Characters
The main characters in the short story “Death by Scrabble” by Charlie Fish are the husband and the wife. They are unnamed, mostly because of the author’s decision to make their characters archetypal and universal. This way, the author makes it possible for readers to imagine that the same scene could take place anywhere, between any husband and wife who are frustrated with their lives together.
The husband
The husband is the main character in the story and the one from whose perspective we get to know the events. His outer characterization is very brief, and we only find out about his age: “I'm 42 years old”. Because he mentions “spending money” and activities like “climbing Mount Kilimanjaro” or “sailing the Vendee Globe on a 60-foot clipper”, we can assume that the man is quite rich. However, he does not do any of these things, but spends his Sunday inside, playing Scrabble.
Inner characterization
The man’s inner characterization reveals his feelings for his wife: “It's a hot day and I hate my wife”. In fact, the word “hate” is repeated five times in the story, every time in connection to the man’s feelings for the woman:
I watch my wife's smug expression as she rearranges her letters. Clack, clack, clack. I hate her. If she wasn't around, I'd be doing something interesting right now. I'd be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. I'd be starring in the latest Hollywood blockbuster. I'd be sailing the Vendee Globe on a 60-foot clipper called the New Horizons - I don't know, but I'd be doing something.
From the above fragment, we also get to know that the man blames his wife for his inability to do something with his life and enjoy his days. This is why he plans to kill her. Interestingly enough, this idea comes immediately after the man notices that his wife is beating him in the Scrabble game: “She plays JINXED, with the J on a double-letter score. 30 points. She's beating me already. Maybe I should kill her.”
In a way, this plan comes as a result of his frustration that he probably feels his wife beats him at everything, including at a simple game. The man’s frustration is also noticeable when he is depicted chewing on the Scrabble tiles, a gesture which also indicates an obsessive behavior.
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The wife
Just like her husband, the wife in the story is unnamed because she represents the archetypal character of the woman oblivious to her husband’s wishes and concerned with her own issues. Her outer characterization is not given in the short story, but we can assume that her age is close to that of her husband.
Inner characterization
The woman’s inner characterization is presented entirely from her husband’s point of view, but it initially shows her as being determined to win the Scrabble game. She is “smug” as she plays the game and arranges her letters, something which triggers her husband despising her. In fact, she is rather skilled at the game because she always has a winning hand against her husband:
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