Trifles By Susan Glaspell Essay

The canary helps her remember the joy she had singing. The canary is something she could care for and love. ”If there had been years and years of nothing, then a bird to sing to you, it would be awful-still-after the bird was still” (Glaspell 557). The bird’s cage defines how when she marries Mr. Wright she became trapped in his cage. The broken door symbolizes that she was a broken woman barely hanging on to hope. Mr. Wright cruel and unjust treatment to her and the bird causes retaliation. When he snapped the canary’s neck she is forced to kill him.

Therefore, Mrs. Wright murdered her husband simply because he murdered her pet bird, and she did so the same way he murdered the bird, making the motive is unethical. Mrs. Hale finds a dead bird with a broken neck inside of Mrs. Wright’s sewing box wrapped in a cloth. Obviously as lonely as Mrs. Wright was the death of her bird would have been catastrophic for her. This is evidence of a motive proving Mrs. Wright killed her husband out of sheer revenge of the death of her bird, it was the last thing he was ever going to take away from her. Along with the broken cage Mrs. Peters states, “Why, look at this door. It’s broke. One hinge is pulled apart” (8). Then Mrs. Hale comments, “Looks like someone must have been rough with it” (8). This is how it happened, Mr. Wright came home from work in

The 1916 play Trifles by Susan Glaspell is a one act murder-mystery that showcases a range of characters that help to portray the undervaluing of women, their work, and their interests in society. The main plot revolves around farmer Lewis Hale, his wife, Sheriff Henry Peters, his wife, and county attorney George Henderson trying to figure out who could have strangled farmer John Wright in his bed and, more importantly, why. The true culprit is clear from the moment Hale begins to recount what occured the previous day. “...I opened the door--this door and there in that rocker--sat Mrs. Wright” (940). It isn’t until near the end, however, that Mrs. Wright’s motive is revealed. It is evident that Mrs. Wright did not enjoy her life with Mr.

Mrs. Wright 's life had changed over the years she has been married to John Wright. She could have been facing years of neglect by Mr. Wright. You can see how Mrs. Wright was treated by John through Mrs. Wright 's personal items. Mrs. Wright 's bird had been killed by her husband. The bird represents Mrs. Wright 's personality. Mrs. Wright used to be lively and wore pretty clothes. The bird is "sweet and pretty, but kind of timid" (108-109). The bird represents what Mrs. Wright used to be before she married John. Now that she is married to John, Mrs. Wright is lonely and depressed by years of John 's neglect. The sheriff, Lewis Hale, had shown disrespect towards her when he entered her house. Lewis

The play Trifles written by Susan Glaspell is a mystery story of a murder that takes place in a small farming town. At the time the play was written women in the united states were still not given the opportunity to vote. It is through the mystery of this murder that we find the role of gender to be a major factor throughout the entirety of the play. In the play, we are given tandems of females and males to follow as they seek to solve the mystery of how Mrs. Wright’s husband was murdered. The tandems are composed of Mr. and Mrs. Hale, neighboring farmers, the town sheriff and his wife as well as the court attorney, George Henderson. The first indication to the role of gender in this play is when the men split from the women in search

There was no doubt in their minds that Mr. Wright had snapped that bird’s neck because he couldn’t deal with its constant singing. This is an important point because it symbolizes how Mr. Wright killed all of the joy his wife had. The bird cage may represent how Mrs. Wright was confined in that old farmhouse. It is also a good connection to think about neck injuries. Mr. Wright is blamed for snapping his wife’s bird’s neck and shortly after he dies from a rope around his neck.

This birdcage was not though to be of any importance to the authorities. The men merely saw the empty birdcage and counted it as nothing that could be of use to them (Glaspell 609). Mrs. Wright lived in a cage too, except her cage had walls instead of bars, and a kitchen instead of a feeder. Both the home and cage should serve as secure and peaceful havens for their dwellers. The birdcage represents safety and the breaking of the birdcage symbolizes the breaking of the secure haven.

