  At this point, she begins to seem less whimsical and more delusional, less optimistic and perceptive, and actually rather sad.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is the meaning of "juggling fiends" in Macbeth?

Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a... Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a sense of guilt, and that man tells him: Despair thy charm. And let the angel whom thou still hast serve...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are some external and internal conflicts that Montag has in Fahrenheit 451?

 Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, faces both external and internal conflicts throughout the novel. Some examples of these conflicts are: External Conflicts: Conflict with the society: Montag lives in a society that prohibits books and critical thinking. He faces opposition from the government and the people who enforce this law. Montag struggles to come to terms with the fact that his society is based on censorship and control. Conflict with his wife: Montag's wife, Mildred, is completely absorbed in the shallow and meaningless entertainment provided by the government. Montag's growing dissatisfaction with his marriage adds to his external conflict. Conflict with the fire captain: Montag's superior, Captain Beatty, is the personification of the oppressive regime that Montag is fighting against. Montag's struggle against Beatty represents his external conflict with the government. Internal Conflicts: Conflict with his own beliefs: Montag, at the beginning of th...
Post a Comment
Read more

In A People's History of the United States, why does Howard Zinn feel that Wilson made a flimsy argument for entering World War I?

"War is the health of the state," the radical writer Randolph Bourne said, in the midst of the First World War. Indeed, as the nations of Europe went to war in 1914, the governments flourished, patriotism bloomed, class struggle was stilled, and young men died in frightful numbers on the battlefields-often for a hundred yards of land, a line of trenches. -- Chapter 14, Page 350, A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn outlines his arguments for why World War I was fought in the opening paragraph of Chapter 14 (referenced above). The nationalism that was created by the Great War benefited the elite political and financial leadership of the various countries involved. Socialism, which was gaining momentum in Europe, as was class struggle, took a backseat to mobilizing for war. Zinn believes that World War I was fought for the gain of the industrial capitalists of Europe in a competition for capital and resources. He states that humanity itself was punished by t...
Post a Comment
Read more