Theme Of Alienation In Miss Brill

Are alienation and self-alienation one in the same? The broad definitions of the words would indicate that they are similar, but not entirely alike. Alienation is defined as, “the state or experience of being isolated from a group or an activity to which one should belong or in which one should be involved” whereas self-alienation is defined as, “the process of distancing oneself from one’s own feelings or activities, such as may occur in mental illness or as a symptom of emotional distress”. These definitions agree, that both words indicate a sense of being isolated and/or distanced from a certain group or activity. The key difference here though, is that only in self-alienation, is that done by one’s own choice and choosing to be alone does

Throughout most of the story, she doesn’t give off any indication of loneliness or sadness of any kind. On the contrary, she seems to be quite content in being alone and finds happiness in observing the people and things around her. Her lack of sadness is emphasized in the quote, “when she breathed, something light and sad-no, not sad, exactly-something gentle seemed to move in her bosom”. As the story goes on, Miss Brill begins to show signs of her much enjoyed, self-alienation. As opposed to interacting with anyone directly, she instead sits alone in her “special seat”, watching and closely listening in on the conversations taking place amongst the people around her. She clearly expresses how much joy and happiness this brings her, and how she views herself and the other park goers as actors in a play. “How she enjoyed it! How she loved sitting here, watching it all!” Miss Brill is very much alone, but as far as she is concerned, she is far from lonely or alienated by her peers. If anything, in her eyes, she is the one alienating

While listening in, she hears them mocking her. The girl makes fun of the fur that Miss Brill was so very fond of. boy refers to her as, “that stupid old thing” He then insinuates that no one wants her there, "Why does she come here at all—who wants her? Why doesn't she keep her silly old mug at home?". This statement dramatically alters her feelings and perception of her situation. In this moment, Miss Brill goes from happily enjoying her role as an intricate member of the play happening around her, to feeling very irrelevant and alone. This is emphasized multiple times as the story draws to a close. First, by her decision to not stop for a slice of honey cake, another aspect of her Sunday routine that typically brought her much enjoyment. Again, by the careless treatment of her beloved fur. And finally, when her room is referred to in the same manor that she referred to the rooms of the people around her, “the little dark room-her room like a