Two Plays

I hope everyone has been doing well!

Not exactly the opposites that Varinka and Byelinkov are,
but still opposites!

We're reading and acting out plays in Professor Patton's class, so I wanted to comment on some of them. A lot of people in class said Byelinkov and Varinka's marriage will be unsuccessful, or at least unhappy, but I actually disagree. It is a common saying that "opposites attract" and people don't get very much more different than those two! Varinka is so lighthearted and innocent, while Byelinkov seems very OCD. He is so inflexible and particular about his life. I can see why my classmates would think their marriage would be unhappy, since these two contrast so much. However, there are so many relationships with this kind of dynamic.

A free spirited girl or woman is rarely seen with a free spirited man. One is generally more down to earth and careful with decisions. The relationships I can think of all have quite different people involved. I wonder why that is. Why don't people with similar personalities attract each other? Maybe it's because everyone wants something different. I guess it would be tiring to only hear your thoughts and never any other opinions.

I think Varinka likes a challenge, too. She wants to change Byelinkov and try to make him a happier man. On the web, there are uncountable pages for women about changing the men they are with. I just typed "try to change him" into Google, and there came out so many results!

Varinka appears to have good intentions by trying to make Byelinkov's life cheerier and I think he will put up much resistance, but he will change slightly with her help. He may not become the free child Varinka is, but I bet some of his lifestyle will change.

Byelinkov's last actions are really odd. I don't really know what they mean; either it's foreshadowing hope for a sustainable relationship where he is going to soften up a bit, or it shows his inability to keep from sticking to his old habits. Those two options are quite opposites, I think. Huh.

"The Sound of a Voice" was quite enthralling. I feel as though people could make many different interpretations of what everything means. I wouldn't know how to interpret the play further from what the introduction says--that the play shows men with "their fear of losing themselves in love" and women fearing loneliness. It's interesting how the man tests himself by going to the woman in the first place. Perhaps this is trying to say that men battle with themselves when they enter relationships, trying to be consumed by love. I found an interesting article that explains why men fear relationships. It says the main source is fear of rejection and shame. I don't know which psychological notions to trust, though, since it seems like even extremely crazy ideas have some merit. Huh, symbols are so confusing, but I like how they let you interpret them however you like!

Good bye now!

Angie :)

Mikhail Baryshnikov

Plays are interesting extension of literature. A lot of how they get interpreted comes from the actors and actresses, which has sits pros and cons. It's strange how Mikhail Baryshnikov was chosen to play Byelinkov. I don't think he'll be able to accurately portray Byelinkov's traditional views. Byelinkov is supposed to be quite conservative and not stray too far from what he's used to, which means male dancers are probably not acceptable to him. Choosing someone so different from the character as the actor doesn't seem particularly smart. Baryshnikov is probably naturally more open minded, and it would be hard to hide this even when acting.

Inflexible Byelinkov

I personally don't believe Byelinkov will enjoy his marriage. By tearing up his note, he made it clear that he wasn't open to altering his routine life. Encasing the ripped up note in an envelope just furthers this statement. The play is called "Man in a Case" for a reason--he will always keep to his habit of preserving all his belongings to get the most use out of them, which says he is not willing to change. I don't blame him; routines are rather efficient. Keeping to a regular schedule ensures productivity.
This play doesn't seem particularly feminist. The woman is portrayed as a little girl trying to marry a sophisticated man. Although she rides a bike, which may have seemed liberating and progressive at the time, she doesn't display many mature characteristics. She is only focused on making her future husband happy. This seems to further the subjective role of the woman, to me at least. I believe feminism is characterized by advancing the woman's role in society, not by pleasing men.
"The Sound of a Voice" also seems to have gender tensions. In the beginning, the woman keeps to her traditional role as a caretaker and the man tries to show his masculinity by chopping wood. However, when he plays with his belly, he seems to display a more feminine side to him. Men are "supposed" to be strong and confident, with few insecurities. Women, on the other hand, are stereotyped to care more about appearances and superficial situations. As the man's "womanly" side starts to show, he desperately attempts to hold onto his "strong" side by practicing swordplay and playing with his life.

"The Sound of a Voice" may have an Asian background, but I believe it can be applied to anyone. While it is impossible to characterize everyone with one description, there are aspects of this play in most people. There will always be a struggle for power in any relationship. For example, the issue of states rights has been going on ever since the U.S. declared independence! Power might just be the cause of the end of humanity. All these big corporations and industries are exploiting our world's resources to have the biggest influence. Crazy.

Deb.