Machinal

Analysis

 

Sophie Treadwell's Machinal is a literary work that sticks with the reader for ages to come. She is able to capture the different phases of life of the main character that many women face as well. The woman's somber life is one that makes the reader feel pity for her, almost allowing the muder at the conclusion of the play to become justifiable. 

 

Treadwell uses a stream of consciousness throughout the play. This shows the reader every thought of the main character as it occurs. It allows the audience to see the intentions of the young woman, as well as her worries and sense of panic throughout the play. The reader goes through these feelings with the young woman and begins to feel her sense of lifelessness. Treadwell is able to allow the reader into the mind of a woman in the early 1920's who is in need of financial security and a husband, but desires a life that is so much more than going through the motions.

 

Repetition is an important literary device in this play. Treadwell uses repetition throughout the play to show the urgency of the young woman's thoughts. This urgency is due to her feeling of being trapped and that her life has already been decided for her. Treadwell captures this perfectly, and it is easy to see where the woman's anxiety stems from.

 

By naming the play "Machinal", Treadwell brings to the surface a topic that is often not discussed in our day and age. It is so often that people will go through the motions of life doing what they normally do and know to be right by society's standards that they neglect what is actually important. People become distracted so easily, and it can make life seem boring. Sometimes it is necessary to unplug from the world we live in today and step back to smell the roses.