Metaphors In Miss Brill

The short story “Miss Brill” by Katherine Mansfield gives understanding of what it is like for the life of lonely people. Since they are lonely, they begin to imagine things that are not true to allow themselves to feel like a part of the world. Because individuals do this, they deny their loneliness and create a world of their own. The main character, Miss Brill, goes to the public gardens where she eavesdrops on other peoples conversations to enjoy a more excited life rather than her boring and dull life. By listening to other conversations she creates a play from the people around her as the characters. She wears a fox pelt around her neck and when she pulled it out of its box she, “rubbed the life back into the dim little eyes.” Miss Brill gives the fox pelt emotions and a voice practically bringing it to life. She takes it everywhere with her like it is virtually her best friend. Mansfield does this to show that Miss Brill is lonely and that she has no friends to companion her. This is

In a part of the story there is an old couple which at first does not give a reaction to Miss Brill. But then she compares them to “as though they’d just come from… cupboards”. She associates them to unnoticed dishes. This is foreshadowing later on in the story about Miss Brill. All the way through the entire short story, Mansfield uses many things to associate Miss Brill’s feelings. The music playing in the background by the band is to reflect Miss Brill’s emotions as she watches people and observes them. “Now there came a little "flutey" bit - very pretty! - a little chain of bright drops.” The meaning for this was to show that Miss Brill was happy at the moment as she gazed at people around her dancing and laughing. Mansfield uses the band to characterize Miss Brill through the short story and to express her