“A symbol is a person, place, object, thing, name, title, aspect of setting that suggests something beyond itself and has a range of meanings. Since a short story, like poetry, is compressed, all aspects of the story-title, setting, characters’ names, appearance, dialogue, and events of the plot- may contain symbolic meanings and create the theme. For example even in the informal telling of the ghost story, the girl’s yellow hair and white dress suggest her innocence; the head under the pillow, the denial of truth.” (Legacies 1220).

Symbols can be interpreted in many different ways depending on the reader. Some people may see the symbol as one thing while others think a completely different idea.

The basis of the story is a woman (Mrs. Wright) is being accused of killing her husband (Mr. Wright), and the whole of the play takes place in her kitchen as various county officials are investigating the house. The main part of the stor

The first symbol that comes to pass in Trifles is the jail. Mrs. Wright asked the ladies to bring her some items from her house while she’s in jail; one of which is an apron. The other women don’t understand why she would ask for that when she’s in jail because there’s not much to get dirty on in a cell. One of the ladies suggests that maybe she just wants to be more comfortable but I think that there is more to it than that (Glaspell 715). I feel that Mrs. Wright wants to feel more at home because to her there is no difference between jail and home. I think that Mr. Wright was a very controlling husband, who wanted things done his way or else. That’s why Mrs. Wright felt as if she was in a jail because of her controlling husband.

The bird cage seems to be a symbol of some sort of violence or anger because when the ladies found the cage in the cupboard the door had been ripped from the hinges (Glaspell 717). Neither of the women are sure if Mrs. Wright had a bird, and then they were wondering what happened to it. This symbol is an important piece of evidence and I will return to it later on.

The bird is perhaps the most important symbol in the whole play. When the bird is discovered it’s wrapped up in a beautiful piece of silk but there’s something wrong with the bird. As the two women look closer into the box they realize that the bird’s neck has been wrung in a violent death. Mrs. Peters tells a story where a boy took a hatchet to her cat and if someone wouldn’t have stopped her she would have hurt him (Glaspell 718-719)

Some topics in this essay:
Hale Peters, , That’s Wright, John Wright, Minnie Foster, hale peters, ladies found, wouldn’t liked, she’s jail, controlling husband, wright bird, killed bird, bird symbol, wright killed,