Ma.

Guadalupe Caruso
Written Expression IV

Assignment: Miriam by Truman Capote

1. Reflect on the language used in the story: register, metaphors, use of
adjectives, descriptions, etc.
The language used is non-academic and highly descriptive. It is used
to describes places, characters (their appearances and personalities),
actions, expressions, sounds, feelings and emotions.
Considering the story as a whole, the register is neutral. It is neither
colloquial nor formal. Adjectives are used to emphasize the quality or
nature of certain elements or entities for them to be clearer to the reader.
Moreover, adverbs add information about the mood of the author.
In the story, we come across different metaphors. For instance,
colours are present to symbolize certain ideas: Little Miriam’s hair is
described as “silver-white like albino’s”, which can represent youth,
innocence and purity. Moreover, Mrs. Miller’s hair is said to be “iron-grey”
signalling that she is not as young as she used to be, and therefore, her hair
has adopted a dark shade of grey. Another metaphor could be the
following: “Mrs. Miller hurries, her head bowed, oblivious as a mole
burrowing a blind path”. In this case, the woman is being compared to a
mole in the way in which she’s walking. This means that she is not paying
attention to her surroundings, so it is as if she were walking blindly as a
mole (the animal). In the following sentence: “Wheels and footsteps moved
soundlessly on the street, as if the business of living continued secretly
behind a pale but impenetrable curtain”, life is compared to business. It is
seen as something that has to be done, not for enjoyment but as a
transaction; something that is meaningless.

2. Reflect on the character: how would you describe Miriam? What about
the little girl?

Miriam Miller is a 61-year-old lady who has been living alone for several
years after the death of her husband. She is not very sociable, and she
seems to be very attached to her daily routine. Therefore, her activities are
almost always prearranged. As regards her physical appearance, she is not
Ma. Guadalupe Caruso
Written Expression IV

fond of cosmetics, and she dresses quite plainly. Her outfits are modest and
ordinary. We can infer that, because of her lifestyle and personality traits,
she might have some kind of obsession with order and structure.
Physically, the little girl is described as thin and fragile and, at the
same time, simple and elegant. Her hair is extremely long and “silver-white,
like an albino’s”. A distinctive feature are her big hazel eyes, which do not
seem to belong to a child. The girl resembles the character of older Miriam;
we can consider that she might be a reflection of her.
With respect to the little girl’s attitude, at the very beginning, when
she meets Miriam in the theatre, she seems really polite. However, during
their next encounter, the girl shows quite a bossy and insolent attitude.
When she first arrives at the older woman’s house, she demands to get in,
even though it’s midnight. Next, she asks for milk and a jam sandwich. Later
on, she demands to have a cameo brooch (such piece of jewellery was very
important to the older woman since it was a gift from her husband). Before
she leaves, after old Miriam denies giving her a goodnight kiss, she breaks
a glass vase. Nevertheless, Mrs. Miller seems to be unable to set limits on
little Miriam.