Indignation+Jones

"Indignation Jones" Read by: Kevin Photo by: Kevin media type="custom" key="11173020"

Kevin Leon 11/2/11

Hollow Soul  In “The Spoon River Anthology” by Edgar Lee Masters, Indignation Jones was not a very wealthy man. He was a carpenter and, in his opinion, he had a “slattern” (line 17) for a wife and a daughter named Minerva. Indignation was “pure-blood” (line 3) and was well educated, but others couldn't see that. After his daughter was tormented and driven to death, both things led to him to become antisocial.  To begin with, Indignation was a pure-blooded person, but his appearances deceived everyone because he wasn’t very wealthy. “You would not believe, would you/That [he] came from good welsh stock?/That [he] was purer blooded than the white trash here?” (lines 2-3) He thought his heritage was better than the others. He also believed that he was more important because of that, but nobody agreed because of his job. His employment was not great, so everyone did not believe he was a pure-blood.  However, Indignation’s education was not expressed through his every day personality. He was a mere carpenter, which means he did not make a lot of money. “Here was [Indignation], a carpenter, mired in a bog of life” (lines 15) He felt as if his life was slowly ending.  Losing his daughter, Minerva, caused Indignation to become distraught. Minerva died when she attempted to abort a child after she was raped. In “Minerva Jones”, Indignation's daughter, describes how “Butch Weldy/Captured her after a brutal hunt.” (lines 4-5) after all of this, he “crept, crept like a snail through the days/of [his] life.” (lines 20-21) He uses the word crept twice to show his sorrow. He grieves so much, his life slows down.  Additionally, Indignation abandoned his life and became antisocial until death came for him. He left his wife and everything else behind. ”No more do you hear [his] footsteps in the morning,/Resounding the hollow sidewalk/going to the grocery store for a little corn meal/And a nickel's worth of bacon.” (lines 22-23) This shows that he had died because you cannot hear him anymore. Now, he is unable to go and do what he used to do anymore.  Indignation was not the riches or happiest person because of many complications in his life. He was not seen as his true-self and was depressed because of his daughter’s death. He is now, and forever will be, a hollow soul.

work cited Masters, Edgar Lee. "Indignation Jones." //Spoon river Anthology.// New York: McMillan, 1946. 23.

Masters, Edgar Lee. "Minerva Jones." Spoon River Anthology. New York: McMillan 1946. 22