Comparing Short Stories 'Miss Brill And A Rose For Emily'

Lonely In Society Short Stories “Miss Brill” by Katherine Mansfield and “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner are painfully sad. The authors use of alienation in society have both similarities and differences. Miss Brill and Miss Emily experience that being lonely can be destructive to their self-esteem which prevents them from having or maintaining relationships with others. It has become evident that society has driven Miss Brill to isolation and has alienated Emily from love. Miss Brill is a lonely and slightly delusional women. During the course of the story, Miss Brill seems to care about her appearance. When getting dressed she is “glad that she has decided on her fur” (183). Also, in order to look her best on her Sunday outing, she believes that a “little rogue” (184) is “absolutely necessary” (184). MIss Brill is fascinated by all the people in the park that she goes to every Sunday. Miss Brill gets excited to eavesdrop on all the conversations that are going on around her. Although Miss Brill listens to the couples who sit on the bench next to her, she never engages in any conversation. Instead she becomes more and more intrigues with the immediate atmosphere until she reaches a state of delusion. She begins to fantasize that her life is a play and
“they were all on the stage. . . they were acting” (185). This insinuates that all people in the park are actors and that she is the star of the show, exemplifying her emotional insecurities. This fantasy seems to build up her self-esteem by her imagining herself as such a star in a play while getting only a temporary feeling of self worth. Furthermore, one particular Sunday afternoon while Miss Brill is sitting on the bench, she notices a young couple sitting on the other end. The boy wants to kiss the girl and becomes affectionate with her. But the young women is not interested. “No, not now, not her, I can’t” said the girl. “But why? “Because of that stupid old thing at the end there?” asked the boy. “Why does she come here at all who wants her? Why doesn’t she keep her silly old mug at home? It’s her fur which is so funny,” giggles the girl. “It’s exactly like a fried whiting.” (184). After Miss Brill heres that, she is devastated. She feels rejected by society and rushes home. Usually stopping at the bakery for a treat, Miss Brill feels too depressed and insecure to stop on this particular day. The illusion of the story is charming at the beginning. The band is playing in the park while couples are enjoying the sunny afternoon. Miss Brill seems happy and excited to get to the park where she can essentially live her life through other peoples’ conversations. However, Miss Brill’s reaction to the young couple’s statement solidifies the readers’ hypothesis that Miss Brill has low self-esteem. This seems to contribute Miss Brill probably struggles with interpersonal relationships, leaving her with a lonely life. On the other hand, Emily Grierson is an aristocratic women. Miss Emily is deeply admired by the townspeople; however, she also lives a lonely life. Emily isolates herself from society after her father’s death, rarely leaving her house. Before her father’s death, he lent the town money. So the town remitted taxes to the family as gratitude. As years pass, more modern ways start to take place in town. Miss Emily had been receiving letters from the town stating she owed taxes. That does not phase Emily; she ignores the letters. It is clear Emily does not want to be a part of society in which she is living. Miss Emily is terrified to have any kind of relationship; she is afraid of being left alone. After her father’s death, she seems reluctant to meet other people with whom to build relationships with because she is afraid she will be left alone again. However, a man by the name of Homer Barron comes to town, a Yankee man whom everyone got to know and like.
Suddenly Homer and Emily are seen together; the town can not believe Emily would go with a Northern man. The townspeople see Homer enter Emily’s house one day but never see him leave. One day, Miss Emily goes into town to purchase arsenic. Emily had everyone in town talking and wondering what she would do with such a poison. The town was speculating that she would kill herself, but Miss Emily fooled them all. After she passed away the townsmen find Homer’s corpse lying in her bed. This suggests that Emily had poisoned the man because of her fear of being left alone
again. Both stories share similar qualities. The authors have presented descriptions of Miss Brill and Miss Emily of being lonely women; they both isolate themselves from society. Miss Brill likes to fantasize of being a part of another world someone else’s world; this fantasizing seems delusional. On the other hand, Miss Emily is very in touch with what is going on around her. She takes control of her relationship with Homer by killing him. That was her way of knowing he could not leave her. Society, one way or another, leads these two women to lonely, alienated, and isolated lives.

Works Cited

Lit, Student Edition
Mansfield Katherine, Laurie G. Kirszner & Stephen R. Mandell “Miss Brill”, 135-135
Lit, Student Edition
Faulkner William, Laurie G. Kirzner & Stephen R. Mandell “A Rose for Emily”, 121-125