The play “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell was written during a depression; a time in which women were housewives who reared children and maintained the household while their husbands worked. Harvested produce was preserved by the women for the winter months. The following summary entails the potential struggles that Mrs. Wright faced, both mental and physical, as foretold during an investigation of the murder of her husband.
The story unfolded without even showing the main character at all. Mrs. Wright, the prime suspect, was detained at the county jail while the investigation was being conducted. The deceased body of Mr. Wright was found in the couple’s bedroom with a rope around his neck. One day prior to the investigation and subsequent arrest …show more content…
The male investigators, although passing judgement upon Mrs. Wright, found no evidence that she committed the murder. It was the wives of the investigators, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, that read into her downtrodden life by the various clues left behind. Mrs. Peters voiced concern for Mrs. Wright when she mentioned how Mr. Henderson would make a mockery out of Mrs. Wright in court, declaring that she “didn’t wake up” (1261) when her husband was murdered. Compassion continued to reign as the wives found chores unfinished; it was as if Mrs. Wright maintained for so long and then suddenly lost it. Did Mrs. Wright lose her mind, or did she finally become strong enough to fight back? Multiple clues discovered by the wives could have easily been used to indict Mrs. Wright. A broken, empty birdcage caused apprehension with the women as to the whereabouts of the bird. The next clue found by the wives was a quilt being pieced together by Mrs. Wright. The stitching pattern changed abruptly; the wives were able to read into Mrs. Wright’s mind by her sewing patterns mentioning that they were “all over the place”(1266).
The story unfolded without even showing the main character at all. Mrs. Wright, the prime suspect, was detained at the county jail while the investigation was being conducted. The deceased body of Mr. Wright was found in the couple’s bedroom with a rope around his neck. One day prior to the investigation and subsequent arrest …show more content…
The male investigators, although passing judgement upon Mrs. Wright, found no evidence that she committed the murder. It was the wives of the investigators, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, that read into her downtrodden life by the various clues left behind. Mrs. Peters voiced concern for Mrs. Wright when she mentioned how Mr. Henderson would make a mockery out of Mrs. Wright in court, declaring that she “didn’t wake up” (1261) when her husband was murdered. Compassion continued to reign as the wives found chores unfinished; it was as if Mrs. Wright maintained for so long and then suddenly lost it. Did Mrs. Wright lose her mind, or did she finally become strong enough to fight back? Multiple clues discovered by the wives could have easily been used to indict Mrs. Wright. A broken, empty birdcage caused apprehension with the women as to the whereabouts of the bird. The next clue found by the wives was a quilt being pieced together by Mrs. Wright. The stitching pattern changed abruptly; the wives were able to read into Mrs. Wright’s mind by her sewing patterns mentioning that they were “all over the place”(1266).