Miriam as a Symbol

It can be easily deduced that the character Miriam is a critical piece in Truman Capote's short story "Miriam." This little girl Miriam is not only a pivotal character of the story, but a symbol of the type of person the story's main character, Mrs. Miriam Miller, would like to be.  Miriam represents Mrs. Miller's desire to be spontaneous and exciting, which are things that her life has severely lacked since her husband's death.  She follows practically the same routine every day, until Miriam comes into the picture.  Miriam appears as a young girl at the movie theater, who, without her parents in sight, prompts Mrs. Miller to buy her a movie ticket.  This, plus the fact that Mrs. Miller is even in the movie theater at all, leads to a series of events that are completely out of whack with Mrs. Miller's routine, ordinary life.  In the end, it is safe to conclude that Miriam does not actually exist, but is a figment generated subconsciously by Mrs. Miller to help her escape from the drab, almost death-like state her life is in.  To further prove that Miriam is a symbol of Mrs. Miller's desires, it can be noted that they share a name.  Miriam is simply a younger, more exciting version of Mrs. Miller, who shows up to make things more interesting.  Mrs. Miller's subconscious chose a younger Miriam form because the conscious Mrs. Miller will follow it, knowing deep down that it is herself trying to lead her into a better life.  To elaborate further, Miriam is not only a symbol of Mrs. Miller's desires, but the symbol of them being fulfilled, as her continued presence in Mrs. Miller's life keeps her in chaos.  While chaos may not be exactly what Mrs. Miller expected, it is still an exciting change from her previous lifestyle.