Angel Fang
Mr. Hayes
English 10: Composition
28 September 2024
Declining Mental Health and Loneliness in Miriam
Humans are known as social animals which means that humans need enough social interactions with each other. In the story Miriam, Mrs. Miller is a great example of what human beings would be if they are isolated from society. In the beginning of the story, Mrs. Miller is described as a lonely widow who “has no friends to speak of, and rarely [journeys] farther than the corner grocery” (Capote 1). However, the emergence of Miriam, shaped by her deep-seated loneliness, highlights her deteriorating mental health. The line between reality and her mentality starts to blur as Miriam becomes more like a real person existing in the world. Truman Capote emphasizes the theme of loneliness and declining mental health of Mrs. Miller through symbolism of cameo brooch and paper roses and the change of weather.
The symbolism of the cameo brooch reveals the declining mental health caused by the loss of precious memory Mrs. Miller owns. During Miriam’s first visit to Mrs. Miller’s home, she asks for the cameo brooch that Mr. Miller has left for her wife. The reaction that Mrs. Miller “[feels] suddenly the need of some support” implies the importance of the cameo brooch since it contains her memory about her husband which makes her feel that she is at least accompanied by someone (Capote 5). Her strong desire of saving the cameo brooch brings her a moment of clarity that she was all alone, suggesting that Miriam was just Mrs. Miller’s hallucination. However, her fear of being alone brings back Miriam which leads to the loss of the cameo brooch. Although the cameo brooch is a memorial to Mrs. Miller, she eventually gives in and grants Miriam her only memory of her husband. Her surrender implies that Miriam is dominant over her and the act of taking away her indispensable memory causes her mental health decline.
The paper roses represent the identity of Miriam and her increasing control over Mrs. Miller, which eventually leads to her weakening mental health. When Miriam sees the paper roses on the coffee table, she comments, “How sad. Aren’t imitations sad?”(Capote 3). Her dislike for the paper roses signifies that she is an imitation of Mrs. Miller. When Mrs. Miller asks her to leave, she drops the vase on purpose and “[stamps] her foot on the bouquet” (Capote 6). Her action expresses her resentment towards the roses and her identity and her discontentment to the resistance of Mrs. Miller towards her. Then Miriam starts to manipulate Mrs. Miller, driving that lonely woman into deeper mental illness. Affected by Miriam, while Mrs. Miller is shopping, she buys real white roses and “[selects] a vase…though the price was intolerable and the vase itself (she [thinks]) grotesquely vulgar” (Capote 7). Her choice of the vase reveals the truth that Miriam has subconsciously affected Mrs. Miller and she has controlled her to disobey her own wishes, which leads to the fact that Mrs. Miller’s mental health is declining.
The change of the weather parallels the current state of Mrs. Miller’s mental health, which vividly highlights her declining mental health and her physical loneliness. While Mrs. Miller is heading to the neighborhood theater, “the snow [is] fine, falling gently, not yet making an impression on the pavement” (Capote 1). The slight snow indicates that her mental health was not yet too bad. However, after she met Miriam, “it [snows] all week… the business of the living [continues] secretly behind a pale but impenetrable curtain” (Capote 2). The long lasting snow separates Mrs. Miller from the others in the society, which makes her feel isolated and lonely at home. Her desire for companionship leads to the appearance of Miriam. After she recovers from the illness she gets after Miriam’s first visit, she is feeling better. Accordingly, the weather that day is sunny and mild-as-spring. The nice weather reflects that her mental health is in a good condition for a while. However, while she is shopping on the street, she buys a bag of glazed cherries and six almond cakes which Miriam has asked for before. Her action gives a hint that Miriam starts to control Mrs. Miller’s mind again. As the mentality of Mrs. Miller is declining, “the weather [has] turned cold again” accordingly (Capote 7). The decreasing temperature of the weather is considered as a sign that her mental health starts to decline.
Truman Capote highlights Mrs. Miller’s loneliness and worsening mental health by using the symbolism of a cameo brooch, paper roses, and changeable weather patterns. Mrs. Miller’s suffering from loneliness gives us an insight of the fact that people are always longing for companionship and constant loneliness can drive ourselves crazy.