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Zen Master Dogen
Muriel is a retired anthropologist who lives in Whaletown. Muriel represents many things that Ruth dislikes about the island’s residents: Muriel has no respect for privacy and boundaries, and she is a big gossip. However, she is also an intelligent and kind friend who is a good listener. Muriel is the one who first mentions that crows are considered to be magical creatures in many cultures. She says that the Sliammon people who used to live on their island believed in a magical ancestor who could shape-shift into the form of a crow. Muriel’s words clue readers into the idea that the Jungle Crow (which suddenly appears outside Ruth’s house) might be a supernatural animal.
Muriel Quotes in A Tale for the Time Being
The A Tale for the Time Being quotes below are all either spoken by Muriel or refer to Muriel. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part IV, Chapter 2: Ruth
Quotes
“[M]y theory is that this crow from Nao’s world came here to lead you into the dream so you could change the end of her story. Her story was about to end one way, and you intervened, which set up the conditions for a different outcome. […] .”
[…]
“I see. So what’s your second theory?”
“[…] That it’s your doing. It’s not about Nao’s now. It’s about yours. You haven’t caught up with yourself yet, the now of your story, and you can’t reach her ending until you do.”
Ruth thought about this. “You're right,” she said. “I don’t like it. I don’t like having that much agency over someone else’s narrative.”
Muriel laughed. “That’s a fine way for a novelist to talk!”
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Muriel Quotes in A Tale for the Time Being
The A Tale for the Time Being quotes below are all either spoken by Muriel or refer to Muriel. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part IV, Chapter 2: Ruth
Quotes
“[M]y theory is that this crow from Nao’s world came here to lead you into the dream so you could change the end of her story. Her story was about to end one way, and you intervened, which set up the conditions for a different outcome. […] .”
[…]
“I see. So what’s your second theory?”
“[…] That it’s your doing. It’s not about Nao’s now. It’s about yours. You haven’t caught up with yourself yet, the now of your story, and you can’t reach her ending until you do.”
Ruth thought about this. “You're right,” she said. “I don’t like it. I don’t like having that much agency over someone else’s narrative.”
Muriel laughed. “That’s a fine way for a novelist to talk!”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
