The Emotional Reflection on Loneliness in Miss Brill

Reflection, Pages 7 (1710 words)

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Many people go through loneliness, it's a universal emotion that both complex and unique to each person. The effects that people feel they are being isolated is empty, alone, unwanted and some choose as a lifestyle. Being isolated can cause a distressful state of mind in which many people develop the feeling of being cut off from society. Their lack of emotional intimacy found from interactive activity and relationship. There are several factors in each one of the stories that make them feel isolated that each one of the women felt in the stories.

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In the story “ Miss Brill” by Katherine Mansfield the isolation shows by her actions and the way she reflects on her life. She disengaged from real life that involves real interaction with others. Minnie Foster in the story “ A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell shows her effects from isolation from love, happiness, companionship , and from society as a whole. Both short stories allows the reader to feel the effect of this isolation and recognize the tragedy of the situation.

As we age, many of us are alone. The older we get the more alone some of us feel. This effect could cause by spouse lost, no contact with neighbours, no confident, children living aboard, no close relative, and living alone. Being in denial can cause by pain of loneliness. In the story “Miss Brill” by Katherine Mansfield shows the effects loneliness have on her. Miss Brill is an old lady who live in “little dark room-like a cupboard” which does not bother her.

The narrator never mention of any family members or any intimate friendship or anyone that she can talk too. In the beginning of the story Miss Brill call her fur “ Dear little thing” and “ little rogue”. She likes to stroke and feels “ tingling in her hands and arms” (page 1). It shows that she have big connection with the fur and that gives her physical responses. Here is an example that Miss Brill is neglecting reality through her fur. When she start talking to her fur when removing it from the box. “ Dear little thing! It was nice to feel it again” shaken out the moth powder, given it a good brush and rubbed the life back into the dim little eyes”. It shows that she pretends it's her imaginary friend that have emotion, that idea is to keep her from feeling lonely. Which makes her want to talk to her fur. Self delusion becomes more evident of loneliness. Miss Brill been lonely for a long time that she has only spoken to the fur. By having this much connection to an object it indicates that she consider it apart of her life and overall herself. Having a routine every Sunday to visit the local park just to eavesdrop on people's conversation is very sad. Mansfield suggest that she finds her life empty and she finds joy in drama of other people lives. Trying to seek out excitement at the park is away of latent thoughts of her being lonely. Miss Brill crave humans contact that she uses other people at the park has her temporary filling for her need of companionship. There is an example that Miss Brill effect by isolation when she believe she is part of the performance which is just a normal day at the park. “ No doubt somebody would have noticed if she hadn't been there, she was part of the performance after all” ( page). She makes if a role in her life to feel important and wanted. Miss Brill cope with the struggle of being lonely by viewing her world through a set of roses to protect herself from confronting the truth of her lonely existence. Only a matter of time that reality hits when she realize her life is not what she may seems is when she overheard the young couple making fun of her. “ Why does she come here at all-- who wants her? Why doesn't she keep her silly old mug at home?” “It's her fu-ur which is funny, giggled the girl.” “ It’s exactly like fried whiting.” ( page 5) Hearing those words shattered her whole world. She is forced to realize that she is not important part of the park. Heart broken, Miss Brill sees herself going “ into the little dark room her room like a cupboard” putting away her fur back into the box. All those time feeling like she want, only to return to her lonely room, shut away from the world just as lonely as before she left.

Choose to be isolated from the world just to make your life happy, should be okay. Just by living alone, don't want to belong to a group like religious, clubs, team work or volunteer. Some people choose isolation as a preferred lifestyle which be seen as poor health or poor functional. The desire for peace and quiet or need for an isolation place to recover from heartbreak. In this short story shows why being isolated can be good for a particular reason. In the story “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell shows that Mrs. Wright is a loving wife that did not have any children. Mr. Wright worked all day on his farm and was not much for socializing which would make Mrs.Wright feel alone and isolate from the rest of her community. There is an example how lonely she felt by the words of her friend “Not having children make less work,” but it make a quiet house and Wright out to work all day and no company when he did come in” (page 17) This kind of isolation led to the loneliness. Mrs. Wright was alone in home. Glaspell begins to show a picture of isolation of Mrs. Wright location. “It had always been a lonesome-looking place. It was down in a hollow and poplar trees around it were lonesome -looking trees.” (page 1) is an example supporting the effect it might have on Mrs. Wright location of the house. It should seemed more like a home, with visitors and laughter instead of an unwelcoming atmosphere. She felt unworthy and unwanted by her friends. “I stayed away because it weren't cheerful and that's why I ought to have come. I never liked this place, I don't know what it is, but it's a lonesome place. I wish I had come over to see Minnie Foster sometimes.” (page 18) not being surrounded by friend can cause depression and angry towards her life. Mrs. Wright who was once happy, who loved to sing in church choir. After her marriage to Mr. Wright she had fall into psychological problem for lived in loneliness and abuse for many years, with no friends or anyone to turn to for support. She turn to the canary (bird) that kept her spirit alive. She used to love to sing which a canary bird love to sing also. The bird in the cage symbolize her own life, she feel like she is in a cage and all she wants is to be happy and free. Having the bird taken away from her in a tragic way would make her angry turn into another tragedy. When Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peter found a bird cage door ripped off and finally saw the bird with a wrung neck wrap up in silk cloth, shows a dark side of what happened that night. The bird singing was the one and only thing that broke Mrs. Wright isolation. Mrs. Hale “No, Mr Wright wouldn't like the bird”, “ a thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that too.” Knowing that her husband killed the only thing that makes her happy crush her soul. She couldn't live another day with her husband so her strangle him. Mrs. Wright made an important decision that mark her life and bought her back to life.

One person isolation can cause their family and friends terrible pain and hardship. Not only does it ruin relationships but also can result in frustration and often madness of a person being isolated. When a person in isolated they usually do not have the power their situation. Throughout my friendship, she has been through a lot in her life. No family, no other friends beside me, and a husband that is very controlling. Her husband is a truck driver, so he’s never home. When he’s home it's a lot of heartache and pain. It was so bad that she had a miscarriage. One day I decided to call her but no answer, I called everyday for a week but still no answer. Then one day she called back sounded like she ok but she wasn’t because I can tell. Few days after I saw the photos on her social media that raises a lot of red flags. I got scared that i had to go visit her right away. I wished I had visited her sooner but she was in denial about her feelings. During my visit, she had a breakdown. She felt alone and unwanted, even though she knows that I'll be there no matter what. She was ashamed to admit that she was lonely. Being isolated for months knowing what she been through was hard for her mental health. Suicidal thoughts run through her head, but to get through her situation he had to be in denial of her feelings. Me being there, showing that love and support helps her a lot. Now , she is doing great with a great husband and two beautiful kids. Isolation is difficult and can be hard to admit, many people do get lonely at times.

In life, isolation have an impact on many people that can happen anytime. It's something they have no control over. The only way to stop this is to see what kinds of effects they have and find a way to heal the situation of isolation. Miss Brill heal from realize her fantasy world is not her reality and Mrs. Wright heal from getting rid of her husband so she can live in peace. Isolation have major effect on people that can cause emotional and physiological problems. Feeling isolated is essential and it is important to understand why it is present and what is lacking