Miss Brill

Loneliness is a theme in the story Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield. Throughout the course of the story, the reader learns a great deal about the character Miss Brill through her actions. The fact that Miss Brill is always sitting alone on a park bench expresses her loneliness. It also acts as a step to making conversation with others through her lonely time. Loneliness often time leads to desperation. Miss Brill continues to follow a band around to try and find someone. Despite her actions, he still ends up feeling alone in a sea of people. While she wishes for company on the park benches, Miss Brill is often joined by couples: couples who already have someone to be with. Loneliness is also expressed in the story when the only conversation that she ever hears is the talk about herself. She seldom converses with others and when she does, most of the talk is about her. Eavesdropping is a skill that Miss Brill uses to try and ease her loneliness. Often times, the plan of eavesdropping makes her feel even worse and even more lonely because people are talking about her negative pathetic life. "Miss Brill's eyes filled with tears" (Mansfield, 185).