Symbolism compared in Miss Brill and A Rose for Emily
...ith the ermine toque is a symbol for Miss Brill. Through the toque and her age, you can assume the connection. Through this connection, Mansfield then shows the lady having smoke blown in her face. This is the major point Mansfield had been trying to make. As the smoke blows into her face, you realize how he is rejecting her, as society rejects Miss Brill, which was later clearly demonstrated through the young couple’s negative statements about her. Miss Brill’s belief that she is an “actress” in the park is another major form of symbolism. As an actress, you put all attitudes towards your feelings aside and work on putting up a false front, and not being who you truly are. She is not allowing herself to see that she is old and losing her beauty. At the end of the story, this only adds to the disappointments in her life. Another major piece of symbolism is the fur that Miss Brill wears throughout the story. The fur gives us an idea about how she feels about herself. We see that she hasn’t taken out the fur in a very long time, which draws a connection to both her and the fur being old and not put to use. The fur, to Miss Brill, is beautiful and a fine piece of clothing, however, it in reality it is worn down and coming apart, much like Miss Brill’s life. In her life, she is not truly loved by anyone but herself. The fur also acts as her own conscience. She openly wonders about the fur asking her what has happened to herself, which really is not the fur talking, but her own mind. The young couple in the park, pokes fun at her “beautiful” fur, and in turn is mocking Miss Brill to the same extent, yet she still forces herself to believe that the fur is beautiful. When she rushes home and goes to put away the fur, she does not look at it, and hears a crying. This directly contrasts the feelings she had for the fur at the beginning of the story. She now starts to realize how the fur and she, are getting old and losing their beauty. In “A Rose for Emily” there are many strong symbols Faulkner sets up and employs throughout the story. One major symbol is the relationship between the Old and New South. Emily is set up as the symbol for the Old South. She is unbending in her ways, clings strictly to her ideals, and is come to be known by the town as the m...