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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:
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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 Character Timeline in A Tale for the Time Being
The timeline below shows where the character Muriel appears in A Tale for the Time Being. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part I, Chapter 4: Ruth
(2) Ruth’s friend Muriel, a retired anthropologist who knows a lot about garbage, examines the barnacles on the freezer...
(full context)
As Muriel carefully inspects the lunch box and its contents, Ruth feels tense. She realizes that she’s...
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Part I, Chapter 8: Ruth
(6) The car outside Ruth’s house is Muriel’s. Residents of the island often drop in without warning, which Ruth and Oliver dislike. Out...
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(7) Neither Muriel nor Oliver get very far with the French in the composition book, and as Muriel...
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Muriel is surprised to see the Japanese Jungle Crow as she gets into her car. Oliver...
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Part II, Chapter 3: Ruth
...it is related to the diary Ruth found on the beach, and Ruth realizes that Muriel has already spread the word.
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...and Oliver are surprised to see a huge crowd of people walking around. They spot Muriel, who says that the crowd is Ruth’s fault—all these people have heard about the freezer...
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Part IV, Chapter 2: Ruth
(2) Muriel visits Ruth and Oliver, hoping to spot the Jungle Crow. Oliver is trying to get...
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Muriel says that Ruth’s descriptions sound interesting. She mentions that “in indigenous myth, crows are pretty...
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Muriel’s second theory is that the story is now Ruth’s—it has now become her story, rather...
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Just then, Oliver spots the Jungle Crow. Muriel admires it, and Ruth recognizes it as the crow from her dream. Oliver takes a...
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