Meaning and Effect

The story’s opening line combines metaphor with a simile to pack a great deal of meaning into a very efficient economy of words. “Although it was so brilliantly fine—the blue sky powdered with gold and great spots of light like white wine splashed over the Jardins Publiques—Miss Brill was glad that she had decided on her fur.” The precision of detail of the metaphorical powdering of the sky and light compared to the color of wine sets the stage for the great wealth of equally meticulous imagery that will be used to convey meaning rather that omniscient description of what is Miss Brill thinks or believes. The fact that these details indicate very strongly that the climate is not exactly ideal for wearing fur hints strongly at the meaning Miss Brill attaches to that item.