Miss Brill[iant]

"And Miss Brill's eyes filled with tears and she looked smiling at all the other members of the company... But when she put the lid on she thought she heard something crying" (10; 18).

This entire blog will be about this fur thing, because that was my main focus when I read the story through the first time.

Things I think about the fur:

• It is a symbol for something.  Miss Brill is clearly an outcast, so I think that it kind of represents hope for her future with society.  She seems to be content, but I cannot seem to believe that someone who talks to a piece of fur (whatever that even is) can actually be satisfied by her social life.
• At the end of the story, she think that it cries?  Please tell this fur is not a live bunny or something.  Anyways, she put it up quickly and without looking at it, which seems to show that she gave up hope in her life.
• She too was crying a little bit earlier in the story.  This fur seems very closely related to Miss Brill.  For example, neither of them are ever described (I actually thought that Miss Brill was a squirrel for awhile).

I have another list for you!  These are my two ideas for what the theme could be.

• Losing hope not only hurts yourself, but those you love too.
• Do unto others as you would like others to do unto you.  Judging others can hurt.

I just thought you would like to know that I have learned this entire dance, but it really does not have anything to do with the story at all.  Oh, I just realized that he has fur on his head!  Connections!

Definitely not a children's story?

"In a house, in a suburb, in a city, there were a man and his wife who loved each other very much and were living happily ever after," (9).

This post will be dedicated to structure.

But first I should probably point out what I decided the theme was.   Over protection can be just as dangerous as under protection.  It could also be something about how exiling others leaves yourself alone in times of crisis, but that seems less likely (so it's probably right).

Usually when I lay awake at night and hear strange creeping noises outside my door, I actually do not immediately think that I should write a children's story.  I really should have figured out by the motivation behind the story would in some way relate to the ending of the story, but shockingly enough, I did not.  Not only does the opening scene completely contrast with the rest of the story, but it somehow also lurks in the rest of the story.

The beginning of the actual children's story starts out how a normal children's story would end.  Ironically, the next paragraph tells us about the start of the paranoia in the town.  Gordimer finally made it look like the story was going to be happy, but she just had to crush my dreams!

I must now recall that the narrator never intended to write a children's story, and it would now appear that she will be keeping that promise.  Last time I checked, paranoia and unrestrained racism do not make really good children's stories like Goodnight Moon always did, but who knows... kids these days.