Monday 7/16 Readings

"The Revolt of Mother"
One part of this reading that stood out to me was the conversation with her daughter. She told her that women have learned to complain about what men do just as they would complain about the weather, as something they can't change. It is surprising to hear her say all of this to her daughter, because you wouldn't expect her to actually believe this and want her daughter to go along with this mindset that she has to do whatever men tell her, no questions asked. I think she might have given her daughter this talk knowing that she would prove it wrong later. Maybe she felt her daughter needed to hear the talk in order to truly appreciate what she would be doing later; so that she could see that she was in fact going against the norms of society and standing up for herself.
"Trifles"
I really enjoyed reading this play. I thought it really showed the unspoken bond that all women have, even if they aren't the greatest friends to begin with. It shows that women stick together, and I found it sort of comforting. The two women eventually find out that Mrs.Wright committed this terrible crime, but they help her out in little ways (bringing her quilt to jail) and big ways (hiding evidence). They were able to relate to how Mrs.Wright was feeling, and felt sympathy for her. What also stood out to me was how the men neglected all of the little things, when really they should have been investigating Mrs.Wright's sewing box and other tasks around the house. Only the two women were smart enough to come across those things, because women understand each other. I thought it was interesting how the two women could tell what Mrs.Wright was feeling at the time, based only on her belongings and faint memories of her in the past. The men should have been asking the women about the crime, but they were too ignorent to take it into consideration.
"As Children Together"
The part that struck me about this passage was the white shavings mentioned in the beginning and at the end. The white shavings seems to be associated with the drunken father, who may or may not have been abusive and violent. At the end, the shavings are mentioned again, except in refferal to Victoria's husband (instaed of her father). This shows that Victoria got exactly what she didn't want in the end, which was to be living in a household like the one where she grew up. She wasn't in Paris living some glamourous life, but back in the same town, living with a husband exactly like her father. To me, the image of the white shavings is depressing because it represents the life that Victoria was trying to leave. It was sad to see them mentioned again at the end, because it sort of represents that she was unsuccessful in attaining her goal.