Miss Jean Brodie
Essay on The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Miss Jean Brodie is the protagonist and a fictional character created by Muriel Spark in the novel The Prime of Miss Jeans Brodie. The book was published in 1961. Miss Brodie’s catchphrases have become clichés in English. She is also an idealistic character. She is influenced by many leaders. Miss Brodie has variety of characteristics which influence the book.
In the novel, Miss Brodie is a teacher at Marcia Blaine’s School for Girls in the 1930s in Edinburgh, Scotland. She is a very charismatic. In 1930 Miss Brodie selects her favourite girls in the class and says she will make them the crème de la crème. This is also when Miss Brodie declares that her prime has started. In the novel the favourite girls are Monica, Sandy, Jenny, Rose, Eunice and Mary MacGregor. Joyce Emily, a tomboy attempts to join the Brodie set, but she is not chosen by Miss Brodie and thus dismissed. Miss Brodie made sure that her class was aware of drama, art and fascist beliefs. In the end Sandy becomes a nun, Mary MacGregor is killed in a fire and Joyce Emily fights and dies in the Spanish Civil War.
Miss Mackay the headmistress does not like Miss Brodie and tries to kick her out of the school. Miss Brodie hears of this plot and tries to take action against it.
Calvinism is a them that appears often in the novel so it is very important to consider it. In the novel, Miss Brodie selects a couple of girls from her class to become “The Brodie Set’. The girls are chosen simply because they are her favourites. In calvinism , God chooses who is allowed to go to Heaven. Miss Brodie says she will make her girls the “crème de la crème”. This again is a Calvinist law that Elect (chosen by god) will transform into God's image. Muriel Spark put these similarities in the novel on purpose so that Miss Brodie is represented by something powerful and important.
All of the characteristics are extremely