Literary Analysis on Miss Brill

The story “Miss Brill” by Katherine Mansfield is a story about a lady of the same name. Because Miss Brill’s beliefs in herself are shattered by a couple saying that she is old and unwanted, she realizes that her belief that her life has meaning has been an illusion. Miss Brill is an elderly, lonely lady who treats a fur that she owns as if it were human and her only companion. The fur …

…the park thinking that she is part of a performance. They may not be aware of all that they crush within her, but they destroy her perception of herself. She perceives herself as someone who is important, younger than what she is, and more elegant than what she is. The couple points out that she is old and unwanted, which is the opposite of her thoughts, and is why it is so devastating to her.