MRS HALE: (eyes fixed on a loaf of bread beside the bread-box, which is on a low shelf at the other side of the room. Moves slowly toward it.) She was going to put this in there.
—Trifles, Susan Glaspell
What does the word fixed mean in the stage direction?
avoiding
correct
stuck
Which word has a similar meaning to fixed as it is used in the passage?
✔ focused
What effect does using fixed instead of one of its synonyms have on the play?
Fixed better shows intensity; Mrs. Hale thinks that the loaf of bread is very important.
Fixed tells the actor to stand very close to the bread-box; the bread-box does not move.
Fixed suggests that Mrs. Hale moves rigidly; she is nervous.
