Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters learn several things about themselves. Each woman comes to her own realizations, and together they also arrive at several conclusions. Because Mrs. Hale has known Minnie Wright since they were young, she makes several inferences about Minnie based on the items she finds. She says she wishes that she had done more to make her life pleasant, but she may just be expressing the guilt she has begun to feel. Mrs. Hale, a relative newcomer, has greater empathy for Minnie. She realizes how fortunate she feels for living in a more hospitable community, following years homesteading in a desolate location. Further, Mrs. Peters understands how the build-up of neglect and apparently small insults—trifles—could cause someone to snap.
As they become certain that Minnie did kill her husband, together they reach a decision without actually discussing it. Each woman apparently decides that she values female solidarity and will protect a woman who had been abused, and that she lacks confidence that the legal system would exonerate Minnie. While the women might find it difficult to articulate their feelings on these matters, they suppress possible evidence and do not share their conclusions with their husbands. The trust they have gained in each other proves stronger than their fidelity to upholding the letter of the law.
As Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters see Mrs. Wright's house and the artifacts that help them understand how lonely she must have felt, they begin to feel guilty for not having gotten to know Mrs. Wright better in the past. Mrs. Hale says, "I could've come. I stayed away because it weren't cheerful—and that's why I ought to have come." The women realize that Mrs. Wright's life was cheerless and isolated, and they feel that they should have been more willing to ease Mrs. Wright's loneliness.
The women also realize that Mrs. Wright's marriage was troubled. Mrs. Hale characterizes Mr. Wright as "like a raw wind that gets to the bone." She means that Mr. Wright was not good company and was likely very cold to his wife. After Mr. Wright's death, the women come to understand the tenor of Mrs. Wright's life. They should not necessarily feel guilty, though, as Mrs. Wright did not reach out to them or share her loneliness with them.
A dynamic character normally changes physically or psychologically as a result of a catalyst. This is exactly what occurs with these two ladies. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are dynamic characters because they change throughout the play.
Upon entering the house of Minnie Wright, which is now officially a crime scene after the latter presumably snaps and kills her abusive husband, Hale and Peters fulfill the roles prescribed for them by society. They are their husbands' wives, supporters, and followers. They are there to obey and help out as directed. Even their presence at the scene is only justified by the fact that they, like the accused, are women. The men assume that women can "understand one another" better than they could. Sadly, they were telling the truth.
Throughout the play, the men make snide remarks about the lifestyles of women, and how they feel Minnie Wright should or could organize her chaotic household. Added to this are the clues that gave away the status of Minnie Wright's marriage. All of these factors led Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters to recognize a few things, perhaps for the first time in their lives:
Minnie Wright's husband was abusive, and she was entirely helpless to prevent that.
The society in which they exist will punish Minnie Wright for snapping after years of abuse, yet, it cannot support and shield Minnie from her husband.
Any of them could have been Minnie Wright and have ended up in a similar situation.
The state of mind of Minnie Wright comes to no surprise; she is every woman in her situation.
As such, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters realize that the only true support that Minnie Wright has is other women, since they all belong to a stratum of society that is not only neglected, but also abused and underestimated.
They realize that they are one with Minnie, which is why they decide to conceal the evidence that would have sent Minnie right to the gallows.
They become accomplices. They become Minnie's indirect protectors. They make their female bond stronger than it has ever been.
No comments:
Post a Comment