Grotesque Setting In Miriam

Similar to the southern gothic settings found in the two stories that were examined above, this next story also takes place out of the American south. In Capote’s “Miriam”, out of his collection entitled The Tree of Night, we find our grotesque character living alone in a cold, desolate version of New York City. Similar to “Mr. Jones”, the setting is winter in an isolated city apartment. The streets are described as shrouded in “a pale but impenetrable curtain” which gives the feel of a setting with “no sky or earth, only snow” that is “chilling the rooms, deadening and hushing the city” (Capote 165). This harsh, unwelcoming description of New York gives the feel of a dead place, shrouded in mystery and a gothic setting. This kind of cold
Miller who is seemingly plain on the surface; however, when it comes to the grotesque-- appearances are often deceiving. Unlike the two previous stories which we have examined, this character’s grotesque qualities are that of the sexually repressed nature. When Mrs. Miller first sees Miriam for the first times she recognizes a “simple, special elegance in the way [Miriam] stood” and Mrs. Miller “felt oddly excited when the little girl glanced toward her” (Capote 164). This first encounter with Miriam gives a certain homosexual tone to the way Mrs. Miller sees the child. The “odd excitement” can be seen as Mrs. Millers’ unwelcomed and undesired attraction that she feels toward Miriam. Now, Miriam’s appearance is certainly ghostly and can be seen as a manifestation of Mrs. Miller’s repressed sexuality. A scene that clarifies this discrepancy is when Mrs. Miller asks Miriam to leave to which she responds with a sensual whisper “kiss me goodnight” (Capote 168). This is met by Mrs. Miller's response of “please-- i’d rather not” (Capote 168). This scene is a direct questioning of Mrs. Miller’s sexuality. If Miriam was just a child to Mrs. Miller, then she would have no problem with giving Miriam a motherly “kiss goodnight”; instead, Mrs. Miller acts as if she knows that Miriam is a manifestation of her unwelcomed queerness which she meets with confrontation. The schizophrenic appearance of Miriam is followed up by another appearance