Miss Brill By Mansfield Essays - Miss Brill, Brill, Literature

Miss Brill By Mansfield Katherine Mansfield's short story "Miss Brill" outlines an old woman's lack of understanding for a world that she observes so intimately. The story is told from the point of view of an aging insignificant character, who on this particular Sunday is cruelly forced to see herself in a different light. This essay will study Miss Brill's forced development, and the conflict(s) she must face in this story. The story is so completely the language Miss Brill uses to describe her world, that it is left difficult to discuss. In fact, the inclination is to just quote the brilliantly written sentences. The protagonist on the other hand, Miss Brill herself, is not brilliant at all. Miss Brill is the audience to a ?play' pretending like she is starring in it, when really she is barely one of the most insignificant roles. "No doubt somebody would have noticed if she hadn't been there; she was part of the performance after all" (100). The woman, likely 55 or older from Mansfield's physical descriptions, lives her life and thrives in it through other people's experiences. After all, "she had really become an expert, she thought, at listening as though she didn't listen, at sitting in other people's lives just for a minute while they talked round her" (98). Miss Brill's inauthentic yet darkly happy view on life comes to an abrupt halt when a young woman loudly insults her, describing her fur as "like a fried whiting", and then the young man's attack of "who wants her? Why doesn't she keep her silly old mug at home?" (100). Miss Brill appears to be her own antagonist. So fictitious is her life, made up of secondhand experience (and secondhand furs!), that she "imagines she hears something crying in the box" (101) but really she is just incapable of recognizing the root of her tears, which today is grief and humiliation. Miss Brill's development is minimal, even after her little rude awakening in the park. In the story's descriptive beginning, she wanders around somewhat aimlessly playing her role as the observer. At the mood-darkening end Miss Brill still appears to be an observer, but this time one that is close to understanding her own hopeless situation. This time much closer to the truth than earlier the same day.

Pub Scene Analysis essays

Pub Scene Analysis essays Every director has his or her own little techniques or ways of hinting the audience about the certain characters in their movies. Ron Howard does a tremendous job of revealing John Nashs abnormal talent for seeing patterns, equations, and even coming up with new theories. In the most important scene in the movie, I believe, Howard puts all the pieces together perfectly to explain Nashs Nobel Prize winning Game Theory. The scene takes place in a musty old pub. Light from the lamps hanging above each table and an eerie cigarette smoke fill the air. The tables are dark brown, old looking, and look like they have been around for a while. Surrounding the tables are red vinyl chairs that have no arms, but have backs that reach the upper back. There is an old fashioned jukebox in the background and pinball machine as well. A pool table is situated in the back of the room; it is surrounding by a bunch of guys that are playing a game of pool at the time. It starts off with five women, around their twenties, enter the cluttered pub. Among the ladies is a beautiful blonde bombshell. She immediately stands out from the others and all eyes in the pub are suddenly glued to her, especially the eyes of Nash and his four buddies. We now see Nash at a table doing work and his buddies quickly surrounding him to join in staring and commenting on the blonde. Nash then stops his work and goes into a deep stare toward the blonde, but once she looks back at him he get embarrassed and nudges his head down. Nashs four buddies fill the table with their beer bottles and empty cups of scotch. This creates a very cluttered shot because the table isnt big enough for all five men to begin with. There is also a ton of Nashs work spread all over the table as well. The four buddies start a conversation about who will get the blonde and Adam Smiths economic theory is incorporated with the little competition....