Oh, Mrs Peters—it’s—“ (560). Mrs. Peters then says, “It’s the bird…. Somebody— wrung—its—neck” (560). While the dead bird doesn't mean that Mrs. Wright murdered Mr. Wright it does suggest that she had “a motive; something to show anger, or— sudden feeling”

Peter and Mrs. Hale try to help Mrs. Wright by hiding the evidence of the killing of her husband. The two women felt sorry for Mrs. Wright because they understood the pain she went through. While the women were searching the through the home, they noticed an empty bird cage. The women end up finding the dead bird in a box that was put in Mrs. Wright’s sewing basket while they were searching through the sewing basket trying to find tools for the half-finished quilt they discovered. Even though Mrs. Wright was such a happy person, John hated seeing her always happy, so he also hated her bird too. The canary was a symbol of Mrs. Wright and how she was fighting for her freedom. Mrs. Wright was characterized by the bird, so when John kills the canary, this causes Mrs. Wright to break down and become broken, so a part of her dies as well. As a result of John killing the only thing that meant the most to Mrs. Wright, she decides to kill him. The many years of abuse by John and the loss of identity by Mrs. Wright caused her to snap. Just as the canary was broken, Mrs. Wright due ,to the abuse, fought back by killing her husband, thus freeing herself. Just as her friends identified with her unhappiness, they collected items that would prevent her from being found

In “Trifles”, written by Susan Glaspell, Mrs. Wright, a lonely isolated farm wife had come to a point of rebellion where she murdered her husband, in order to let herself free from him. She made herself independent from a marriage without love and kindness. She suffered from decades of negligence and punishment, which caused her to suffer emotionally and physically. The cruel effects and results of the treatment and isolation she suffered can be symbolized through the broken jars, bird, and cage in the play. In addition, the setting of the play portrays the specific views and ideals the townspeople had at the time and how it contributed to the decisions and actions people took. Glaspell establishes the mood by setting it during a specific time of year,

In the play "trifles" by Susan Glaspell a woman named Ms. Wright has been taken in as suspect for the murder of her husband and the play takes place as the detectives search her home for a motive. While the true murderer and their motive is never plainly stated through symbolism and small details within the play one is able to get a look into the thought process of Ms. Wright and realize her motive for killing her husband. The symbolism within the story also draws parallels to Ms. Wrights actions and those of the ones who cover up for Ms. Wright.

Mrs. Hale compres Minnie to a canary “She was kind of like a bird herself-real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and-fluttery” (Glaspell 1011) Birds are a symbol of freedom. They are meant to fly and be in constant movement. Their spirits are wild, and can not be contained. Their home is the endless skies and the comforts of the clouds.

While trying to find a piece of paper and some string, Mrs. Peters stumbles upon a bird cage. As they examine the cage further, they notice that the door is broken, but assume the cat got it. The women toss up a few thoughts over the bird cage and Mrs. Hale throws out, “Looks as if someone must have been rough with it” (1086). As they continue, the women decide to take Mrs. Wright her quilt to work on while locked up but they soon find something that frightens them; they found the bird, but its neck was broken. Mrs. Peters, startled, says, “Somebody – wrung – its – neck” (1087). Both women are unsure what to do with the bird, but know to hide it from the men. This clue is great than the others because it possibly shows Mrs. Wrights breaking point. The possibility of her husband yanking open the cage door, taking out the bird, and breaking its fragile neck is enough for her to lose it and do him the same

Michael Hyatt Dr. Tuttle English 250 25 November 2014 Analytical Response: Trifles The play, “Trifles”, by Susan Glaspell is about the murder of a man by the name of John Wright. The play starts off by the Henry Peters the sheriff and George Henderson the county attorney arrive at Mr. Wright’s house with Mr. Hale, the witness and neighbor of Mr. Wright, along with Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters. They are all at the house to investigate the murder of Mr. Wright. We then are told by Mr. Hale that when he was looking for Mr. Wright he found Mrs. Wright, the wife of Mr. Wright, acting very odd.

In the one-act play, Trifles, by Susan Glaspell, John Wright has been strangled to death with a rope while sleeping in his isolated farmhouse and the main suspect is his wife, Minnie. The County Attorney, Sheriff Peters and Mr. Hale look through the house for clues to find the motive for the murder, but the real detectives turn out to be Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters. Throughout the play, the men make fun of the women for worrying about trivial household items, like Mrs. Wright’s unfinished quilt, but their attentiveness to these details is what allow them to find and understand the motive. Even though it is clear that Minnie Wright murdered her husband John, the circumstances surrounding that crime compels Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters to conspire and protect Minnie from the injustice of the exclusive legal system.