Female Domesticity Bonds the Female Protagonists Together in Trifles
Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are the most important characters in the investigation of John Wright’s murder because they solve the case by discovering the dead canary in Susan Glaspell’s play, Trifles.
This play is first performed in 1916, during a decade where women are not permitted to vote in the United States until the 1920s. The women are subordinate to the men in the play; Glaspell consequently shows the different social hierarchy between men and women in the first stage direction. In the first stage direction, the men walk into the scene first, “At the rear outer door opens, and the Sheriff comes in, followed by the County Attorney and Hale.” (161) The crime scene is …show more content…
As a result, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters sympathize with Mrs. Wright, despite her incarceration for a murder. This is not only the first time the women analytically discuss the murder, it is simultaneously the first instance that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters indicate their dubious relationships with men. Henceforth, Mrs. Hale claims that Mrs. Wright used to be vivacious before her marriage, “She used to wear pretty clothes and be lively when she was Minnie Foster,” (163) implying that John Wright, her husband, is the reason that she lost her spiritedness. Under the unstable circumstances between the men and women, the Attorney put Mrs. Wright’s femininity on trial, after touching the preserves in the messy Wright kitchen; when he reaches into the cupboard, he immediately “pulls his hand away, sticky.” (162) Then, Mrs. Peters turns “to the other woman” (162) to tell her that Mrs. Wright was worried about her fruit. Once the men hear this, they ridicule the women as a result, because the women are concerned with Wright’s preserves, more than they are concerned with the murder that she is accused of committing. In reality, the women pity Mrs. Wright, because the men mocked her household when she could not defend herself. In spite of the women’s defense of Mrs. Wright, Hale responds to the situation by saying, “women are used to worrying over …show more content…
To elaborate, Mrs. Hale places her hand “against her pocket” (166), as she tells the Attorney that Mrs. Wright’s quilt was “knotted” - just like the noose that is knotted around John Wright’s neck when he was being choked. Ultimately, Mrs. Hale’s hand touching the bird while lying to the men about having evidence with her represents the women’s intimacy with each other; Mrs. Hale understands Mrs. Wright’s troubles as a woman, and so does Mrs. Peters. In like manner, Mrs. Peters is rebellious, because she is “married to the law” (165), but without speaking a single word at the end, she never confesses the truth to her husband. Mrs. Peters pledges allegiance to the women of the play, by protecting Mrs. Hale, who hides evidence for a murder case, in order to protect Minnie Wright, who murdered her husband. In irony, Mrs. Peters becomes a criminal herself, to protect a criminal. Without the two female protagonists, the men would have possibly found the dead canary. On the contrary, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale modify the murder investigation by discussing Mrs. Wright’s quilt, instead of the dead
Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are the most important characters in the investigation of John Wright’s murder because they solve the case by discovering the dead canary in Susan Glaspell’s play, Trifles.
This play is first performed in 1916, during a decade where women are not permitted to vote in the United States until the 1920s. The women are subordinate to the men in the play; Glaspell consequently shows the different social hierarchy between men and women in the first stage direction. In the first stage direction, the men walk into the scene first, “At the rear outer door opens, and the Sheriff comes in, followed by the County Attorney and Hale.” (161) The crime scene is …show more content…
As a result, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters sympathize with Mrs. Wright, despite her incarceration for a murder. This is not only the first time the women analytically discuss the murder, it is simultaneously the first instance that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters indicate their dubious relationships with men. Henceforth, Mrs. Hale claims that Mrs. Wright used to be vivacious before her marriage, “She used to wear pretty clothes and be lively when she was Minnie Foster,” (163) implying that John Wright, her husband, is the reason that she lost her spiritedness. Under the unstable circumstances between the men and women, the Attorney put Mrs. Wright’s femininity on trial, after touching the preserves in the messy Wright kitchen; when he reaches into the cupboard, he immediately “pulls his hand away, sticky.” (162) Then, Mrs. Peters turns “to the other woman” (162) to tell her that Mrs. Wright was worried about her fruit. Once the men hear this, they ridicule the women as a result, because the women are concerned with Wright’s preserves, more than they are concerned with the murder that she is accused of committing. In reality, the women pity Mrs. Wright, because the men mocked her household when she could not defend herself. In spite of the women’s defense of Mrs. Wright, Hale responds to the situation by saying, “women are used to worrying over …show more content…
To elaborate, Mrs. Hale places her hand “against her pocket” (166), as she tells the Attorney that Mrs. Wright’s quilt was “knotted” - just like the noose that is knotted around John Wright’s neck when he was being choked. Ultimately, Mrs. Hale’s hand touching the bird while lying to the men about having evidence with her represents the women’s intimacy with each other; Mrs. Hale understands Mrs. Wright’s troubles as a woman, and so does Mrs. Peters. In like manner, Mrs. Peters is rebellious, because she is “married to the law” (165), but without speaking a single word at the end, she never confesses the truth to her husband. Mrs. Peters pledges allegiance to the women of the play, by protecting Mrs. Hale, who hides evidence for a murder case, in order to protect Minnie Wright, who murdered her husband. In irony, Mrs. Peters becomes a criminal herself, to protect a criminal. Without the two female protagonists, the men would have possibly found the dead canary. On the contrary, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale modify the murder investigation by discussing Mrs. Wright’s quilt, instead of the dead