Many times people refuse to see themselves as others view them. This is the case in Katherine Mansfield's "Miss Brill" (reprinted in Arp and Johnson 180-186). Miss Brill is an elderly lady who does not want to admit she is as old as the people in her community say she is. As she leaves her role of spectator and joins the "actors" in her performance, she is rejected and her fantasy is shattered. Although she is the protagonist in the story, she is also the antagonist because she is in conflict with herself. Arp and Johnson point out that the antagonist is something or someone that may place force against the protagonist (108). She is also considered to be a round character. According to McKeague, "Round characters truly seem real to us because of the way they are developed by the author. Like us, they have experience that can change the way they look at life..." (49). Because of Miss Brill's lack of interaction with other people, she lives a life of loneliness, fantasy, and extreme sensitivity. On one of her Sunday "performances" in the park, she experiences an epiphany that shows the sad reality of her life.
             Miss Brill's loneliness is brought about by her lifestyle and daily activities. One reason Miss Brill is lonely is because she lives by herself in a small apartment. The only true companion she has is the fur animal she wears around her neck. She does not realize that she is alone. In the story, she thinks the fur asks her, "What has been happening to me" (Mansfield 182)? This conversation with the fur shawl shows that she fantasizes about her life. Another way her loneliness is brought about is not having a true male companion in her life. Instead she teaches English to young school children. These children cannot bring the happiness that she needs in her life to take away the loneliness. She also reads to an old, unresponsive man. This man
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