How does the author of "Miss Brill" use characterization to create a dynamic character?

An author using direct characterization makes specific statements about a character's personality, while indirect characterization involves the implication of a character's traits and personality through speech and actions. In the short story "Miss Brill" by Katherine Mansfield, the author creates the dynamic character of Miss Brill mainly using indirect characterization.

The first example of indirect characterization is in the opening paragraph, which describes Miss Brill's attitude towards her fur. It is dear to her, it lifts her spirits, and she treats it carefully, with affection. Although furs might often be associated with wealth, in this case it appears that Miss Brill, who is identified as a teacher, wears it as something familiar to her that gives her pleasure and comfort.

Readers then learn that every Sunday afternoon Miss Brill goes to a park, sits on a particular bench, and watches a band play. She enjoys watching the people around her and imagines that all of them, including her, are part of a grand play with many actors and actresses. This puts her in a pleasant mood and causes her to wonder why she was shy about "telling her English pupils how she spent her Sunday afternoons."

From these descriptions we can discern a lot about Miss Brill. We understand that the fur may be one of her few belongings she considers special, and that she looks forward to the weekly Sunday concerts as an opportunity to get out and meet other people. These traits are fairly obvious even though they are expressed in an indirect way.

Beneath these traits, though, through Miss Brill's thoughts and fantasies we can discern hints of deeper characterization. Despite her pleasure at wearing the fur and attending the concert, there is an underlying suggestion that most of the time her life may be mundane and lonely. Mansfield uses the cruel comments of the young couple who sit next to Miss Brill to reveal her inner loneliness and insecurity. They make fun of her and of her fur, and this traumatizes her and causes her to weep. Mansfield skillfully hides the deepest aspects of her character until they are revealed at the end—indirectly through the couple's cruel remarks and Miss Brill's reaction to them.

Who are the characters in "Miss Brill" and what are their characteristics?

The people in "Miss Brill" are just other regular people that are at the park at the same time that she is. The first people that we are told about are the members of a band; however, readers aren't given much specific information about them. The next two people are the two people that are sharing Miss Brill's bench. One is a "fine old man in a velvet coat," and he is sitting silently with his hands clasped. The other person is an old woman. Readers are told that she is "big."

A bit later, readers are told about the children that are at the park. We get a bit of information about their clothing, and we are told that they are all "swooping and laughing." They are clearly having a good time. Miss Brill then takes special notice of the old people that sit silently on benches staring out at people. This always makes me chuckle. Miss Brill thinks they are odd-looking old people, yet she doesn't group herself in the same category despite the fact that she is doing the same thing. In general, the people that Miss Brill sees are completely ordinary people going about their business; however, to Miss Brill, they are all actors and actresses on a stage. She feels proud to be a part of it too.

Even she had a part and came every Sunday. No doubt somebody would have noticed if she hadn't been part of the performance after all.

Readers might think Miss Brill's actions and thoughts are cute or quaint. Her thoughts are most certainly harmless. That is what makes the ending so sad. The final couple that Miss Brill sees is a young couple that is in love. They are flirtatious with each other, yet they also find the time to make snide comments about Miss Brill and her clothing. Miss Brill is hurt deeply by their rude comments.

The box that the fur came out of was on the bed. She unclasped the necklet quickly; quickly, without looking, laid it inside. But when she put the lid on she thought she heard something crying.

What techniques does the author use to develop Miss Brill's character?

Mansfield uses a simile to begin the story, in order to show us Miss Brill's initial state of mind: "the blue sky [was] powdered with gold and great spots of light like white wine splashed over the Jardins Publiques [...]." This simile, comparing the light in the sky to dashes of white wine, conveys Miss Brill's impression of her own worldliness and vibrancy.

Further, Miss Brill personifies her old, dowdy fox fur, imagining that she's "rubb[ing] the life back into the dim little eyes" and that the fox speaks to her, asking, "'What has been happening to me?'" with its "sad" eyes. Readers might begin to wonder at this point if the fox is somehow symbolic of Miss Brill herself. Just like the fox has been tucked away, growing old in its little box, so has its owner. In the end, Miss Brill returns to her "little dark room -- her room like a cupboard," like the same rooms that she's imagined the other old people at the park to have come from. Likewise, she imagines the fox to be asking the question that she seems likely to have asked herself, at least on a subconscious level: what has been happening to her? Not much. She's been growing old, growing obsolete and out of date, just like her fur. Miss Brill convinces herself that the fox is a "Little rogue" because she so desperately wants to attribute such vitality, still, to her own self.

What techniques does the author use to develop Miss Brill's character?

One of the most prevalent techniques that Mansfield uses is stream-of-consciousness here.  She also uses description of the character's actions to reflect the character, as well.  Mansfield does a masterful job at relaying Miss Brill's thoughts to her readers in this stream-of-consciousness narrative.  Miss Brill's mind drifts to other thoughts as she observes others in the park, much as our own minds might drift to memories, etc., if we were in her position.  Also, the way that Miss Brill reacts to the young couple making fun of her and her fur is indicative of her character, as well.

Who is the protagonist in "Miss Brill" and how do they interact with other characters? What internal and external conflicts do they face?

The protagonist of Katherine Mansfield’s story is the title character, Miss Brill. She is the only character who has any depth. The others show no character development. The identities that she imagines for them are different from who they really are. Miss Brill (whose first name is never provided) is an elderly lady who is struggling with increasingly lonely, solitary existence. The story presents conflicts she experiences as she tries to deal with her solitude on a Sunday afternoon. Her interactions with the other characters are minimal, and there is almost no external conflict. When her presence bothers a young couple, they are rude to her. Miss Brill reacts by walking away—not only from the benches where they were sitting, but from the park.

Much of the story takes place in Miss Brill’s imagination. The reader learns very little about the actual identities of the other characters, none of whom is well developed enough to constitute a foil to her. Their purpose in the story is to provide subject matter for Miss Brill’s imagination. The fact that she makes up stories about them, thinking of them as characters in a play, emphasizes her detachment from everyday life. The narrator does not clarify whether such inventing is a new habit or whether it is associated with aging. For a long while, it seems that she is emotionally detached from her environment, but in the end, it is clear that the young man’s insults deeply troubled her.