On Wed, 18 Nov 1998, J J R wrote: > Yeah, I actually thought BOTH Muriel and her mother were vacuous. Very > believable characters, actually :) I thought Muriel's mother was vacuous > and influenced by psychoanalysis, while Muriel herself was Pure Vacuity. i would like to speak up in defense of muriel. she's possibly one of my favourite salinger characters. i don't think muriel is vacuous, i think she's delightfully uncomplicated. i think she was sweet and kind, and obviously loves seymour very much. from the kethcup bottle to the puppies (or were they chicks? in the movie anyway) she is *true*. she is a honest, good person. even in the concersation when she just said 'oh,' when seymour told her he couldn't make it from camp. i am continuously amazed at the contempt people have for muriel. and what's wrong with being miss spiritual tramp? i certainly don't think seymour meant it in the patronising dismissive way its generally been taken here. she isn't any more spiritaully befuddled and slutty than franny and her weird zen/ jesus/ francis of assissi combinations. muriel is fah-bulous, dah-link. she's not as annoying tragic as say jane or franny, nor does she ever come accross as the tantrum-throwing worship-me sally type. i like her. i don't expect you all to do the same, but i wanted you all to know that there's someone out here who reads muriel's character favourably. :helena kim helena at netsoc dot tcd dot ie 'the church is near, but the road is icy. the bar is far, but i will walk carefully.' - russian proverb