Miss Brill

Miss Brill
Katherine Mansfield

As this short story begins, Miss Brill enjoys her walk to the garden and her time listening to the band. She observes the other people out that Sunday and makes judgements on them. She finds others peculiar and even describes old people as "odd...as though they'd just come from dark little rooms or even -- even cupboards" (Mansfield). As the story progresses and nears an end, the mood of the story changes. Miss Brill tried to listen to a conversation between a young boy and girl; however, the girl refused to speak to the boy until Miss Brill left. This young couple passed judgements on Miss Brill saying that she was a "stupid old thing" and asked "why does she come her at all-- who wants her" (Mansfield). Upon hearing these judgements, Miss Brill realizes that she is not as young as she thought. She has more similarities with the older people, upon whom she previously deemed odd, than she has with younger people. The story ends with Miss Brill returning to her home "the little dark room- her room like a cupboard"(Mansfield). The mood at the end of the story is sad,and Miss Brill appears to be crying. The story started out with a cheery feel, but it ends in with a sad feeling. A couple interesting points in the story that suggest the sad outcome. At one point, Miss brill felt "something light and sad- no, not sad, exactly-something gentle seemed to move in her bosom" and later described the music as having  "just a faint chill- a something, what was it? - not sadness- no, not sadness"(Mansfield).  These quotes seem curious because the story ends in sadness, but in two different places in the story Miss Brill denies feelings of sadness.  Perhaps Miss Brill was denying sadness which she felt more than other emotions.