Miss Grief- Emily Armstrong

Within the first few lines of Woolson’s piece you are struck by the emphasis on appearance by the author. It is obvious that outward appearances are something he values as he begins the story discussing how he knows he is conceited. For someone to admit this is unique in itself, yet it is even more powerful for the reader as it is the first idea in the story. This placement leaves the reader making this judgment of him throughout and it is this vain idea that you repeatedly see in his treatment of Miss. Crief.   When he describes Miss. Crief you can’t help, but compare her name to that of the actions she embodies. Her manner is one that seems to be quite downtrodden, weak and poor, something that the narrator does not value. Though he greatly respects her as a writer he continuous to judge her for her lower status. At one point he begins to laugh as, “a vision had risen before me of those two forlorn women, alone in their room with locked doors, patiently trying to acquire a smoker’s art” He thinks of Miss. Crief as someone that would never be able to hold the noble art of smoking, much less anything else that may grant her a high status. It is clear that he is one that instantly finds importance in appearance and in the case of Miss. Crief it is something he cannot get over even though he finds her wildly gifted.