Secrets revealed at death destroy towns and people. In the book Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, citizens tell their deepest secrets in their epitaph. An epitaph is a phrase or form of words written in memory of a person who has died. By reading the epitaphs of the people of Spoon River, readers can associate them with one another. In Spoon River Anthology, the characters are connected through webs that lead them back to each other. An example is Minerva Jones and Busch Wegley, the men who impregnated Minerva and later got karma. Many characters in the Spoon River Anthology had hidden attributes and secrets that affected them. Love is one of the most meaningful words. Emily Sparks is a teacher at Spoon River. She states, “The boy …show more content…
His wife called herself his own name and abused him. This is significant because, back in the day, wives were known as workers. She made it very clear that she wore the “pants” in the relationship. Fear can make humans unstable, causing them to harm themselves. Karma is the actions that may eventually revolve around hurting themselves. Many characters in Spoon River Anthology, such as Butch Woundly and Dora Williams, experience karma. Dora was a rich snob who killed husbands for money, and Butch was a man who tortured others. In the text, it says, “My eyes burn crisp like a couple of eggs.” (Butch Wedley, line 14). This is a significant quote because he made others blind, and his becoming blind was powerful. Another piece of text evidenced from Butch Wedley's epitaph is, “Down I came with both legs broken.” (Butch Wedley, line 13). Butch Wedley was the man who impregnated Minerva Jones. Minerva Jones was grooming from the legs, so Karma returned and broke both legs. Dora Williams states, “He poisoned me, I think.” (Dora Williams, line 20). Dora eventually dies from a husband who wants to take her wealth. This is karma because she killed her husband or their