Edgar Lee Masters 'Spoon River' By Edgar Lee Masters

Behind the smiling, jolly faces of the townspeople in the small town of Spoon River, every last one of them harbors a secret they would kill to keep hidden. Spoon River Anthology is a collection of multiple stories written by Edgar Lee Masters, depicting a small town and the lives of its people behind closed doors. Masters progresses the story by revealing each person's dirty secrets one by one, while the reader connects each individual epitaph. As the reader learns more about the characters, it becomes clearer what each character represents. The story is composed of many experiences and connects each person to another. Throughout the epitaphs, a number of townspeople meet their demise through various experiences. The people of Spoon River

Meyers. He is a well-respected town doctor who faces ruin due to fear. Minerva approaches him in her time of need, asking him to perform an illegal procedure so she does not have to give birth. He agrees, not out of genuine concern, but because he wants to maintain his reputation for helping others. It is a lose-lose situation for him. If he refuses, his reputation suffers. If he helps and the procedure fails, the outcome is the same. Meyers reflects, “No other man, unless it was Doc Hill/ Did more for the people of this town than I,” (1-2). He chooses to proceed with the procedure. Minerva dies as a result, and Dr. Meyers’s reputation is tarnished. This quote reveals his sense of unfairness and the fear of being unjustly judged. While fear influences many of their actions, the karma they face is often severe. Many people in Spoon River experience karma as a result of their actions. This is evident in Butch Weldy’s epitaph. Butch is a handsome young man known for breaking girls’ hearts. Minerva Jones is one of his victims, but her fate is worse than the others. After taking advantage of her loneliness, she becomes pregnant and dies trying to obtain an abortion. Minerva’s epitaph mentions that she loses feeling in her legs before her body goes numb. Butch Weldy’s epitaph describes his fate, “and I shot up as the tank exploded/ and down I came with both legs broken,” (Line 11-12). The similarity between Minerva’s and

Another example of karma is shown in Dora’s epitaph. Dora, who loves Reuben Pantier, finds herself abandoned by him. She begins to despise men and marries wealthy men, only to kill them for their riches. When she finally marries a man she believes loves her, he turns out to be interested only in her wealth. Dora explains, “I wed Count Navigato, native of Genoa./ We went to Rome, he