Women In The Play Trifles

Insignificant trifles are found in everyday life, and they are commonly overlooked. In the short play “Trifles,” the women of the story do not overlook the small things in the house, such as the quilting and the birdcage, while the men believe these are unimportant objects that have no relevance to the crime. Throughout their search for evidence and motive, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale discover a birdcage and ponder the importance of this trivial trifle. Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale compare Minnie Foster to the canary and find ways in which her motive for killing her husband was just. Canaries are sweet birds that love to sing, so when Minnie Foster took over the custody of a young canary, her singing habits took flight. However, her husband Mr. Wright crushed her happy hobby. “No, Wright wouldn’t like the bird—a thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that, too” (Glaspell 751). As a result of this quote, it is evident that John Wright not only murdered Minnie Foster’s canary, but also her will to sing. Through singing, Minnie Foster formed a connection with her bird that ultimately led …show more content…
She hints subtly at the beginning of the play that their appearances are similar, but then she has Mrs. Hale draw the connection between the two. The canary symbolizes Minnie Foster’s carefree attitude and happiness prior to her marriage to Mr. Wright. When Minnie Foster became Minnie Wright, she began to feel trapped in her marriage, just like the canary was trapped in its cage. This joined the canary and Minnie together because of their shared quality of loneliness. Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale understand that the death of the canary brought Minnie over the edge and was motive for her to kill John Wright. Because of the connection between Minnie and the canary, the women decide to protect Minnie against the men and hide the evidence of the