Ignorance in Miss Brill Essay

Is Ignorance, Truly Blissful?

Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield

I cant exactly remember when or who told me, but someone once told me ignorance is bliss. Im aware that, that is a well known saying. However its an interesting concept. How could the absence of knowledge or information be enjoyable? Society is designed to seek more knowledge in order to advance ourselves and make life better. The development of computers that transfer information in seconds has improved the quality of life for people across the world. How could anyone enjoy being ignorant of their surroundings?

Miss Brill in the short story Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield might be a good example of someone whom might benefit from living in ignorance. Miss Brill is an English teacher that lives in a small French town. During her off time she reads the newspaper to an elderly gentleman a couple times a week. Each week on Sunday she visits a local park to listen to music from a live band and mingle. The odd part is that she goes to the park alone. Also as a critic put it She fails, however to realize that she is one of (odd looking person at the park) them. (scribd) It is apparent in the story that she didnt have many friends, if any. I would speculate that she was a foreigner since the story describes her as an English teacher in a small French town. That would explain her lack of friends and her evident need to fit in. Unfortunately the town locals do not socially except her. At the end one of the audience members is over heard by Miss Brill saying why does she come here at all who wants her?(sribd)

Could you imagine being a social outcast? A person with thick skin might quickly dismiss those that dont like them. But how long could that last when it feels like the entire town laughs, mocks, ridicules or at the very least thinks poorly of you? By nature a person has a need to socially interact with something or someone. Unfortunately social interaction was an issue for Miss Brill. So she had to come up with a solution for her dilemma. The author at bookrag.com states In order to ease the pain that this feeling of loneliness is creating, Miss Brill makes up illusions, and tries to free herself from reality. (bookrags) I agree with that statement. Miss Brills consciousness at some point became ignorant of peoples discontent for her and created a fantasy situation. Miss Brills illusions are so grand, she actually thinks she is part of the performance. The narrator mentions one of Miss Brills inner thoughts, She was part of the performance after all. (Mansfield, Katherine) Miss Brill clearly is ignorant of reality at that point.

Sometimes its fun to fantasize. We all at some point dream about our ideal situation. A lot of people fantasize about having wealth and/or having the luxury of complete free will. Miss Brill just wanted to be loved and admired. Unfortunately her permanent fantasy took a sudden nose dive, then crashed and burned. When she overheard the young couple next to her say Why does she come here at all Who wants her? and Its her fu-fur which is so funny. It looks exactly like fried whiting. (Mansfield, Katherine) Poor Miss Brills feelings were crushed. She was no longer ignorant of being socially unaccepted. Reality had set back in. That discovery pained her so much that she abruptly left the park and drove straight home or to quote Robert Peltier an English professor from Trinity College She goes straight to her little dark room her room like a cupboard. (Peltier, Robert)

It appears that ignorance does serve a purpose. Ignorance can in a way relieve a person of the stresses from our problems. Sometimes the constant awareness of our problems can be a burden. So ignoring the problems and going through life without a painful reminder can in a way be blissful. However, the bliss is only temporary. Your problems might continue to grow as Miss Brills did when the young couplewere so annoyed be Miss Brill that they spoke loud enough for Miss Brill to hear them.