Miss Perumal Character Analysis in The Mysterious Benedict Society

Miss Perumal is Reynie’s tutor at the Stonetown Orphanage. Before he meets his friends in the Mysterious Benedict Society, Miss Perumal is the only person in Reynie’s life who genuinely cares about him. She assures him of his intelligence when he doubts it and helps him register to take Mr. Benedict’s tests. Though Miss Perumal is absent for much of the book, she remains one of the most important people in Reynie’s life. When he is away at Mr. Curtain’s Institute, he writes mental letters to Miss Perumal in an attempt to sort out his internal conflicts, and the thought of Miss Perumal helps him resist Mr. Curtain’s mind-controlling Whisperer. After the children defeat Mr. Curtain and return to Stonetown, Miss Perumal adopts Reynie, finally giving him the family he has always wanted.

Miss Perumal Character Timeline in The Mysterious Benedict Society

The timeline below shows where the character Miss Perumal appears in The Mysterious Benedict Society. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...the day Reynie learned about these tests. He is reading the newspaper with his tutor, Miss Perumal , as they share breakfast at the Stonetown Orphanage, where Reynie lives. The two often... (full context)

Miss Perumal sees an advertisement in the newspaper that she excitedly points out to Reynie. The ad... (full context)

Miss Perumal schedules a time for Reynie to take the test, but she is called away when... (full context)

...Reynie does not consider his appearance worth paying attention to––he is usually unnoticeable and average. Miss Perumal greets him and recommends that Reynie change. (full context)

Miss Perumal and Reynie plan for Miss Perumal to drop Reynie off at the test site and... (full context)

Miss Perumal returns to Reynie and tells him to call her on the building’s telephone when he... (full context)

...tempted––he wants “desperately” to learn about the “special opportunities.” But then he imagines lying to Miss Perumal , and he knows he cannot cheat. He turns down Rhonda’s offer, and she again... (full context)

...asks for her name, but she doesn’t tell it to him. Reynie asks to call Miss Perumal , but she tells him that Miss Perumal has been called and all is taken... (full context)

...continue talking, and they enjoy each other’s company. When Reynie describes the administrator’s strangeness about Miss Perumal , Sticky slips back to his anxiety and claims he tried to call his parents,... (full context)

...is used to ignoring loneliness, but the sincerity of Mr. Benedict’s emotion makes Reynie miss Miss Perumal . Mr. Benedict wakes up, and after Rhonda and Number Two help him to his... (full context)

...study. Mr. Benedict is still awake, and he asks if Reynie is looking to call Miss Perumal . He compliments Reynie for being “polite yet steadfast” when Number Two refused to let... (full context)

Reynie lies awake, trying to calm himself by writing a mental letter to Miss Perumal . He manages to calm down, and he is close to falling asleep when Sticky... (full context)

To calm himself down, Reynie write a mental letter to Miss Perumal . He ponders the fact that Sticky is the only one of the four children... (full context)

Reynie starts to cry as he continues thinking about Miss Perumal , and Sticky asks if he is okay. Reynie deflects, moving the conversation to the... (full context)

...Constance leave, and the boys go to bed. Reynie is writing a mental letter to Miss Perumal when Sticky asks if their promotion, which should be encouraging, scares Reynie as much as... (full context)

...like a traitor for not insisting he accompany Kate. He writes a mental letter to Miss Perumal expressing his fear that he is too weak to resist the Whisperer’s false happiness. He... (full context)

...himself. Reynie calms down, returns to bed, and imagines throwing away the note he’s written Miss Perumal . He will write a different one. (full context)

...way to belong––a way to relieve the loneliness.” Reynie is unsure. He wants to make Miss Perumal proud, but he feels trapped. (full context)

...the children. Reynie urges his friends to think of everything they love. He holds onto Miss Perumal , Mr. Benedict, his friends, and his favorite books. Mr. Curtain exclaims that the Whisperer... (full context)

At the other end of the table, Reynie is puzzling over what to call Miss Perumal , who is sitting beside him. His absence in the past weeks made Miss Perumal... (full context)