An Analysis of Mrs. Brill's Character in Mansfield's Short Story

This essay provides a detailed analysis of Mrs. Brill, the protagonist in Katherine Mansfield's short story. It explores her character traits, focusing on her loneliness, imaginative nature, and coping mechanisms. The essay highlights how Mrs. Brill creates a fantasy world for herself, finding solace in observing others and listening to music. It examines her interactions with the world, her perception of others, and her use of imagination to combat feelings of isolation. The essay also touches upon Mansfield's writing style, emphasizing the subtle portrayal of emotions and the exploration of human psychology. The analysis delves into the protagonist's self-perception, her desire for connection, and the ways in which she finds meaning in her solitary existence, providing a comprehensive understanding of the character's complexities and motivations.

Running head: ENGLISH ESSAY
English Essay
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ENGLISH ESSAY
An Analysis of the Character of Mrs. Brill in the Short Story by Katherine
Mansfield
In the short story, Mrs. Brill written by the author Katherine Mansfield, the readers
get the idea that the character of Mrs. Brill is an elderly woman who liked to live in the
fantasy world that she had created for herself. In this sense, the readers find her to be one of
the lonely woman commonly found in the works by Katherine Mansfield herself (Mansfield,
2015). The readers also gets the idea that she earns her living by teaching English to the
French kids in the city of Paris itself. The readers get to know about the imaginative nature of
Mrs. Brill when it is shown to the readers that she imagines the animal head to be that of a
fox’s.
The novel also gives the readers an idea about the music loving nature of Mrs. Brill.
This point is supported by the fact that Mrs. Brill loves to listen to the bands which she
attends to every time. These points signify the loneliness of her nature, as she derives
pleasure from seeing the people enjoy the music from the bands. Moreover, she also turns out
to be a good listens to the people but also tries to understand the subject matter of what the
people are saying for themselves. Although, she realizes the fact that all of the people
listening to the band are not happy, she uses her imaginative nature go imagine a scenario in
which she finds herself along with the other people and all of them are singing together
(Mansfield, 2015). In the short story, the readers get the idea that the character of Mrs. Brill is
shown to be a woman who comes across to the readers as a type of person who cannot be
called to be pessimistic but contented with the type of work which she does. She is a woman
who appears to be in her mid-fifties, living all by herself in her apartment without a cat or a
bird to keep her company (Mansfield, 2015).
More evidences of the character of Mrs. Brill is revealed to the readers in the
subsequent pages of the story itself. The readers get the idea that the character of Mrs. Brill
likes to engage herself in the activity of watching the people of the city. This character of the
protagonist gives the idea to the readers of the story that it is one of the tactics which have
been employed by the character of Mrs. Brill to keep her loneliness at bay. She is of the
opinion that the peop0loe should co-exist in a friendly manner with each other, even though
she understands the reason that the people cannot co-exist with each other, as they find it
difficult to connect with each other. This side of her character reveals to the audiences that
the Mrs. Brill loves the company of the people as she believes dreams that she is with all
those people in the crowds and all of them are singing (Mansfield, 2019).
Moreover, the character of Mrs. Brill in the essay also tell the readers about how sje
creates an imaginary companion to keep her company in the short story itself. This is
evidenced by the way in which she considers her fur to be a living organism and she calls it
her “little rouge”. This shows to the readers her desperate nature for having a companion with
whom she can talk to. All this information are revealed to the readers in the short story,
written by the author Katherine Mansfield herself (Mansfield, 2015).

2ENGLISH ESSAY
Thus, it can be said that the character of Mrs. Brill as portrayed by the author
Katherine Mansfield draws significant sympathy from the readers of the story itself. From the
story, the readers get the idea that the author has mainly focused on the loneliness of the
nature of Mrs. Brill and the means she uses ton keep her company. The short story takes the
readers inside the mind of the protagonist of the story to ensure that they understand the
reasons for the protagonist for doing what she does. The story can be said to be a typical
Katherine Mansfield story – a story which has much less action. Instead the story derives
sympathy and respect for the character of Mrs. Brill from the readers themselves.

3ENGLISH ESSAY
Reference List
Mansfield, K. (2015). Miss Brill. Penguin UK.