In the Spoon River Anthology series, two of Edgar Lee Masters’ poems are about two characters named Lucinda Matlock and George Gray. In these poems, Masters describes Lucinda Matlock as being vivacious and lively while describing George Gray as dull and monotonous; despite differences, both characters seem to have the same philosophy on life. These two characters are similar and different in many ways, including tone and characterization. Although these characters differ throught the ways they live their lives, both Lucinda and George share the tone of reflection by the way they describe their past.
In “Lucinda Matlock,” the character Lucinda was percieved to have a very eventful life. She is genuinely positive knowing she has lived long
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Masters gave Lucinda a name that sounded bright and glittery to coencide with her bright and glittery personality and behavior. During her ninety-six years on earth, she was married for seventy years, gave birth to twelve children, had eight children pass away before her, and nursed the sick back to health. With all of this being said, Lucinda was satisfied because she experienced all that life had to offer her. Unlike Lucinda, George Gray was extremely regretful with the way he lived his life. Masters constantly reffered to George’s boring lifestyle by expressing “It is a boat longing for the sea, and yet afraid.” This quote accurately describes George’s life because he longed for the meaning in life, yet was too afraid to search for it. While these two characters are fairly opposite, they share few similarties. Both Lucinda and George are from the small town of Spoon River, both are reflecting on how they lived their lives from beyond the grave, and both agree on the philosophy that the audience must live life in order to enjoy it. The pair understand that the audience will never truly experience life in its entire being until they not only experience the positives that it brings, but that they experience the negatives that it brings as well. In summary, both “Lucinda Matlock” and “George Gray” are poems written to explain the philosophy “You must live life to