miss brill

In the short story “Miss Brill” by Katherine Mansfield, the main character, Miss Brill, could be characterized by the many things she does and says. Throughout the story she is a developing character with the changing of time. She would be considered a round character because she is the main character and she had more than one or two traits. The purpose of this paper is to show the many characteristics of Miss Brill. This short story is about an older French woman who goes to a public garden every Sunday and observes people around her. There are instances that show she goes back to the past as she is watching other people. By the way she observes the people around her, it shows she cares about what other people do with their time. By the end of this story a couple near her are going to kiss but the girl doesn’t want to because the woman is by, but the boy starts making fun of her. This results in Miss Brill feeling like she isn’t anyone special, just another person at the garden. There are many flat characters in the story but they are only the people she watches. First, you can tell that Miss Brill likes the little things in life. The way she acts when she’s watching people and how she describes them. In addition, Miss Brill likes to feel pretty. This shows that self-appearance is important to her character. In the beginning of this story she talks about her fur coat and how she rubbed the life back into it. This shows she is having a fantasy about her past appearance. She also thinks that she is a value to others. An example is when the author says, “No doubt somebody would have noticed if she hadn’t been there; she was part of the performance after all.” This text shows that she was indeed important until the very end when she feels worthless. She goes into a dark room that she said earlier in the story was for odd people.