In “Miss Brill,” Katherine Mansfield uses a combination of symbolism and mood to portray an older woman's veiled loneliness and loss of innocence. In the story, the protagonist Miss Brill maintains the quiet life of a person who is content to watch the events of others' lives unfold around her while remaining a figure on the fringes of the action. Miss Brill becomes convinced that her life constitutes an important aspect of the entire community, a decision that is shattered when she is confronted with the evidence of her own insignificance. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Mansfield uses a variety of literary devices to illustrate the nature of Miss Brill's reality. From the beginning, Mansfield uses descriptions of the weather and music in the park to create an atmosphere that parallels her protagonist's feelings and state of mind. On the surface, the weather appears to be pleasant and “brilliantly beautiful.” Miss Brill leaves the house looking carefree and cheerful. However, there is an undercurrent of “something light and sad”. Miss Brill immediately denies the presence of this sadness, rationalizing it instead as a gentle feeling. Likewise, when listening to a band, Miss Brill recognizes a subtle melancholy in the otherwise pleasant tunes, but dismisses the “faint thrill” in the music as an alternative, contented energy. In both cases, time and music represent Miss Brill's own life, in which she unconsciously represses her feelings of loneliness to preserve the illusion of her own meaning. Mansfield also establishes an analogy in which Miss Brill compares her life to a play, where she fulfills the duties of an actress and occupies one of the critical roles “on the stage.” Miss Brill reflects that if she hadn't gone through the motions of her routine, namely coming to the park at the right time every Sunday, "no doubt someone would have noticed." Despite Miss Brill's certainty that her function in the action is crucial, Mansfield portrays her decidedly more as an audience member, someone who observes other individuals interacting in her environment without ever personally engaging in any of the conversations or interactions. Miss Brill is finally confronted with the realization that she is not significant when she hears a young man ask "Who wants her here?" and hears his girlfriend laughing at his appearance. It is at this moment that Miss Brill first experiences the revelation that no one truly cares for her or would regret or question her absence. The most impactful representation of Miss Brill's life is the fur coat she chooses to wear, which serves as a symbol of the empty nature of her existence and, by extension, serves as a symbol of Miss Brill herself. As the fur has seen some wear and tear and has been made more worn due to its age, its owner has also been worn out. The nose has lost its firmness and Miss Brill notes that it must have "taken a blow somehow". This inclusion of the blow to the fur represents the aging that the older woman has experienced in her late life, but it also foreshadows the emotional blow she will receive in the park. Finally, after overhearing the young man and the woman gossiping about her, Miss Brill quietly retreats to her "wardrobe-like room," removes the fur from her neck, and puts it back in her dark box. Like fur, Miss Brill places herself in a dark room, away from the company of others. The reader may assume that she and fur are unlikely to resurface to experience the.