Machinal

I had to post a blog entry about the book we read in class, Machinal. This was one of the best plays that I have ever read. It was simple, easy, and straight to the point. This type of book is predictable, but still exciting, it kept me off my seat. In the future I would like to read up on some other plays from Sophie Treadwell.

A typical woman in a machine-like world (Machinal French for Machine), which has a normal life as a worker in the office. She is pressured from her mother to marry her boss because of his money, to support her mother. She is not in love with this man and I think this is the main part that starts the conflict in her life. After having an unwanted child with a man who she is not in love with, she has an affair with a man she meets in a bar. After this man tells her the key points on how he murders people (a glass bottle filled with stones), she falls in love with this man. The scene jumps to the courtroom where she is questioned if she killed her husband. After specific details are asked to her, she gave in and admitted that she did indeed kill him. Sophie Treadwell (author) makes us think her death is not going to be painful, but in the end the young woman suffers greatly.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. I would like to see a play or movie on it. One point I want to say is that I tried to mention about the murder scene in class, I think I was just confused. I think to make some episodes in this play more interesting if one episode would be the murder of her husband. The description and details to lead us on to the courtroom scene. Most of predicted what was going to happen at the end of the play, so why not add this scene in.

Here is my review on Barnes and Noble

...Stefanie, a freshman at Seton Hill University, March 10, 2004,
Machinal....an outstanding piece of literature.
In my English college course, we were assigned to read Sophie Treadwell's play, 'Machinal.' This play is amazing. Its simple, sweet, and gets straight to the point. It does not lead you confused at the end (I like those kind of books). This play is very predictable, but that is what makes it exciting. I sat on the edge of my seat while reading this because it jumps from episode to episode and every time it jumps, it gets more interesting. In a machine-like world, the young woman is pressured to marry a man who she is not even in love with. Also, is pressured to have a child, which she does not want, and pressured by her work force and machine-like society that she lives in. Every little part of this book surprised me sometimes, on some parts, but I will leave it for you to find out yourself how good this play is.