Like all the characters in this play - all the residents in this fictional town - there is a reserve that exists between these two woman. They are focused on their own home life and so do not form a bond between them. In addition, Mrs. Peters is an outsider and did not grow up with Minnie or Mrs. Hale - therefore, she is further removed from the situation and from her fellow wife.
This separation between these two women is echoed in Minnie's situation and the cause for the conflict of the story, the murder of her husband. Minnie has been separated from others, at the mercy of her husband alone. She is isolated, lonely, and unprotected. She lives "down in the hollow" and is far removed from other homes. This sets up the bad situation in her marriage, which leads to her retaliation.
The relationship between the two characters changes throughout the play, however. One of the themes of this story is that of gender roles, and the way Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale grow closer as they try to understand and protect Minnie shows these gender roles. As women, they understand the difficulty Minnie was facing and the intensity of her subjugation. This is why the decide, together, to conceal the evidence of Minnie's guilt, forming a bond in their mutual decision - female against male.
No comments:
Post a Comment