Miss Brill\\\\s Fur symbol Essays - Miss Brill, Brill, Fur People

Miss Brill is a lonely, old English school teacher and spends every Sunday alone at the park watching people. She brings her fur collar she put life into by brushing it and making it new again. She makes fun of all the other older people at the park but eventually a younger couple makes fun of her. Feeling down about their remark she goes home, puts the fur away and hears a crying. The fur is symbolic to Miss Brill?s youth and confidence. The fur is cherished by Miss Brill who addresses it as ?Dear little thing? and speaks to it as if it is alive (117) this is illuminating her loneliness. The fur gives her a sense of self confidence, when stated ?She had taken it out of the box that afternoon,? it is stating that she had taken her self-confidence out of the box that afternoon, giving her a feeling of comfort and self-assurance (117). She then ?give[s] it a good brush, and rub the life into the dim little eyes (117),? in terms of this she is bringing herself alive. The fur makes her no longer see herself as lonely or dead but gives her a sense of acceptance. The fur was originally out dated and weird but when she put life into it by brushing it; it made the fur new again. The effect of using the fur as a symbol of confidence is to reveal Miss Brill?s delight and life that was brought out in the fur. Miss Brill uses the fur as part of bringing her back into her youth. Miss Brill brings the fur out of the box while the fur brings her into a state of bliss and gives her a sense of entitlement. Miss Brill feels superior to all the other old people in the park when she judges them by making remarks of how ?They were all odd, silent, nearly all old from the way they stared (118)? even though she is in close similarity to these older park goers. The only thing that?s differentiating her and others is her fur bringing her youth and confidence back. She assumes that ?they?d just come from dark little rooms or even-even cupboards (118)? because of how out dated and weird they look. Later the young girl says It?s her fu-fur which is so funny,? (120),? throwing Miss Brill out of her state of bliss into a harsh reality that she is also out dated and weird. When Mi ss Brill ?climbed the stairs, went into the little dark room-her room like a cupboard (121)? this is relating back to when she thought the other older park goers belonged there. She had no realization until now of how people perceived her and how she belonged there as well. Upon her realization her heart was shattered, crushed and her youth was brought down. While Miss Brill physically, ?put[s] the lid on? the box after laying her fur in, she is emotionally locking her confidence away. Then ?she thought she heard something crying (121),? this is not the fur crying but Miss Brill crying because her self-confidence was torn down by the young couple that was making fun of her.