Mrs. Stevenson is a character who eventually evokes quite
a bit of pity from the audience. At first she seems to be a wealthy, perhaps spoiled,
lady who lays around and gossips on the telephone. Later, we learn that she is really a
lonely, bedridden shut-in whose husband is planning her
murder.
This murder plot is revealed when Mrs. Stevenson
attempts to use the telephone, and the wires somehow get crossed. She, along with the
audience, is slowly pulled into the plot, slowly understanding that the mastermind is
her husband, and slowly realizing that she is the intended
victim.
Most people can empathize with a feeling of
helplessness and vulnerability, and most people are afraid of being alone at night and
suddenly finding that somebody else is there! As a result, the audience identifies
with Mrs. Stevenson and feels both pity and fear for her.
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