The Story "miss Bill"

Analysis the Them of Miss Bill

In the story "Miss Bill", the author Katherine Mansfield writes about a woman named Miss Bill, who is a teacher living alone. It's a regular Sunday afternoon in the park where she goes every weekend. She sits on the bench, observing the people around her. In Miss Bill's opinion, the world looks like a play, if the park is a stage, and the people are actors including her own. In the park, she notices many things such as an elderly couple who lack of conversation, which disappoints her because of her enjoying and expecting talk; two girls and two soldiers meeting on street go off arm-by-arm; a woman drops her violet roses and after a boy picks them up and returns to her, she disposes of them again and many other affairs. All of these situations make her feel that she is involved in the play. Until a couple of young people come in and begin talk, her daydream is broken. This story describes a lonely woman who lacks a sense of belonging, using the illusion versus reality.

At first point of analysis, Miss Bill is a lonely woman according to the author's statement. She lives alone in " the little dark room--her room like a cupboard." The only thing that gives her warmth is fur. Miss Bill treats her fur just like a live person. She takes care of it, calls it "little rogue" and talk to it, since there is nobody she can converse with in her room. For instance, she notices that the elderly couple doesn't speak to each other, "this was disappointing, for Miss Bill always looks forward to the conversation." Like that, she observes people around her, pay attention to their clothes, their facial expressions and behaviors in order to know their thoughts, which makes her seem a part of people's lives. From her eagerness to participate into others, she is regarded a very lonely woman.

Furthermore, in order to get rid of loneliness, she uses illusion versus reality and often falls into imagination. When noticing the behavior of people, she imagines that they including her are on a stage, acting in a play. When she watches other people in the park, she compels her own thoughts to the people and imagines that these people will react to her. For example, when there is an ermine toque and a gentleman meet in front of Miss Bill, she imagines the thoughts of the old woman: "oh, she so pleased to see him--delighted! She rather