Trifles is an interesting play about the emotional breakdown of a country woman in the early 1900's. Susan Glaspell in Trifles explores the repression of women. Two stories of revenge are told in this play, the revenge of supression and revenge of being portrayed as unsophisicated, unintelligent women.
First we have the story of Mrs. Wright and the struggles with her husband, John. Married women throughtout history have been portrayed and played the role as being inferior to the husband in marriage. This appeared to be the case with Mrs.Wright. Even though Mr. Wright's public image was somewhat respectable, it was obvious that behind close doors the story was quite different.
There is evidence of abuse in this marriage. First, the discovery of the broken door leads one to conclude that Mr, Wright was very physical and anguished.(983) Second, it appears that Mr.Wright broke his wife's canary neck.(984).
I feel the birdcage was her jail and the bird's death was her freedom. The freedom of a woman who could no longer be held down. This was the first implementation of women's power in the play. The women at Mrs. Wright home played an important role in the play as well. The detectives were so busy finding clues to indict Mrs. Wright in the murder case. They ridiculed the women in the house by putting them in their place.(985) While the men were busy upstairs finding a motive, it was the women who discovered the canary's body and the cage.(984) .
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Susan Glaspell, writer of Trifles gives credibility to this conclusion in time following stating in no way could these women allow themselves to be mocked (985). At the end of the play, the County Attorney asked if they had found out what Mrs. Wright was to do with the quilt, the women mockingly claimed that she was going to "knot it"(986) The men who claimed that women always worried about trifles would never realize that there trifles would connect Mrs.
