Madness in Truman Capote's "Miriam"

Teenage Author Haunts Readers With his Earliest Short Fiction Piece

Aug 25, 2009

Capote's first short story is a haunting account of a widow's descent into madness courtesy of a precocious child named Miriam.

Truman Capote was just eighteen-years old when Mademoiselle magazine published his first short story, "Miriam," in 1945. Looking back on his career, Capote claimed to have enjoyed his earlier work, except for this very first piece. He recalled the story of Mrs. H.T. Miller and her persistent child stalker "a good stunt, but nothing more," yet his critics saw a stroke of genius in the young writer, an observation that was solidified with his internationally acclaimed first novel Other Voices, Other Rooms in 1948.

"Miriam" and Mrs. H.T. Miller

Mrs. H.T. Miller is a mild-mannered widow who lives a solitary life within the comforts of a simple daily routine - a routine that's about to be shattered upon a chance meeting with a precocious child. She spots the striking young girl standing beneath a marquee amidst a throng of theatre-goers and is soon agreeing to buy her a ticket so she can see the movie. Mrs. Miller learns that her name is Miriam - coincidentally her own first name - and soon becomes uneasy with her adult-like directness and vocabulary.

Her wide, hazel eyes reflect a haunting, almost inhuman vacancy. She manages to penetrate Mrs. Miller's orderly existence and drives her to madness with her persistent presence and unusual demands. While Mrs. Miller is a plain woman, content with simple pleasures, Miriam is a stunning child who commands the finest quality in everything from her white silk dresses to the silk bows tied in her silvery, flowing hair. She shuns Mrs. Miller's bouquet of paper roses ("aren't imitations sad?") and drops hints for treats like almond cakes and cherries. The final blow comes when Mrs. Miller catches Miriam riffling through her jewelry.

"There's nothing good here," Miriam claims, but manages to pick out the one item that holds sentimental value to Mrs. Miller, a cameo brooch that was a gift from her late husband. Miriam demands to keep the cameo, and it's soon pinned on her silken chest.

Teetering Into Madness

Just after her first meeting with Miriam, Mrs. Miller's orderly life starts to crumble. Days start to blend together in a dull stretch. She visits the grocer on a Sunday, a day that she knows it will be closed. Even the weather seems to bend to Miriam's will and shifts to unseasonable warmth. She's plagued throughout the night by terrifying dreams, and for the first time, she sees her own loneliness. Miriam's presence serves to illuminate her solitary life, increasing her terror when realizes there's no one to turn to for help. She is at the mercy of Miriam, a merciless child who is no child at all. Her helplessness comes to a head when Miriam arrives on her doorstep with a heavy box stuffed with clothes and dolls, announcing her intention to move in with Mrs. Miller.

Is Miriam Real?

Mrs. Miller questions her own sanity when Miriam and her box vanish after she flees to obtain help from her bewildered neighbors. Indeed, is Mrs. Miller insane? The lonely widow leads a solitary life with little to no interests, and no one to take care of but her canary. Her entire identity is wrapped up in being "Mrs. H.T. Miller," though her husband has long been dead. We only learn her first name upon her initial meeting with Miriam; is it more than a coincidence that they share a first name?

Why, in an an anxious crowd of bustling people, did no one else notice the unusual child with striking features? Even the usherette makes no comment as she leads "them" to a lounge. Miriam also never reveals how she found Mrs. Miller's apartment, claiming "That's no question at all. What's your name? What's Mine?" Why does Mrs. Miller, feeling a surge of joy, endeavor to buy the very things she knows Miriam desires - almond cakes, glazed cherries, real white roses - and then act horrified when her guest arrives?

Is Miriam, the source of Mrs. Miller's terror, a creation of her own mind borne out of years of loneliness and unacknowledged despair? Capote leaves us to wonder as Miriam again looms over Mrs. Miller at the close of his haunting tale.

Capote, Truman. The Complete Stories of Truman Capote. Random House Publishing Group. 2004. ISBN 0-679-64310-9

The copyright of the article Madness in Truman Capote's "Miriam" in American Fiction is owned by Amanda Flinner. Permission to republish Madness in Truman Capote's "Miriam" in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.