In the story "Miss Brill," it says, "...she unclasped the necklet quickly, without looking, laid it inside. But, when she put the lid on, she...

Katherine Mansfield's Miss Brill is truly a story of denial. The main character is in complete denial of the loneliness and isolation from which she suffers. Throughout the story, she people watches and judges certain characters without realizing the things she finds odd or off about them are qualities she herself has, such as the odd people she sees who are alone at the park. Even the woman with the ermine toque is practically a mirror image of Miss Brill.

When she gets home and puts the fur away, she thinks she hears it crying. But what if it is her that is crying, and her denial is in such an advanced state that she refuses to admit that it is her crying that she hears? That is what I have always thought about the end.

For more information on Miss Brill, check out the link.