Trifle by Susan Glaspell

Unlike the men Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters unraveled that Mr. Wright was not much of a well-mannered individual around his wife; ridiculing her, and abusing her mentally and physically. As the men continued to insult Mrs. Wright and her farmhouse the women became more resentful towards the men As Mrs. Hale stated “You know, it seems kind of sneaking. Locking her up in town and then coming out here and trying to get her own house to turn against her!” (Glaspell 261). The women are unsettled with the men having to make all the important decisions, and demand justice for Mrs. Wright as she is symbolized as a sweet and full of happiness as of the canary that is the ultimate symbol of freedom even in

The wives that are there are teased and belittled because of what the men thought were their simple minds. Little do they know that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters had just participated in a cover up that would prevent a solid case from being formed against Mrs. Wright.

Sara does not want to return to the terrible oppressive lifestyle she was trapped in before. Instead of giving up her new life, she shoots the "intruder" in her house and puts an end to her husband's reign of terror over her.... ... middle of paper ... ...common and rarely reported. Memories of these experiences often become suppressed because of the personal humiliation and shame women feel about the situation. Notice that, in the movie, Laura never seeks legal retribution for Martin's abuse, all she wants to do is escape. Sexual abuse and spousal abuse are psychologically devastating for women because these are acts that inflict feelings of guilt upon the victim.

In “The Bats”, “The Maid Servant’s Story”, and “The Disappearance” the wives were given little to no respect by their husbands and families. In “The Bats” the mother was abused by her husband, a clear sign that he did not respect her. He also lied to her in his letter when he promised not to abuse her anymore but did after she returned. In “The Maid Servant’s Story” there was disrespect of both Sarala and the wife. Sarala’s husband and mother disrespected her by forcing her into prostitution.

The two women in the play have been picking up one the little house clue the men in the play would find in significant, because they think all the women are really talking about is trifles, but in reality they are talking about how Mrs. Wright killed her husband. Overall Mrs. Wright killed her husband because he caused her isolation, emotional abuse, and he killed the only think she actually cared about and she lost hope which ultimately all of these led to her self destruction because of the neglection of her

This foreshadowing will be used by the women, mainly Mrs. Hale, to connect the motive to the dead bird that they find later on in the play. Additional foreshadowing facts are the broken jelly jar and the "very cold" kitchen atmosphere. Again, the women feel that this coldness was what drove Mrs.' Wright to murder. Mrs. Hale informs the County Attorney that Mr. Wright was not a very cheerful man, which may be why the farmhouse does not look or feel cheery. The audience learns that Mr. Wright was a cold, uncommunicative, selfish man.

The three main characters, Mrs. Hale, the sheriff’s wife Mrs. Peters, and Mrs. Wright are an outcome of a tyrannical society which denies them their right to speak and think freely. In the case of Mrs. Wright, it also denies her the right to be happy and free, not only from jail but also from the prison her husband created for her. Once they are left alone, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale are able to find clues to the cause for the murder from their detailed knowledge of being simple housewives to which the men are completely ignorant. They also are forced to find compassion for Mrs. Wright as they compare their own experiences to the clues they find out about her life. At the beginning of the play, the two women are not taking a very active part in the play.

Women would not talk back to the men because of the fear of being thrashed at and even being hit by the men. That is why they just stood there and let the men say whatever they wanted to. In conclusion, the men's prejudices about women causes them to have a weak case against Minnie. The women know this; they are smart, depicted as much smarter than the men. The men got punishment for their mistreatment of the women by not being able to find the evidence that would convict Minnie.

When they arrive at the home, the men and women separate. The men are unsuccessful in their attempt to find a motive, yet the women, seeing the house through uniquely female eyes, discover pieces of the puzzle which point to a motive. They come to the conclusion that the murder was carried out because the wife suffered from mental abuse by her husband. Once endowed with this evidence, however, the women decide to keep it to themselves. For all ... ... middle of paper ... ... juror.

In addition to his apparent laziness, further corroboration is a skirt that “bore the marks of much making over” points to Mr. Wright as stingy or never having any money (189). Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are keen to notice the failings of Mr. Wright that might cause Minnie to be depressed (190). The county attorney blames Mrs. Wright for the condition of the home by pointing out a dirty towel in the kitchen and some dirty pans under the sink (187). The men take turns insinuating women worry about “trifles” and completely overlook any of Mr. Wright’s faults (187). Mrs. Hale has to leave her kitchen in disarray to come with Mrs. Peters and takes issue with their characterization of Minnie’s culpability by quickly pointing out that there is a lot of work to be done around a farm (187).