COURSE

JOURNAL

Maria Campos Prieto

NIUB: 20293792
Literatures dels Estats Units dels segles XX i XXI
Course: 2022-2023
TRIFLES, SUSAN GLASPELL

Trifles was published in 1916 by Susan Glaspell. I acquired this

work thanks to the University of Barcelona and its virtual
platform called "Virtual Campus". When I got this book, I
thought it would deal with racism, as it had been a recurring
theme throughout the course. Its vocabulary and structure are
simple and allow the reader to understand the story without
difficulty.

When I started reading, it didn't take me long to understand the

symbolism of the bird. In my opinion, birds symbolize freedom,
the free spirit. Furthermore, the situations of the characters made
me think that sometimes in life we can't be who we really want

be. We can be influenced by other people or by some situations that can be very
difficult, but even so, we all have our essence.

One of the concepts that I did not understand during the reading is when at the end of
the story, Miss Hale answers: “We call it-knot it, Mr. Henderson”. When I looked it up
on Google, I understood that it was referring to the connection and solidarity of the
women in the work and, in turn, it was referring to the murder.

While reading the novel, it seemed very deep to me. She had the feeling that if the
women decided to protect Mrs. Wright, it was because they understood her and even
came to feel like her. In addition, I realized that they were all aware that men looked
down on them, and the union between them, made them be stronger.

After reading, I thought a lot about the concept of sisterhood. I decided to search for an
article on Google that talked about it, and I found the page “Study Corgi”
(https://studycorgi.com/sisterhood-in-susan-glaspells-trifles-play/). There I found an
essay that commented that the women had mentioned that they were friends but, that
over time they had stopped caring for them, even though they were aware that they were
not well. When the ladies discover the dead bird in the sewing box, they discover the
truth. As they understand the suffering of Mrs. Wright, they realize that they can only
bear the loneliness and mistreatment they receive from men if they are united. They are
willing to risk their lives, to go to jail to defend women. This idea reminded me of the
union of women in feminist suffrage.

THE SNOWS OF KILIMANJARO, ERNEST HEMINGWAY

The Snows of Kilimanjaro was published in 1936 by Ernest Hemingway. I acquired this
work thanks to the University of Barcelona and its virtual platform called "Virtual
Campus". When I got this book, I thought it would be about the white man's
insensitivity to racism. I understood the title in a figurative sense: The coldness of the
Americans towards people of colour.

When I started the book, I didn't understand it. I was missing information about the
main characters and its context, but when I kept reading I understood the story better,
and it reminded me of some attitudes of people in real life. Harry reminded me of those
people who only care about luxury and money. I honestly think that even if you have all
that, you will really live on the memories you have of the people who have been by your
side, of the people you love the most. He also reminded me that there are people who
sometimes forget what it takes to achieve something and what a great reward it has. It is
a superficial world that makes people insensitive.

It reminded me of my favourite series: Bones. One of the protagonists is a millionaire,

and in one of the seasons a dangerous serial killer and hacker snatches all his money and
ruins him. In the end, this character recognizes that he has learned that he doesn't care
about being poor, that as long as he has his wife, his son, his friends and his job, the rest
doesn't matter. He learned to live without money because that didn't define him.
When I finished the book, I didn't understand the symbolism of the novel and Harry's
character, he seemed like an unpleasant man. So, I decided to google and found an
article written by Nasrullah Mambroll (https://literariness.org/2021/06/19/analysis-of-
ernest-hemingways-the-snows-of-kilimanjaro/). This article made me realize that Harry
had lost his talent through laziness and overindulgence. I also noticed that Hemingway
had made autobiographical allusions, and also he had problems with productivity as a
writer. On the other hand, I understood that the scavengers of this work announce the
death of Harry and Kilimanjaro could mean the possibility of ascending again and
being who he was.

THE JEWBIRD, BERNARD MALAMUD

The Jewbird was published in 1963 by Bernard

Malamud. I acquired this work thanks to the
University of Barcelona and its virtual platform
called "Virtual Campus". When I got this book, I
thought it would be a critique of the Nazis and that
it would tell about the life of the Jews. The book is
easy to understand, it does not have a difficult
vocabulary.

When I started this work, it reminded me of people

who have forgotten who they are and where they
came from, and so end up committing the same
crime as their oppressors.
The Schwartz bird just wanted to run away, so he could live in peace. Mr. Cohen forgets
that he is also Jewish and that he had to live through all that pain. Instead of
empathizing with him, Mr. Cohen commits the same hate crimes and marginalization as
his oppressors.

While reading the novel, I thought of Song of Solomon’s novel. In one chapter they
mention that the main character has forgotten who he is and where he comes from and
has turned his back on his community. I really liked Mr. Cohen's critique of values and
his lack of empathy.

When I finished this book I thought that Mr. Cohen was unconsciously rejecting the
community from him and I wanted to look for more information to understand the Mr.
Cohen and Schwartz rivalry. Since I liked Narsullah Mambroll's article on The Snows
of Kilimanjaro, I decided to read the article on The Jewbird
(https://literariness.org/2021/05/27/analysis-of-bernard-malamuds-the-jewbird/). This
article made me understand that Mr. Cohen is a Jew who wants to forget his old values
and therefore forgets his roots. However, Schwartz has these old Jewish values and
that's why they have this rivalry. The article has helped me to understand that in the end,
Mr. Cohen becomes the anti-Semite that Schwartz wanted to flee from. He seems ironic
to me as someone who has suffered the same, he commits the same crime as his own
oppressors. Mr. Cohen hadn’t learnt anything, nor did he understand it.

CONCLUSION

Trifles and The Jewbird teach the concept of community and teach that if the
community joins, the community is stronger and can fight their oppressors. In addition,
the three novels teach that one must never forget his or her origins. It is important to
remember who you are and where you came from so as not to repeat the same mistakes
and to avoid becoming the one you hated and who had been your oppressor for a long
time.

In my opinion, all three texts have a great message. We have to remember the people we
love and also the place where we grow. Those people and that place will remind us of
our essence and who we are when, spiritually speaking, we are lost. It is also important
not to live in a superficial world, where superiority, arrogance, and money reign. We all
have to be equal, our income, our colour or our religion don't matter. No one is more
than anyone, we all deserve love and respect.