Based on the following excerpt, in what way does the fur piece serve as a contextual symbol for Miss Brill in Katherine Mansfield’s short story “Miss Brill”?
Excerpt
Just at that moment a boy and girl came and sat down where the old couple had been. They were beautifully dressed; they were in love. The hero and heroine, of course, just arrived from his father's yacht. And still soundlessly singing, still with that trembling smile, Miss Brill prepared to listen.
"No, not now," said the girl. "Not here, I can't."
"But why? Because of that stupid old thing at the end there?" asked the boy. "Why does she come here at all—who wants her? Why doesn't she keep her silly old mug at home?"
"It's her fu-ur which is so funny," giggled the girl. "It's exactly like a fried whiting*."
"Ah, be off with you!" said the boy in an angry whisper. Then: "Tell me, ma petite chère–"
"No, not here," said the girl. "Not yet."
*whiting: a kind of fish
Answers
1.) The girl's ridicule of Miss Brill's fur piece is symbolic of the way Miss Brill chooses to not be a part of society.
2.) The girl's comparison of the fur piece to fried fish symbolizes Miss Brill's "fried" or depressed state of mind.
3.) Because the fur piece is a dead animal that is likened to a fish, it becomes a symbol that negatively reflects Miss Brill.
4.) Because the boy and girl can’t understand why someone would wear fur, it shows that others have a difficult time relating to Miss Brill.