& # 8217 ; s Demise Essay, Research Paper

The Rise to Miss Brodie? s Death

Miss Jean Brodie, the supporter in Muriel Spark & # 8217 ; s novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie ( 1961 ) , is a character of great influence and chesty laterality. As a school teacher in her prime, she believes she has an copiousness of wisdom and cognition about life & # 8217 ; s rules that she deeply desires to portion with her pupils. Miss Brodie & # 8217 ; s character and temperament, though apparently a positive influence, in kernel leads to her death. Her intense involvement in fascism, her power to pull strings and act upon her & # 8220 ; misss, & # 8221 ; her dogmatic instruction manners, her treachery, her haughtiness, and her loose ethical motives all play major functions in her autumn.

One of Miss Brodie & # 8217 ; s rule involvements is fascism. She loves absolutism, every bit long as she is the dictator. Her theoretical account dictators are Hitler, Franco, and Mussolini, all whom she believes to be great work forces: ? [ She ] is even bold plenty to do the general statement, ? Mussolini is one of the greatest work forces in the universe? . . . ? ( Miss Brodie? s fascisti ) . She admires his methods of ending unemployment. Miss Brodie, in her topographic point of leading in the schoolroom, uses the same techniques as her fascist heroes: ? she absolved herself from incorrect, located ideas into the heads of her adherents, and retained order by bring oning fright into her misss. It is besides apparent in her premier that Miss Brodie is rather untouchable, pull offing to foil all the secret plans against her? ( Miss Brodie? s fascisti ) . Miss Brodie selects pupils she knows neither them nor their parents will kick about her ( Spark 25 ) . Her fascist thoughts prove to be black when she encourages Rose Emily, a member of the set, to contend in the war and before Rose even gets to her finish she is killed.

Fascism, a outstanding portion of Miss Brodie? s character, gives her a great sum of power to pull strings and act upon her misss. An illustration is when she tells them that teamwork is unneeded. One of Miss Brodie? s misss, Sandy Stranger, ponders fall ining the Brownies, but? so the group-fright [ seizes ] her, and it [ is ] necessary to set the thought aside, because she loves Miss Brodie? ( Spark 31 ) . Miss Brodie claims to? give [ her ] best in [ her ] prime? ( Spark 36 ) , but she alternatively implants her ain thoughts into the misss? heads, converting them that her thoughts are rational and true. The misss feel obligated to subject because of this and besides because they are so devoted to her. Just as Miss Brodie? s heroes are merely successful for a short clip, she excessively necessarily falls from authorization.

The misss? devotedness to Miss Brodie makes them more susceptible to the influence of her dogmatic instruction manner, which merely perpetuates their devotedness. Her methods are egoistic. She teaches the topics she believes ought to be taught, stressing her ain sentiments and detering the misss to hold their ain ( Miss Brodie? s Conduct ) . She supports herself with the statement: ? It is for the interest of you girls & # 8212 ; my influence. now, in the old ages of my premier? ( Spark 25 ) . To Miss Brodie, the most of import topic is art. She gives really small recognition to the practical usage and necessity of scientific discipline. She claims that in the order of educational importance, ? Art. . . comes foremost ; . . . in conclusion scientific discipline? ( Spark 24 ) . She deliberately strays from the criterion course of study and when Miss Mackay, the caput kept woman, learns of this she is determined to end Miss Brodie? s learning calling. Miss Brodie is the victim of fortunes s

he creates herself ( Bold 67 ) .

Not all of Miss Brodie? s misss remain devout to her instructions. While still in junior school, Sandy Stranger comes to an apprehension of what Miss Brodie is making to her particular group of misss. She sees the correlativity between Miss Brodie and her misss and Mussolini and his followings. Bing one of the set, Sandy feels betrayed. She realizes how much they are controlled by Miss Brodie and how they basically obey her every bid. Sandy? s aim is so? to set a halt to Miss Brodie? ( Spark 134 ) . Sandy betrays her by doing Miss Brodie? s mistakes known to the caput kept woman and when Miss Brodie inquiries her, she merely replies, ? If you did non bewray us it is impossible that you could hold been betrayed by us? ( Spark 136 ) . Miss Brodie clearly betrays the misss of truth and necessary cognition and Sandy takes it upon herself to so set an terminal to Miss Brodie.

Throughout Miss Brodie? s experiences at the school, she is in denial of her duty for what she is making. She is chesty and acts as though the regulations do non use to her. She risks the lives of her misss yet still believes? that God [ is ] on her side whatever her class? ( Spark 90 ) . The guilt she may experience is rapidly projected onto Mary Macgregor, the timid miss of the set. Miss Brodie blames Mary for things she has non even done ; she even manipulates the other misss to fault Mary for their ain mistakes. This gives them excuses for haughtiness and egoism ( Miss Brodie? s fasciti ) . Even when Miss Brodie is dismissed from learning at the Marcia Blaine School, she still does non see any incorrect in what she has done.

Miss Brodie? s haughtiness is consequence of her deficiency of ethical motives. Though she is raised with Calvinistic instructions and beliefs, she seldom applies them to her life. She rationalizes every act. When she sleeps with Mr. Lowther, the music instructor, she claims it is a? responsibility? ( Bold 68 ) . At the same clip, she is loath to kip with Teddy Lloyd, the art teacher, because he has a household. For one circumstance sex outside of matrimony is acceptable, but for the other it is non, at least for her. To carry through her phantasy of kiping with Mr. Lloyd, she decides that Rose Stanley, another of her misss, should kip with him. She takes it upon herself to endanger a immature miss & # 8217 ; s pureness. Her immoral life manner leads her to lose much of what is of import to her. Her girls no longer look up to her, she loses her learning place, and the work forces she adored no longer adored her ( Bold 68 ) .

We can see Miss Brodie as both a fascinating and unsafe character. She is admired for her rebellion and ability to withstand common involvement. She is sexually appealing and enticingly different which intrigues the pupils. At the same clip, Miss Brodie is unsafe because of her beliing thoughts and how she denies the misss of free idea. Miss Brodie? s life is clearly headed toward devastation. Her haughtiness and manipulative nature leads her in no other way. Although she seems to be really insightful, she overlooks the ultimate world and effects of her character. She has no 1 to fault but herself.

Bold, Alan. Muriel Spark. New York: Methuen, 1986.

? Miss Brodie? s Behavior in the Classroom. ? Last modified 16 Feb 98. Accessed 13 Apr 99.

? Miss Brodie? s fascisti. ? Last modified 16 Fed 98. Accessed 13 Apr 99.

Spark, Muriel. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. New York: Perennial Classicss, 1961.