In Katherine Mansfield’s short story “Miss Brill,” symbolism and tone are used to paint a self-portrait of a woman who is trying to hold onto her identity—by shaping her self-worth. Mansfield’s use of these literary elements causes the reader to perceive “Miss Brill,” as a lonely woman who isolates herself by her own ritualistic lifestyle.
Mansfield wastes no time, endowing the title of her short story as that of an unmarried woman. This helps set the tone, letting us, the reader, know that Miss Brill has no one to take care of her, and that she has no one to rely on. Mansfield illustrates this loneliness by showing Miss Brill’s repetitious weekly routine, writing, “There were a number of people out this afternoon, far more than last Sunday” (Mansfield 226). The lonesomeness here is fully expunged later when Miss Brill reminisces about the old man she read to four times a week, remarking that even if he died without her realizing, “she wouldn’t have minded” (Mansfield 228). Mansfield offers us a woman searching for a companion, someone she can share a conversation with—and she finds it in a box.
The fur Miss Brill chooses to wear is her only companion to the gardens, and is a powerful symbol that blends with her own identity throughout the story. In the beginning Mansfield writes, “She had taken it out of its box that afternoon, shaken out the moth-powder, given it a good brush, and rubbed the life back into the dim little eyes” (Mansfield 226). We see the distinction in her own life; that of a women living in her own little box, growing old with age, in which society sees as a lifeless thing.
The fur has a brilliant payoff at the end of the story when the young boy and girl take the seat of the old couple at the bench. The boy is turned down from a kiss by his girl and insinuates that Miss Brill is the cause. What results is one of the most important lines of dialogue in the story. The girl remarks bemusedly, “It’s her fu-fur which is so funny. It’s exactly like a fried whiting” (Mansfield 228). Society views Miss Brill as something to laugh, point, and joke at. The reference to “fried whiting,” is representational of Miss Brill as an overcooked, abundant, cheap fish. Further, the remark tears down her only companion to the garden, the person she loves most. This is why, at the end of the story, Mansfield writes, “The box that the fur came out of was on the bed. She unclasped the necklet quickly; quickly, without looking, laid it inside” (Mansfield 229). This act forces Miss Brill to realize that it’s just an object—it’s just a necklet. It is in this moment that she becomes utterly deflated, and views herself alienated by society.
Mansfield’s repeated reference to a cupboard is another powerful symbol that connects Miss Brill’s perception of her own self-worth. First, Brill notices the type of people who go to the public gardens. Mansfield writes, “They were odd, silent, nearly all old, and from the way they stared they looked as though they’d just come from dark little rooms or even—even cupboards” (Mansfield 227). A cupboard represents things we put away, and take back out only when we deem them useful. Miss Brill fears this perception of her own self—that of a useless object in a cupboard, living in her own box. In the end the young boy and girl reinforce her feelings of uselessness, with the boy remarking, “...who wants her? Why doesn’t she keep her silly old mug at home” (Mansfield 228).
In an attempt to view herself through the lenses of normality, Miss Brill’s final act is to perceive herself as an actress in society’s elaborate play. Society’s role helps guide the overall tone of the story, for it works around Miss Brill, never through her. Society has never touched her physically—only through the cruel words of the boy and girl. She pushes away the idea of society ignoring her, and accepts the idea of society as nothing more than a compilation of actors playing a part. Mansfield writes, “They weren’t only the audience, not only looking on; they were acting. Even she had a part and came every Sunday. No doubt somebody would have noticed if she hadn’t been there” (Mansfield 227). She shapes her self-worth by identifying her role and society as actors—and all actors have a role to play.
It is through the clever use of symbolism and tone that Katherine Mansfield fleshes out Miss Brill’s repetitious lifestyle, by using the various ornaments Brill wears, and by her own manicured thoughts and perceptions of identity and self-worth. In the end we are left with a woman begging for a conversation. A woman begging for a companion. A woman begging for that special something.
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