Paul & Miriam Altman

Paul and Miriam Altman’s relationship begins in Paul’s imagination as a possible answer to Michael’s marital troubles, but it gradually becomes a bond between the two of them. Paul first views Miriam as an ideal match for Michael; only after she seeks him out and turns to him in a moment of distress does he confront his own attachment to her.

Paul’s Early Interest and Expectations

When Miriam visits Michael while he is working, Paul sees her as a suitable future wife for his friend. He imagines that she would be faithful, would bring Michael the children he wants, and would spare him the grief Paul associates with Angel. These are Paul’s expectations, not evidence of an existing romance: at this point, he is measuring Miriam against Michael’s needs rather than considering what she might want for herself.

Paul’s interest nevertheless becomes personal. When Miriam asks whether Michael’s former wife was pretty, Paul tries to recall Tessie but finds himself distracted by Miriam’s attention to Michael. He sends her home, concerned that allowing her to stay might encourage a closeness he considers dangerous. Miriam leaves in tears, and Paul watches her go with regret, though he believes she will not return.

Miriam’s Affection and Paul’s Restraint

Miriam’s own feelings initially appear in her admiration for Michael and Angel’s marriage. She tells Angel that she wants a husband who loves her, fights for her, and will not simply let her walk away. Angel responds with sisterly concern and asks whether Miriam loves Michael, bringing the question of Miriam’s feelings into the open without resolving it in that exchange.

Paul’s attraction remains entangled with his belief that Miriam would be a better choice for Michael. His earlier attempt to keep her at a distance reflects both restraint and an assumption about what would make Michael happy. The resulting tension is not a settled courtship but a mismatch between Paul’s private hopes, his protective posture toward Michael, and Miriam’s emerging ability to choose for herself.

The Relationship Turns Toward Paul

Later, when Paul and Michael ride toward Paul’s cabin, Miriam runs out to meet them. Paul’s heart leaps, but she runs to Michael instead, and Paul feels his hope fall away. Michael takes the sobbing Miriam into his arms because Paul does not move to comfort her. Paul watches them and recognizes the contradiction: he had wanted Angel to leave so Michael might turn to Miriam, yet seeing Miriam seek Michael leaves him lonely.

The scene marks a change in Paul’s understanding of his own desire. Miriam is not simply a prospective solution to Michael’s problems; her choices and affections matter independently, and Paul’s disappointment exposes how deeply he has come to care for her. The relationship reaches its decisive turn when Miriam later comes to Paul and explicitly invokes the Book of Ruth, presenting herself as Ruth at Boaz’s feet and asking what he will do. Paul recoils from her touch and tells her to leave, showing that her declaration meets his fear and resistance before it can become a mutual commitment.

A Biblical Courtship and Its Significance

The Book of Ruth supplies a language for the relationship’s final approach. Earlier, Paul had identified the biblical name Mara with Ruth’s story; later, Miriam deliberately uses that same story to make her claim. The echo turns a scriptural reference into an act of courtship: Miriam does not wait to be selected as Michael’s imagined wife but takes the initiative with Paul.

Across these episodes, the relationship shifts from Paul’s projection of Miriam as an answer for someone else to a direct, difficult encounter between Miriam and Paul. His jealousy and loneliness reveal the cost of treating her chiefly as Michael’s possible future, while her appeal makes her agency unmistakable. The evidence establishes the confession and Paul’s immediate refusal, setting their relationship at a point of conflict rather than documenting its later resolution here.