Muriel’s
mother is very fearful that Seymour will “completely lose control of himself.”
She says that Seymour shouldn’t have been released from the hospital he was at
and is very worried for Muriel’s safety. Muriel is very defensive and
understanding of Seymour, she understands why he won’t take his bathrobe off
even though her mother doesn’t. She disregards much of her mother’s worry and
says that the psychiatrist she had talked to hadn’t been able to say anything
without more facts.
Going into
the second part of the story, with Seymour and Sybil, the conversation between
Muriel and her mother colored my perception of Seymour. I was constantly
waiting for Seymour to do something wrong and interpreted many of his actions
to be more malicious than they may really have been. In some ways, it was easy
to think that Muriel’s mother was being overly protective and there was nothing
wrong with Seymour, but at the same time many of Seymour’s actions seemed a
little shady. Although Seymour never did anything overtly wrong, the fact that
we already knew that there may be something wrong with him made me constantly suspicious
of his intentions every time he talked to Sybil.
Overall,
Seymour defied my expectations in the scene with Sybil. But then he immediately
returned to the hotel and killed himself sitting on the other bed in the room
with Muriel. Seymour’s suicide in some ways justifies Muriel’s mother’s fears,
but not completely. Seymour doesn’t ever show any malicious intent for Muriel
and her trust in him is justified. But he does commit suicide in her room,
causing what will most likely be a very traumatic experience for her. Muriel’s
mother is right that Seymour should be getting help and that everything is not
right with him, but she is wrong to think that Muriel is in any direct danger
from Seymour.
