Ollie+McGee+(Claudia

Ollie McGee Read by Claudia Photo by Claudia

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Silence is fatal; however, at times it seems to be the only alternative. In The Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, Ollie Mcgee from the outside is reticent and mute, but from the inside is hollering the pain that she desperately tries to hold back. Ollie Mcgee holds one secret word: abuse. This makes a change in Ollie, “The face of what I was the face of what he made/me” (line 8) In this quote, we see her husband changes her in a way that she is no longer the person she was before. She is desolate and in a deep depression, with no hope of changing her life or speaking up. Ollie Mcgee faces abuse, silence, anger, and bitter sorrow that leads to her vengeful death. Ollie Mcgee faces the abuse from her husband. She has withheld the pain that her husband delivers to her everyday. “My secret thoughts were fingers. /they flew behind her pensive brow, /And lined it deep with pain.” (lines 10, 11, and 12 Fletcher Mcgee) In this quote, a person can recognize the abuse Ollie Mcgee feels. The abuse was not only a mental abuse, but also physical pain. She hides the bruises to leave no trace of her pain, yet she also hides her emotions. Will she be able to hold her pain and emotions in silence? Ollie Mcgee remains unspoken. Her husband’s abuse causes her to be silent and mute. “That is my husband, who by secret cruelty/ Never to be told” (line 3 and 4) In the quote, the phrase “never to be told” has a strong meaning. It explains how the abuse was a dark secret. The abuse numbed her words and filled her life with silence. She could not find the confidence to defend herself, for all her dignity had been taken. Ollie McGee’s silence has led to anger. Her hatred grows, for she realizes her mistake. All this time she had been silent, she should have spoken up. “Robbed me of my youth and my/ beauty” (Line 3 and 4) In this quote, we see the effect abuse has on her. When she dies, she does not at feel peace. Her weight after all these years is not lifted. Instead of being silent she seems angry. She has been taken from her pride and dignity. The majority of her life has been blocked from the happiness of the world. She begins to question whether she has deserved this, what to do, and whether she should change the outcome of what happens. The anger rises, revenge has enters her mind. The anger impacts her so much, she begins to seek revenge. Fletcher Mcgee, “I hid me in a corner-- /And then she died and haunted me,/ And hunted me for life.”(line 16) The pain, silence, and anger led to her vengefulness. Although revenge may seem cruel, to Ollie it was getting back to all the pain she had felt years before. She haunted her husband, scaring him and returning the pain he has given her. “Fighting like seven devils.” In this quote, her husband describes the haunting, as a fight, a constant conflict between him and his wife. The revenge makes Ollie regain the confidence she loses, then gains. Ollie Mcgee surpasses various obstacles in her life such as abuse, silence, anger, and bitter sorrow that leads to revenge and her death. Ollie Mcgee had many roles in her life. One is the happy and independent woman she is before her marriage. Then, there is the amorous role she plays in the life of her husband. Fletcher McGee, “She took the pity from my heart/ and made it in to smiles.” (lines 7 and 8) However, there is also the blackness that surrounds her day by day. The abuse leads her to surpass an emotional stage, and a vengeful haunting. Ollie Mcgee is seen as a unique woman with rising emotions, but is that who she really is? Sources: Masters, Edgar Lee. “Ollie and Fletcher Mcgee.” The Spoon River Anthology  New York; MacMillan, 1946. 19.