Throughout both “Long Day 's Journey into Night” by Eugene O 'Neill and “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell the women in these plays were both happy at some point in the past but, traditional values such as marriage took their life in an opposite direction than they both imagined. Both Mary and Minnie Foster led happy lives before this and continued to live unhappy lives after marriage. In many ways, the use of symbolism characterizes each character state and summaries their life as it is now. Therefore, the foghorn and the bird cage symbolize each woman’s perspective of marriage and their relationship with the past.
For Minnie Foster her life seemed to be lively and cheerful before she marries John. Mrs. Hale mentions “She use to wear pretty clothes and be lively when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls singing in the choir. But that was thirty years ago,” (Glaspell 479-480) As time went on it is clear that Minnie identity of being Ms. Foster quickly evolved into Mrs. Wright a woman that Mrs. Hale never new. Minnie identity and her dress code suggest that she was free before mirage and once Mrs. Hale says “Wright was close. I think
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Hence for Minnie her home never seemed to be very cheerful place. Mrs. Hales even goes to mention “I never liked the place. Maybe cause it’s down in a hollow and you don’t see the road. It’s a lonesome place and always was.” (Glaspell 482). The place being far off from the community or other house specifies and cut her off from the community. For Mary, she never had a real home, her home is only a summer home. She states “I’ve never felt it was my home. It was wrong from the start. Everything was done in the cheapest way.” (O’Neill 948). Mary was very much ashamed of her home and her husband hated calling people and receiving them. She also states that her husband never wanted a home so she never had no place to attached herself to and a place to be comfortable