Re: Seymour's Death -- "Et tu, Muriel?"
helena kim (helena@apollo.netsoc.tcd.ie)
Thu, 19 Nov 1998 18:32:59 +0000 (GMT)
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