I want to pick up on an idea that I've been pondering - an idea that Matt Myers actually mentioned briefly in his post. During class on Wednesday, I noticed that the two female protagonists never refer to each other by their first names. They always call each other "Mrs. Hale" or "Mrs. Peters."
Each time I've read "Trifles," I've gotten the impression that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are friends, at least to the extent that they understand each other quite well and discuss serious topics together. Maybe I felt that they are friends because they work together so quickly at the end to help out Mrs. Wright. But the way that they use only their last names to refer to each other creates a sort of artificial distance between two characters that otherwise seem close.
Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters know that Mrs. Wright's first name is Minnie (1997); don't they know each other's first names? Why don't they use them when addressing each other? Maybe Susan Glaspell is using this device to make a statement about women and the overarching reach of their husbands. But if this were the case, wouldn't it make more sense for the husbands to call their wives "Mrs. Hale" and "Mrs. Peters" and then have the women use their first names with each other to serve as a contrast? I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts on this.
This is an interesting observation. My gut reaction is to say the two women are referring to each other so formally due to the ambiguous social context of the action and its seriousness. A criminal investigation is a public matter with a set code of conduct and external expectations for all participants. In contrast, committing a crime is a private matter-- chaotic and dangerous for a lack of oversight. What Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peter are doing in covering up a crime I think exists in the gray area between public and private. The "Mrs-ing" could be interpreted as a covert means of encouraging one another to stay vigilant during a delicate, unorthodox activity-- a means of imposing order in the private sphere while thinking ahead to how such actions will be perceived in the public.
ReplyDeleteI like that! They don't want to seem too familiar with each other. So their use of "Mrs. Peters" and "Mrs. Hale" could be a method of protecting each other, just like they're trying to protect Mrs. Wright.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Bethany. I always found it interesting that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are never referenced by their actual names, neither by the men nor each other. Maybe it can be that we are not supposed to think of them as important players in this play? I believe it was Dr. H who commented last semester that things with names are important. Not that i do not think that either lady is NOT important, it is just a thought to think of.
ReplyDeleteI think (as Erin said above) that it connected with a sort of formality between women (back then) who were friendly, but not close friends. And yeah, it opens up the question of "Mrs. Wright" compared to "Minnie Foster."
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