Comparing Ms. Brill And Eveline

Manfield's Ms. Brill and Joyce's Eveline: A Comparison of Two Protagonists
The two female characters in Manfield's and Joyce's stories have different personalities. Ms Brill could be said to have a personality disorder and exhibited distortions in the way she interpreted and thought about herself. On the other hand, Eveline was genuinely aware of the reality of her world but she almost chose a fantasy world where she would be a perfect wife to a perfect husband in a perfect world called Buenos Aires.
Almost a century ago, Katherine Mansfield wrote about Ms. Brill and her escape from reality every Sunday that she indulged herself in an interesting world that a public garden provided. Ms. Brill was depicted by Mansfield as a lonely, old teacher
In the setting when Ms. Brill lived, it was understandable that Ms. Brill would be lonely because the means of communication was limited to face to face interactions or writing letters that took months to send and receive. The antidote to loneliness is sharing which is not the same thing as talking. If only Ms. Brill initiated conversation or sharing of thoughts with the young people who sat beside her, they would not have judged her. She was judged based on her appearance – an old woman who wore an outdated fur, simply because it was the natural way people judge other people. Dale Carnegie once said, “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and vanity.” (Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People) “Loneliness has been linked to depression, anxiety, interpersonal hostility, increased vulnerability to health problems, and even to suicide.” (Liz renzetti, Life of solitude: A loneliness crisis is looming) Chronic can be blamed to an increasingly self-absorbed society, because economics dictates you should be concerned about your own interests so people tend to shy away from others, unless there’s a financial gain or profit. Loneliness is debilitating and may even hasten people to an early
Eveline’s self-discovery was evident when she was forced to choose between staying with her family in Ireland or escaping with Frank to Argentina. Joyce described Eveline as a frightened, “helpless animal,” incapable of exploring “another life with Frank.” A closer look would reveal that Eveline was not really helpless but she was actually a very good decision-maker. At a very young age, she was able to decide on her own that family matters more than anything else in the world. She could meet several men in her life but she had only one family. One silly love affair could not replace her father, brothers, and sisters. It was a perfect decision that Eveline courageously chose and she should be applauded for that big decision. Decision-making is the overall theme of Joyce’s Eveline. The story ended with the female protagonist’ realization that Frank was just another stranger whom she just met and who might not be the right man for