Symbolism in Trifles by Susan Glaspell The play Trifles by Susan Glaspell is a great example of an early feminist drama because it shows two women Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters who both realize while in the home of Mrs. Wright that she was justified in her killing her husband in the middle of the night. It shows that the ladies are women first and wives second. They help Mrs. Wright verses helping the men solve the murder because the ladies can relate and put themselves in the shoes of Mrs. Wright and, they know they would do the same thing if they were treated the same way Mrs. Wright was by her husband. For example when asked where the bird was Mrs. Hale said, “we think the cat got it”(Glaspell 560). In the play it shows many examples of symbolism but of all of them the ones that really stand out among the others would have to be Mrs. Wrights bird cage, the rope used to kill Mr. Wright …show more content…
Wright’s birdcage. The birdcage is a very strong piece of symbolism because it shows the most or really has the most meaning. The birdcage showed how Mrs. Wright was trapped in a awful marriage with no chance of escaping the horror of it. The cage use to have a lock on it and that shows how Mrs. Wright was locked into her marriage and was locked in the home. She was not allowed to leave so she was never able to tell anyone the way Mr. Wright really acted towards her. The birdcage door is broken and it shows the very broken marriage between Mr. and Mrs. Wright. The broken door also represents Mrs. Wright escaping the horrible marriage because when the door is open on the cage its just as if a door is open for Mrs. Wright to finally take a chance to make a run for it. As much as she would have liked to just run it was 1916 and in that time divorce was never an option for anyone no matter the circumstances. So Mrs. Wright just felt trapped even when the door was open for her to run she knew she still could
Hale and Mrs. Peters find a dead canary and a broken bird cage, it becomes obvious that Mr. Wright was an aggressive and controlling husband. Mrs. Hale states, “No, Wright wouldn’t like the bird- a thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that, too” (1012). The canary represents Minnie Foster. Before she married Mr. Wright, she was a joyful girl who sang in the church choir. After her and Mr. Wright get married, she is forced to stop singing and is stripped of her happiness. The broken cage represents Mr. and Mrs. Wright’s controlling marriage. The bird cage is violently broken to represent how Mrs. Wright violently escaped her marriage. The women’s discoveries cause Mrs. Peters to sympathize with Mrs. Wright. Ultimately, Mrs. Peters decides to stand up for what she believes.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a book with several examples of symbolism. Although the story is seen through a child’s perspective, it includes multiple instances of symbolism, some more obvious than others. Mockingbirds, Mayella’s geraniums, and the Radley household are all big symbols in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Symbolism means ideas, behavior, and characteristics because they relate to the essay called On the Waterfront. But in the film, however, the pigeons, hooks, and a hanging crate is symbols too, which represents the central theme of the film. The examples that symbolize the story are the pigeons which represents Terry’s life, the hooks which relates how awful the union is, and a hanging crate that represent Terry’s death. So, the main points of this essay are why Terry Malloy felt controlled by the union, why Terry is so upset, and why Terry Malloy is a fighter.
Symbolism, the use of objects, animals, or characters to represent a greater idea, is present for all people on a situational basis through common occurrences. In literature, authors use common objects to convey a true, deeper meaning. (rings=marriage, heart=love, darkness= evil etc) In Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams, symbolism is utilized in order to convey the messages of the play in a more impactful way.
Much like the kitchen, the birdcage is also used as a symbol for Mrs. Wright. In the play, Mrs. Peters finds the birdcage empty. The two ladies also find that the cage?s door hinge is pulled apart. The ladies conclude that someone had ?been rough with it.? The cage in the play suggests many things. A cage signifies imprisonment and captivity. This easily fits within the play and represents the confinement
Trifles was written in the early 1900's by Susan Glaspell. This occurred far before the women's movement. Women were generally looked upon as possessions to their husbands. Their children, all wages, and belongings were property of their husbands. In Glaspell's story it is easily depicted as to what role the men and women portrayed in society at this time.
