Truman Capote’s short stories are often concerned with an intrusion of the bizarre or dream-like into the lives of ordinary people. For example, in “A Tree of Night,” a young, unassuming student called Kay encounters a strange couple on a train, who reveal themselves to be aggressive and eccentric. She tries to ask for help, but finds that she cannot speak, in a similar way to being within a nightmare, unable to wake up. This is disconcerting for Capote’s readers, as it is a violation of normal boundaries and behaviors.
In a similar sense, “Miriam” is also about an encounter with a stranger. In this particular example, a lonely widow called Mrs. Miller bumps into a young girl called Miriam while visiting the theatre. Soon, Miriam transgresses normal boundaries and begins to harass Mrs. Miller, who grows increasingly uncomfortable with her behavior.
Overall, this focus on the intrusion of the ordinary with the bizarre is a comment on the fragility of everyday life, and how easily things can change. Ultimately, the strangers actually reveal something about the characters themselves, whether its inner insecurities or issues with their identity as a whole, showing that people's ordinary facades often hide something more sinister.
