Machinal

Last night my theatre group went to an interesting play. Machinal was performed by the theatre studies students at Acadia University in the nearby town of Wolfville. We agreed that it was a very gutsy performance from a group of young people. The understanding and maturity they brought to the play was nothing short of amazing and speaks well of the director and the English department at Acadia.

In a nutshell, Machinal by Sophie Treadwell is a play about a young woman who murders her husband and is sentenced to death in the electric chair. It is set in the late 1920's or early 1930's. Apparently, although a work of fiction, it was inspired by the real life events surrounding Ruth Snyder who was tried for murder and executed in this manner in the United States in 1928. Snyder had a lover who helped her commit the crime in order to get insurance money. In Machinal, that's not the motivation. What then is it? Why does she kill her husband? Is she being abused and beaten like Farrrah Fawcett in the movie The Burning Bed? No, not in the slightest. Her husband, while not the most physically attractive man, is the owner of a successful company where she was once employed. Although he is not terribly "empathetic" ( a term bandied about loosely these days), he is not mean or vindictive or a bully. The young woman in the play finds a lover, and in a rather ironic twist, kills her sleeping husband with the vase holding pebbles that was a memento from her lover. Well, we might wonder, why didn't she just get a divorce? why such a drastic 'solution'? Is she emotionally unbalanced? is she a product of her age/the times? did she have a cold domineering mother? or is she selfish neurotic and cold-hearted? These are some of the avenues explored in the play and my group seemed to be quite sympathetic to the young woman. I don't think anyone felt she deserved "the chair"; however, the play left us with a feeling of ambivalence and a strange sense of disquiet.

Ten Reasons for Joining a Book Club

Recently, my book discussion group, a.k.a. "the Litwits," came up with the ten best reasons for joining our group. This is what we came up with:

Ten BEST reasons for joining LITWITS

10. You will make new friends

9. You will enjoy the exchange of ideas

8. You can keep up to date on new books

7. You will appreciate the scintillating conversation

6. You will be helping preserve a threatened art – reading

5. You will be helping to keep the Annapolis Valley library system in operation

4. You will be supporting “buy local”- Box of Delights and Coles book stores

3. You will have a reason to get off your duff and go out in winter

2. You will get to sample Helen’s sandwiches

And…… the NUMBER 1 Reason to join Litwits……………

1. You will generate future donations for our Book Sale!

If Winter Come, Then Enjoy

I'm reminded of the saying "if winter come, can spring be far behind?" This old adage may be understood metaphorically, but it rather implies that "winter" is a season to be endured, to be wished away as quickly as possible.

Thousands of people in Canada can't stand winter and leave for the warmer south. There is something to be said for those sentiments and solutions when plans for the day are disrupted by a storm, the wind is swirling the snow into drifts, the streets are too icy for walking, or everything has turned into a slushy mess.

But surely winter must have its good side and it does indeed. Sometimes I even like it better than summer. Right now I'm looking out at a tree glistening in the sunlight, the sky is blue with a few wispy clouds, and the air is still. There's beauty around, it's a good day for a walk or a ski or a drive. What else do I enjoy about winter? It's a fine time for trying new recipes;warming up by a woodstove or fireplace; sipping a cup of hot chocolate; knitting or sewing or painting. Why, it's even a good time for blog entries!