Genre
Drama, coming of age
Setting and Context
1930s, Scotland
Narrator and Point of View
Omniscient narrator who appears to travel back and forth through time
PoV stays mostly with Sandy
Tone and Mood
Tone is light, mood turns to somber as the plot progresses
Protagonist and Antagonist
Sandy is the protagonist; Miss Jean Brodie is the antagonist
Major Conflict
Major conflict is of Sandy who adores Miss Brodie but is also aware of her persuasive and selfish nature that led to the death of Emily Joyce
Climax
The point of high tension is when it is revealed that Sandy betrayed Miss Jean Brodie leading to her expulsion from the school.
Foreshadowing
Since, the narrator seems to be travelling back and forth in time, there are many instances of foreshadowing, like Mary’s death in hotel fire, betrayal of Miss Brodie by one of her girls
Understatement
Miss Brodie often dismisses Sandy and appreciative of Rose whom she considered beautiful and hence a perfect person for Mr. Lloyd to have a sexual liaison with. However, its Sandy who ends up having an affair with him.
Allusions
Miss Brodie often says that she is trying to ‘educate’ them, to lead out what is in them already, thus making them individuals. However, Miss Brodie is so controlling of them, that the Brodie set become like a cult with Miss Brodie as a centre. They are aware of her dismissal of modern education, her petty political plots, and even her plans to have Rose sleep with Mr. Lloyd, a senior married man, and yet they go ahead with it. There are allusions of a cult or a government that works on propaganda to defend its own unfair and dangerous practices
Imagery
The strongest imagery is of Mary Macgregor’s death. She runs helter skelter looking for a way out in the hotel lobby, and without supervision as she had been used to since her days with Miss Brodie, dies after stumbling at a turn.
Paradox
Miss Brodie often says that her style of education is based on the root of the word, ‘educate’, which means ‘to lead out’. However, Miss Brodie often tries to discourage them from any ideas they develop on their own and is constantly trying to influence their lives.
Parallelism
There is a parallelism in the way Mary Macgregor dies, and her first failed experiment with magnesium. At both events, she runs helter-skelter unable to find her bearings.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
NA
Personification
Miss Brodie often talks about her prime. She never reveals what it truly meant, but her prime becomes a character in itself.
