Death By Trifle

Death by Trifle

Studies indicate that domestic violence ranks as the leading cause of injury to women from age fifteen to forty-four (Britannica Online). How much can a person take? What pushes the storm inside a passive individual into a fury of decisive action? Susan Glaspell's play Trifles shows us the lengths to which the circumstances of cruelty will push a woman. Here we behold the tale of abuse, of women controlled by their husbands and viewed as insignificant by the men around them. These women fight back against the patriarchal and patronizing society by banding together and supporting one of their own.

With the freedom women have today as a standard, it is difficult to understand the period in which Minnie Wright lived. During this time in history, "marital conflict, frequently including violence, was mostly taken for granted in many working-class communities; in itself, it was rarely sufficient to warrant communal censure" (Hammerton 19). In the 1840's, a judge affirmed a husband's right to kidnap his wife, beat her and imprison her in the matrimonial home (Women's Aid Online). Women had few resources and even fewer sources of support, no matter what was taking place in their homes. Women could not sit on juries nor give a judgement of their peers (Ruben).

Let us look at Minnie Wright. As a young girl, she was a described as by Mrs. Hale as, "kind of like a bird herself - real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and - fluttery" (Glaspell 107). Even her name, Minnie, diminishes her. Several clues point to the fact that John Wright was abusive to his wife. To the town's people, John Wright is seen as a "good man" (103). However, Mrs. Hale characterizes him this way, "he didn't drink, and he kept his word as well as most . . . But he was a hard man . . . Like a raw wind that gets to the bone" (104). His characterization as a "hard man" leads us look for clues of abuse in the "trifles" of Minnie's life.

As Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters begin to gather Minnie's things, they see her threadbare clothes. They comment, "I think that's why she kept so much to herself . . . you don't enjoy things when you feel shabby" (53). This contrasts greatly with Minnie's life before she was married. "She used to wear pretty clothes and be lively, when she was Minnie Foster," regales Mrs. Hale (55). Minnie's husband used her lack of suitable clothing to keep her housebound under his ironhanded authority. Another indicator is brought to light when Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters find her quilt squares sewn "all over the place" (77). They begin to wonder why Minnie was so nervous. Soon, from deep in a cupboard, the broken birdcage is brought to light.

The broken birdcage, with its hinge pulled apart, together with the canary whose neck is wrung is an obvious indicator of Minnie's abuse at the hands of her husband. The canary is perhaps the most significant "trifle." Mrs. Hale determines that Minnie must have purchased the canary last year. We feel Minnie's loss when Mrs. Hale states, "If there had been years and years of nothing, then a bird to sing to you, it would be awful - still, after the bird was still" (130). She comments, "Wright wouldn't like that bird - a thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that, too" (124). The assumption is made that Mr. Wright purposely killed the bird to stop it from singing, with no thought to Mrs. Wright's attachment to this one little "trifle." Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are dismayed by the evidence they have found indicating Mr. Wright's abuse. They see it as reflective of their own lives.

From the opening scene of this tale, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters begin to band together as women. They stand close together near the door, moving even closer after the men begin mocking them. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters have a kinship to each other, just as they have to Minnie. The women display their loyalty to each other and their sympathy for one another, too. They understand and respect Minnie's work as a homemaker. Both women can also identify with the loneliness and sadness of losing something they love. Mrs. Peters understands "what stillness is" (133) and Mrs. Hale knows "how things can be - for women. We live close together and we live far apart. We all go through the same things - it's just a different kind of the same thing" (136). The women are united and see they have a common adversary.

It is apparent how condescending the men are. Mrs. Hale's husband, the Sheriff, comments that there is nothing of downstairs that would point to a motive for the murder, "just kitchen things" (25). The County Attorney, in particular, is in a rush to find evidence. He comments in a derogatory fashion on Mrs. Wright's housekeeping and cuts Mrs. Hale off after asking her opinion of Mr. Wright. The County Attorney hurries upstairs to find the evidence that was just in front of him, without his even knowing. Between themselves, the women regard these men as "snooping around and criticizing" (40) and as sarcastic. Over and over, it is apparent how these two men are patronizing the women.

The Sheriff laughs about Minnie's concerns for her canning, jovially chuckling, "Well, can you beat the woman! Held for murder and worryin' about her preserves" (28). This man belittles the time and energy it takes to create preserves and deserves a much fiercer dressing down than Mrs. Hale's modest, "Well, women are used to worrying about trifles" (30). We see the County Attorney's judgmental attitude when he kicks the pans under the sink and then comments, "Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies?" (32). Again, Mrs. Hale defends her sister-in-spirit, Minnie Wright, when she replies stiffly, "There is a great deal of work to be done on a farm" (33). She is describing