Miss. Brill Has a Bad Day

“Yes, I have been an actress for a long time” (Wolff 86): Miss. Brill’s proud proclamation in response to an inquiry of her profession.
“But why? Because of that stupid old thing at the end there?” (Wolff 86): A young lad’s response to his date’s resistance to a risky public display of affection.
Wow – talk about being hit in the gut! Who doesn’t love to sit and people watch, and no one would expect to encounter this level of emotional devastation from such an innocent past time. Obviously, Miss. Brill has taken people watching to another level; she’s created a diversion from her otherwise lonely existence. Isn’t this what we might equate to modern day “reality TV,” another method of escapism?
Miss. Brill was having an exceptionally grand time on this particular day, and then all of a sudden, a few thoughtless words of a selfish young lad, trying to steal a romantic moment in public with his young love, and she finds herself immersed in mental agony.
Wolff does an exceptional job in creating a climax by building up a mental picture of this elderly, yet sophisticated, woman who is taking in every moment that surrounds her. She was so pleased to be watching the young couple, “…beautifully dressed; they were in love” (Wolff 86). As she attempts to eavesdrop for her own enjoyment and amusement, she is stabbed in the throat when she is referred to as the “stupid old thing” (Wolff 86) sitting within ear shot. Was this punishment for her taking the liberty of being the voyeur? At this moment, the reader can feel her pain. But even when she finds herself back in the solitude of her home, she has refused to acknowledge herself as being the source of the sound of whimpering, and instead transfers it to her little dead furry friend, “But when she put the lid on [the box] she thought she heard something crying” (Wolff 87); the ultimate form of denial.