"Miss Brill"

"Miss Brill"
by Katherine Mansfield

This story is in a section about characterization, but beyond that, I am not very clear on the purpose of the story.  Miss Brill is clearly alienated; the tone and writing style give the feeling of separation between Miss Brill and the people she observes.  The detail that struck me the most was that going to hear the band was clearly an established routine for most of the participants, including Miss Brill, but still no one approached or directly acknowledged Miss Brill.  She sat back and observed the actions of all the other citizens in the park.  The only characters with which Miss Brill interacts are the briefly mentioned characters of "her English students" and the invalid man who sleeps while she reads to him.  No character goes out of his or her way to speak to Miss Brill.  In the story, there is a lengthy description of an ermine toque; later I saw a similarity between that woman and Miss Brill.  The woman bought her ermine toque when she was much younger, and though it is shabby now, she still wears it.  Miss Brill similarly bought her fur accessory when she was young, but now that she is older, it is described as "a fried whiting."
At the end of the story, the tables are turned when someone else talks about Miss Brill instead of being talked about.  Two young lovers snicker and insult Miss Brill.  "Why  does she come here at all- who wants her? Why doesn't she keep her silly old mug at home?" (Mansfield, 186)  This causes her mood to change- she is a static character because at the end of the story, her mood is opposite what it was initially.  She started out happy, content, and excited, then became rushed and upset.  The author uses the words, descriptions, and actions of others along with Miss Brill's related actions to indirectly characterize Miss Brill and show how the character changes.