Keep Tightly Closed in a Cool Dry Place: Analysis of Major Characters
"Keep Tightly Closed in a Cool Dry Place" is a compelling exploration of complex characters caught in a web of crime and moral ambiguity. The narrative centers on Jaspers, a young attorney grappling with his identity and the consequences of his actions following the murder of his wife. His character is marked by a blend of arrogance and introspection, as he contemplates the feelings of his victim while trying to manipulate his accomplices, Michaels and Gregory, to take the fall for the crime. Michaels, characterized as self-serving and opportunistic, initially collaborates with Jaspers but ultimately turns against him, revealing the transactional nature of their relationship. In contrast, Gregory, the assassin, embodies brutality and a struggle for autonomy, often dreaming of violent domination while resisting Jaspers' manipulation. The interplay among these characters raises questions about guilt, responsibility, and the psychological impact of their actions, presenting a rich tapestry of conflict and transformation. This intricate character analysis invites readers to reflect on deeper themes of power dynamics and moral choices within a tense, dramatic setting.
Keep Tightly Closed in a Cool Dry Place: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Megan Terry
First published: 1966, in Four Plays
Genre: Play
Locale: A jail cell
Plot: Absurdist
Time: The mid-1960's
Jaspers, a young attorney. Disturbed by the feeling that he was becoming too much like his wife and losing his own identity and by the idea that a woman would have an influence over their two sons, he had his wife murdered. Confined to a jail cell with his two accomplices, he enlists Michaels in an effort to bully Gregory into confessing sole responsibility for the crime. When that fails, he tries to enlist Gregory in a plot to railroad Michaels. Although he is aggressive, arrogant, and quite confident that he can save himself at the expense of his accomplices, and although he wants to appear insensitive, he has an introspective side. He wonders, for example, what his wife felt when she was being murdered. In the course of the action, he metamorphoses into General Custer torturing an Indian (Gregory), a young English boy dying at Jamestown, an aggressive drag queen, his own wife, and a priest. By becoming his wife, he experiences at first hand how she felt during the murder. As the priest, he expresses doubts about his own actions and motives.
Michaels, a large, self-seeking man. Michaels served as the middleman in setting up the murder of Mrs. Jaspers. He hired Gregory and is blamed by Jaspers for selecting an incompetent. Through most of the action, Michaels sides with Jaspers in his efforts at bullying and humiliating Gregory, although he doubts that Gregory can be persuaded to accept sole responsibility for the crime. After a sexual encounter with Jaspers, however, he turns against him, stating that he cooperated with Jaspers only for the money Jaspers promised him. During the translation scenes, the characters into which Michaels changes generally are subordinates of those that Jaspers becomes.
Gregory, a good-looking, brutal young man. Gregory is the killer Michaels hired; he confessed to the plot rather than go to jail alone. He spends most of the play trying to sleep, while Jaspers attempts to rouse him. As he sleeps, he dreams of perpetrating violent rape. He resists Jaspers' attempts to force him to sign a recantation of his confession but is willing to side with Jaspers against Michaels. During the transformation scenes, Gregory often becomes characters victimized by those that Jaspers becomes.