Trifles By Susan Glaspell: Play Analysis

The one-act play “Trifles” written by Susan Glaspell in 1916 is a play about an on-going crime scene investigation where Mrs. Minnie Wright is accused of having murdered her husband, Mr. John Wright, but no evidence or reasons for her to commit such crime is found by the County Attorney and the Sheriff inside of the house where Mr. Wright’s body was found. In the play, it is shown how Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters find a dead bird in the house and decide to hide it from the investigators. As a juror of this case in the current year, 2018, I find Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters guilty of hiding the dead bird. However, if we take a look back in time in the male-dominated society this story develops within, the dead bird would have been considered as another “trifle” by the investigators and not used as the powerful evidence it is to cease why Mrs. Wright assassinated her husband, reason why Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters should be declared innocent of withholding and …show more content…
Wright should have been found innocent of killing her husband, John Wright, due to the lack of evidence in the case by the time it happened (1917.) Nowadays, in 2018, as a Juror, even while knowing the evidence that was hidden by the moment this crime occurred, would still declare Mrs. Wright innocent of any crime committed. The constant violent scenario she went through as part of her daily routine was the main reason that led her into killing Mr. John Wright, and this could be considered as an act of self defense against a psychological and physical abusive husband, reason why she should be free of any guilt and charge against her. Regarding Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, even though nowadays hiding the bird would have been considered as withholding and tampering with evidence since the bird happened to be a main key of this case, I would declare them innocent of these charges since by the time this crime happened, the bird would not have been recognized as evidence of any matter for this