Miss Brill

The setting of the short story, "Miss Brill," takes place in the park where Miss Brill goes every Sunday. The point of view is omniscient limited. She is dressed in a fur coat that hasn't been worn in ages. She seems to address her coat as a "thing." While Miss Brill is at the park, she likes to observe everyone around her and eavesdrop on their conversations when it is possible. She can relate to some of the people she observes. To her, going to the park and observing all of the different people is like a play to her. They are all actors and the park is their stage. As Miss Brill sat on the bench, she noticed a group of people who were always there on Sundays, just like her. They looked odd to her; they were silent and looked as though they had all just come out of a dark room. She doesn't stop to think that she is part of the play as well until a young couple sit across from her on the bench and begin to make fun of her to each other. Miss Brill returns home without getting her piece of cake that has become a ritual on Sundays. She enters her dark apartment and sat there for a long time and finally takes off her fur coat and puts it back in the box. She thought she heard a noise when she put it back.
Miss Brill is a lonely lady who hasn't really experienced life for a long time. Her fur coat is symbolic of that. She takes it out of the box and brushes off all of the dust. She was delighted to be at the park because it lets her escape from her own lonely life and live in the lives of others for a little while. Miss Brill finally realizes she is quite lonely after the young couple make fun of her fur coat. They see her as a wacky old woman who has no business being at the park. She had no idea people were observing her as she was observing them. The story ends with Miss Brill realizing the loneliness in her life by taking off her fur coat and putting it back in the box.