Miss Brill Character Analysis

The two protagonists from “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” and “Miss Brill” have different lives, but still share similarities within their personality and the way they view life and themselves. Granny Weatherall lives an eventful life, unlike Miss Brill who has set a routine. However, both of this characters have a hard time letting go of the past, are easily upset when they are not in control and consequently, they each have developed their own mechanism to protect themselves from emotional pain.
Weatherall did not have an easy life. She was jilted at the altar, lost a child, and later on played the role of mother and father when her husband died. When she talks about herself she talks about all the hard work that usually corresponds to the man along with the typical responsibilities of a mother that she had to do. Even when lying on her deathbed, she tries to convince herself and those around her that she is in perfect health and makes plans for the following days. Miss Brill, on the other side, is an English teacher in France who lives an uneventful and routinary life, but maintains a panglossian attitude. She spends her days at the park eavesdropping and every once in a while she wears her old fur wrap with great pride. The only thing that makes Ms. Brill’s life better is finding an almond
In the story the fur is described by the narrator in a way that is easy to understand that this fur is not in its best condition, it is old, dusty, and the nose is falling off. However, Miss Brill does not see it this way. She is proud of her fur and for her, it is still in great condition. Furs are known to have been a piece of clothing that only the upper class can afford, so at some point in her life Miss brill must have been part of this social class, but no longer is and the fur is the only thing she has left from this part of her life so she refuses to let go of