The women empower themselves through silence, particularly in the kitchen communicating and reflecting upon things around them in the limited space they were given. The men dismiss the kitchen finding nothing that is relevant to the murder case. The men keep crisscrossing through the kitchen, ignoring and not realizing they could find the vital evidence through trivial details. Even though they were having difficulty in finding clues that lead to the murder. While the women were alone looking through Minnie’s kitchen they found the most valuable evidence the “missing piece to men’s puzzle” (Holstein 283). Mrs. Hale found the dead bird strangled in the sewing box telling “Mrs. Peters-look at it! Its neck! Look at its neck!” (782). Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters recognize the bird was strangled brutally “their eyes meet. A look of growing comprehension, of horror” (Glaspell 782). Both of them realized the bird was killed the same way as Mr. Wright with the rope around their neck. The strangled bird represents Minnie Foster how her freedom and joy was strangled to death. When the men came in the kitchen, the county attorney noticed the bird cage, wondering if the bird flew away, but Mrs. Hale lied and said “we think the- cat got it” ( Glaspell 782). The county attorney seek only visible evidence for murder he was wasn’t thinking critically what it may mean. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters covered the evidence keeping it between themselves for their own knowledge. They
Symbolic objects can be observed by inquisitive and perceptive readers. Symbols fit naturally into context and can be overlooked by even the most perceptive reader. A symbol can have no apparent connection to the text, and therefore be considered as irrational, but the symbol's relation to the object is often typical for what it stands for. However, the main goal in using symbolism is to grasp a more complex meaning beyond its natural state. Glaspell's use of a birdcage is an apparent connection to Mrs. Wright's life on the farm with her husband. While Mr. Wright works on the house farm, Mrs. Wright is held captive; as a caged animal, alone to fulfill wifely duties. In agreement, a composed analysis by Ariang Bangga on Glaspell's Trifles explains how, "Traditional beliefs have held women captive for years. In Trifles, [readers] clearly [see] that there is an obvious distinction between men’s and woman’s role" (Ariang Bangga 1). The bird cage signifies Mr. Wright's treatment and harshness toward his wife to prevent Minnie from socializing with the outside world. Due to his cruelty, Minnie is like the trapped bird imprisoned by traditional male dominance. With that being said, another object of significance is brought forth, that being the bird. Glaspell strategically places symbols for readers to form their own suggested significance. In this matter, the bird is only allowed to wonder within its cage and depend completely on its owner. Relatively, Minnie is conformed to housekeeping matters and what Mr. Wright allows. Turning back to the birdcage that the two women found later in the play, it was found already broken without a bird inside. Marisarah’s article, "A Study of Symbols," suggests that the bird was removed roughly, resulting in the cage breaking. "It implies what just happened to Minnie's life, which she can finally [break away] from a cold and hard husband with a rough way too"
Another example of symbolism was cage. The female characters are dominate in this play. As the all women were gathering some of Mrs. Wright's things they discovered a bird cage with a broken door and with no bird. Mrs. Peters looked confused after looking over the cage and she state that, “why, look at this door. It’s broke. One hinge is pulled a part” (Glaspell pg7). The cage represents to how Mrs. Wright was trapped over her marriage, and could not getaway it. The cage door was broken which shows her broken marriage to Mr. Wright. Furthermore, it also represents Mrs. Wright escaping her marriage from Mr. Wright. When the door was open it permits Mrs. Wright to be a free women. Glaspell use symbol cage to represent how Mr. Wright kept Mrs.
While searching a cupboard for some sewing supplies to fix a poorly sewn quilt, Mrs. Hale finds a birdcage tucked away inside of it. The birdcage that Mrs. Hale finds is the most symbolic object that reveals the motive for the crime. A birdcage can be symbol of confinement or imprisonment. Mrs. Hale says, “No, Wright wouldn’t like the bird—a thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that, too” (781). Mrs. Hale compares Mrs. Wright to a bird in the sense that birds sing but Mr. Wright does not want her
The broken birdcage can also be seen as a symbolic item within the story. The birdcage represents how women were oppressed, or “caged in” by men during this time in history. The bird, which symbolizes Mrs. Wright in the story, is not mentioned by the men when they notice the birdcage. This is because Glaspell wanted to emphasize that most men during this time were focused on what women were limited to doing, not who they were as a person. As the men overlook yet another important detail, the women realize that the door to the birdcage is broken. This symbolizes Mrs. Wright breaking away from the chains of oppression put on her by her husband.
In the play titled Trifles, by Susan Glaspell, Minnie Foster Wright is being accused of murdering her husband, John. In this production, Mrs. Wright is consistently referenced, and although she is not witnessed, she is very recognizable. There are important symbols in this play that signifies Mrs. Wright and her existence as it once was and as it currently exists to be. Particularly the canary, this symbolizes Mrs. Wright's long forgotten past. Additionally, the birdcage, this symbolizes her life as it currently exists. Certainly the quilt is a symbol, which is an important clue on how Mr. Wright was killed. In addition, the rocking chair, this symbolizes her life as it has diminished throughout
The first object that Glaspell uses in the setting to add symbolic meaning is the dead canary in the cage. Gaspell uses the dead bird to symbolize how Mrs. Wrights old life as Minne Foster is dead and gone, and can never be brought back.
Mrs. Hale, however, does ultimately understand what Mrs. Wright is about. She comprehends the desperation, loneliness, and pain that
When Mrs. Hale finds a dead bird in Mrs. Wright's sewing box, she soon recognizes the obvious reason why John Wright was murdered. The audience sees character motivation in Mrs. Wright. Mr. Wright was a man who used silence and coldness to control and mold his wife into someone he thought she ought to be. He killed the singing bird, which was a symbol for Mrs. Wright as Minnie Foster. In an indirect way, he killed her joy of singing, her spirit, keeping her in her own "cage" which she can not escape from. Unless she "got rid of" what (or who) was holding her prisoner.