Minerva+Jones

"Minerva Jones" read by Yadi photo: "Sad" Michael Smith “Edgar Lee Masters’s Spoon River Anthology”, talks about dead people’s lives. Minerva is well known for the poems she wrote for the village of Spoon River. She is also the daughter of Indignation Jones. Then one day, her life changes forever. She is teased and abused by many people. Minerva has no way to stand up for herself. She lets people play with her like a mistreated doll. Minerva’s frail personality made her become the broken,intimidated, hurt person she was.

Minerva is broken because of her frail personality. In the poem Minerva is different from other people. She is made fun of for the way she looks and walks. Minerva said she was, “hooted at, jeered at by the yahoos of the street / For [her] heavy body, cock-eye, and rolling walk” (line 2-3).Minerva is overweight, has squinted eyes, and weird walking. Minerva is broken and has nothing in her life to help her be put back together or bring her hopes up again for the person she is. she is not cared for by anyone except her father and Doctor Meyers. Doctor Meyers is the village’s doctor that everyone loves and respects. This led her to living a long slow life with nothing to build her confidence.

 Minerva’s frail personality led her to the intimidated woman she is. Minerva was already made fun of. The day that brought her to fear, relates to what the women these days are going through. Minerva said, “Butch Weldy / captured [her] after a brutal hunt” (line 4-5). She is abused and raped by a brutal or cruel man. This brought her to fear. There is nothing she could do about it. As a fragile person she could not escape without getting hurt again. Her father says “Minerva, [his] / daughter, / Whom [he] tormented and drove to death” (Indignation Jones, lines 17-19).He had fear as well in losing her by death. She is in fear when she thinks about getting an abortion. Minerva’s life slowly dies in fear and pain.

 Minerva is a hurt woman because of her frail personality. Minerva is hurt mentally and physically. She is teased for the way she looks, and that puts her in fear and shame in herself. she is abused and taken to doctor Meyers with lots of pain from the baby and shame. Doctor Meyers says, “[He] tried to help her out--- she died” (Doctor Meyers, Line 11). Doctor Meyers does as he is told and aborts Minerva’s baby. He failed and killed her. Before the abortion her mind was in fright. Minerva has nothing good to say about her life anymore. At the end it says “she thirst so for love! / she hungers so for life!” (lines 13-14). Minerva is implying that she has no love from anyone and has nothing to live for anymore.

 Minerva is a broken, intimidated, hurt person because of her frail personality. She has a life that many people can identify now. Doctor Meyers tried to save her from her worries but could not succeed. When she died, she died with the pain she had when she was alive. Minerva does not want people to remember her like the person that was teased and raped, but the person that wrote all those village poems that she wants to put in the village newspaper. Masters, Edgar Lee. "The Hill." //The Spoon River Anthology//. New York, Macmillan: 1946. 1-2media type="custom" key="11224512"