We agreed that someone would post class notes in this blog--so here is space to post notes from our discussion of Trifles. Marie agreed to post; others are welcome to add comments. It's good to have a space for your notes and thoughts--we can review these for paper discussion.
We talked about:
role of setting, symbols, backstory of Minnie's life, how the women change in the play and how the playwright is challenging, deconstructing, male power, different definitions of "law" ... to post click on "comment" below and add your thoughts.
I have been without internet access - thanks to Time Warner - since Friday. I won't have home internet access until this Friday but I will have paper copies of the notes for anyone who wants/needs them, in class tomorrow. So sorry, guys! Once I get access I'll post the notes from class, so they're accessible to everyone.
ReplyDeleteI read "Trifles" over again and it seems to me that Minnie's time with her husband caused her to go insane. Her husband just continued to repress and hinder her to the point where she snapped. In Minnie's mind, there was no other alternative to the situation other than death. I don't think suicide was an option for her because if she had killed herself instead of her husband, she wouldn't own it. If she had she killed herself, it would be as if her own death wasn't hers'. Her own death would still belong to her husband. So the murder of her husband was the one true thing that she has full ownership over. The surpression of Minnie in "Trifles" is similar to the main character in "The Yellow Wallpaper". Both are repressed by their husbands where it has a severe and deterioting effect on them. You can also compare "Trifles" to the play "Machinal" by Sophie Treadwell. The repression and hinderment is almost the same between the two. This is just my interpretation.
ReplyDeleteThis was really interesting. I think getting into the mind of Minnie is important, so on the part of owning her husbands death, I agree. I don't think, however, that I could place that much into what her possible other options were. It's clear Minnie was unhappy based on her own reaction to her husbands death and the way the other women described her former self and current self and home life with her husband.
DeleteI like the comparison between the oppression our narrator in "The Yellow Wallpaper" suffers compared to that of Minnie in "Trifles" but I would argue that John (the narrators husband in "Yellow Wallpaper") was acting out of a genuine - if misguided by modern standards - love for his wife. Approaching "The Yellow Wallpaper" from the same perspective of the time it was written in, John was actually a very loving and doting husband. He did everything for his wife. In the 21st century, this seems oppressive (and it was) but while John (in "Yellow Wallpaper") appeared to love his wife, Minnie seemed to be genuinely repressed by Mr. Wright in a way that was even considered bad then, removing all happiness from her life, at his expense, for his own preference.
It is interesting to share our own thoughts and ideas about those stories in the blog. And actually I can get more information from classmates. It is really a good way to communicate when we have not enough time to sit together after class. I agree with what Marie said. I feel even if John is kind of arrogant and he never believes his wife is crazy due to his diagnosis, he at least loves his wife. He might be in the wrong way, but he tries his best to cure his wife. I believe he has kind of male chauvinism personality, but he is better than John Wright who treats his wife so cruel. We can see love between John Wright and his wife, but we see love between John and his wife in "the yellow wallpaper ". He just loves his wife in the wrong ways. It's so funny why they both have the same first name "John". :)
Deleteinteresting observation about the two male characters, John. You are zeroing in on ways men love (or fail to love) women--you are right that in the Yellow Wallpaper, he certainly seems to care--but then again, he ignores all of her requests and pleas...hmmm
DeleteHi Marie--I guess I want to argue about the degree to which John in YWP dotes on his wife--just playing devil's advocate, could we make a case that they both ignore their wives' real emotions? See comment to Dan above--thanks both of you for commenting!
DeleteMichael--I'll have to look at the play you mention--we are also going to do another play on this subject (In the Other Room)--I like your analysis of Minnie's "ownership" of John's death, the way you see it as a kind of crime of passion--and the lack of alternatives! Never apologize for your interpretation--that's what we are here to do :)
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