How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #4
MRS. HALE: (examining the skirt) Wright was close. I think maybe that's why she kept so much to herself. (58)
Here, we learn that Mrs. Wright basically had no friends. We wonder if it was Mr. Wright that kept her confined to the house, or if she somehow confined herself out of sheer depression and lack of self esteem. A little of both maybe? Which idea do you think the play most supports?
Quote #5
MRS. HALE: [...] She used to wear pretty clothes and be lively, when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls singing in the choir. (58)
This detail of Mrs. Wright's past stands out in sharp contrast to her stifled life with Mr. Wright. Throughout, the play seems to equate singing with freedom. We get it. We never feel freer than when we're belting out "Let It Go" in the shower. In many works of literature, singing (and music in general) is shown as giving human beings a brief moment of escape from whatever is going on in their lives.
Quote #6
MRS. PETERS: She said she wanted an apron. Funny thing to want, for there isn't much to get you dirty in jail, goodness knows. But I suppose just to make her feel more natural. (59)
Oh, we have so many questions about this apron. First, it's not much of a leap to see the apron as a symbol of a woman's enslavement to the kitchen, right? Okay, so if Mrs. Wright felt imprisoned in her kitchen, why would she want the symbolic apron to comfort her in real-deal jail? You could interpret this as meaning that Mrs. Wright actually didn't feel confined in her kitchen. Or course, you could also see this as showing just how brainwashed women were into accepting their restrictive roles as homemakers.