Prepare your draft as a Word document.  Create a post in the discussion forum wi

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Prepare your draft as a Word document. 
Create a post in the discussion forum with a subject line that includes your name and the story you are working with (e.g. Tracy’s essay on “Recitatif”). 
Review at least two of your peers’ essays using the Peer Review form and post the completed form.  
Miss Brill
Loneliness is a ubiquitous human experience that focuses on the innate human desire to interact with others. The experience speaks to the basic responsibility fulfilling socioemotional connections have for better health and wellbeing of people. It emphasizes the person’s subjective perception of social connections. On the other hand, social isolation emphasizes the objective measure of the person’s social relationships. However, loneliness and isolation will tend to be used interchangeably (Ercole and Parr 2). There is a strong link between loneliness and negative effects on physical and mental health. Studies have found a strong association between loneliness and higher morbidity and mortality rates. Loneliness is a risk factor of various chronic health conditions, such as high blood pressure, sleep disorders, progression of Alzheimer’s disease, and cognitive decline (Ercole and Parr 2). In “Miss Brill,” Katherine Mansfield effectively shows the pain and reality of individual isolation and loneliness against social appearances through her approach to characterization, plot, and setting.
Mansfield’s characterization successfully exposes the isolation of the protagonist from the rest of the society and its impact on her perception to others. Miss Brill, an unmarried English tutor in France is battling with extreme loneliness. Living in a small room alone, she goes out on Sundays to eavesdrop other people’s conversations and observe crowds at Jardin Publiques. Miss Brill pulls her fur out of a box, strokes, and personifies it. The event is a revelation of a lack of acquaintances, family, or friends to hang out with. On this particular day, she is disappointed with an old couple she shares a bench with because they do not speak. Miss Brill’s situation is juxtaposed against the situation of other characters in the story who appear to be having better lives as they have companions. For instance, the woman with Ermine toque and gentleman in grey; an Englishman in a Panama hat and his wife in button boots are in constant argument over what to wear; and beautifully dressed boy and girl, who are in love, sit next to her and make fun of her coat. The society appears to have people who are happy and having fun with their companion, but for Miss Brill, trying to find loneliness in others further exacerbates her conditions. The characterization effectively reveals a society that is not concerned with the struggles of an individual with loneliness and isolation at old age.
Mansfield’s plot reveals the struggles of a teacher with loneliness. Miss Brill takes her fur out of the box to keep her company. She personifies the fur and imagines it given her the attention she craves. Her thoughts about the fur confirm her longing for love. Miss Brill goes to Jardins Publiques to observe people, eavesdrop conversations, and possibly find human company. The place has more people than usual because the Season had commenced. The band had changed, with new coats and it sounded louder and happier. The plot shows how things have changed. However, despite there being more people and the crowd appearing happier, there is still no one to pay her attention. Everyone appears preoccupied with the people they love and care about, and nobody minds her presence. She shares her “special” seat with a fine old man and big old woman who do not speak. The younger couples and groups in the crowd are talking, greeting, swooping, and laughing, but the mostly old people on the benches looked isolated, silent, and lonely. The plot appears to suggest that with old age comes isolation and loneliness.
Mansfield’s choice of setting helps reveal the loneliness of some of the older characters and the struggles they undergo. The story is set on a Sunday afternoon during the Season, implying a period for leisure and relaxation with family and loved ones. There are more people out in this afternoon compared to previous Sundays. The band is louder and gayer because it is the onset of the Season. Despite the time setting, the protagonist and older couples on the benches do not seem to have company nor a reason to have fun like the rest.  The story is set in the Jardins Publiques, a French connotation for a public park. The English teacher is not native of France, which forces her to pretend to be a cast member in the performance, reinforcing her emotional isolation. As she listens to the band and watches the crowd at the park, the comments made by the young people shatter her spirits and force her back home. The little dark room, as small as a cupboard further confirm the isolation and loneliness of the protagonist. Miss Brill lives in a little dark room, which to her is like a cupboard. She only feels company when the fur is out of the box.
Katherine Mansfield’s “Miss Brill,” manages to reveal the struggles of an individual with isolation and loneliness when the society does not echo the expectations of individuals through the use of characters, flow of events, and setting of the story. The characterization, plot, and setting show the social isolation and loneliness that come with old age. However, as an expat in a foreign country, she is not the only victim of social isolation. Old couples have also been reduced to the special bench, where they cannot even talk, but spend time watching younger couples in the crowd having fun and dancing without paying any attention to their presence. Mansfield’s narration is heart-rending and effectively manages to draw empathy in the reader. It is a stark reminder why people should always empathize with others because they may not know the struggles that they are undergoing. The young couple humiliated Miss Brill, taunting her fur, which ended up ruining her day. Miss Brill had come out to the park for company, fun, and possibly to find someone to connect with, but the indifference and mercilessness of the young couple did her injustice.
Works Cited
Ercole, Venessa, and Jamie Parr. “Problems of Loneliness and Its Impact on Health and Well-Being.” Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, 2019, pp. 1-12.
Mansfield, Katherine. “Miss Brill.” The Garden Party, Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016, pp. 87-127.

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