12 Angry Men In Trifles

The play “Trifles” written by Susan Glaspell a mysterious murder story that took place in the early 1900’s focusing on the psychology of the opposite sex and comparing the two. In the play, Mrs. Minnie Wright, was convicted for the murder of her husband, Mr. John Wright, although there was no physical evidence she was to blame. As a juror in this court I believe Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale should be held accountable for their lack of judgement which caused them to withheld evidence that link directly at Mrs. Wright making her guilty for murdering her husband. Although, it is quite clear Mrs. Wright was mentally unstable which lead her to kill her husband; and leaving Mrs. Wright without the proper mental care she should have received if all the evidence would have been submitted.

In the beginning of the story Lewis Hale explains Mrs. Wright “was

rocking back and forth” when he entered the house to check on Mr. Wright as though her brain was trying to cope with the murder she committed. It was clear at that moment something was not right with her because she of her calm and soothing voice of confusion. Even Hale noticed when “she didn’t ask” him to “come up to the stove or to sit down” which was obvious it was something Hale was accustom to when entering some else’s home. She “laughed” when Hale asked to see Mr. Wright; a person who just lost their spouse is more than likely not start laughing at the thought of them. Mrs. Wright was just sitting in the corner of her house, staring at who know what, playing with her apron, instead of looking for someone to help her save her husband or in this case where it was too late, to catch the murder.
When Hale finished telling his story Mr. Henderson asked if there was anything that suggested a “motive” to be found the room, Sheriff Peter said “nothing but kitchen things”. Who else knows better the kitchen then another woman? It could not be any clearer that Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale being left alone could spot things that the men obviously could not. Mrs. Peters found Mrs. Wrights quilt project and when Mrs. Hale observed the pieces she asked whether “she was going to quilt it or knot it” which alarmed Mrs. Hale to question “what was she so nervous about”. Evidently, Mrs. Wright’s ability to tie a perfect knot was proven when the women found the knotted quilt continuing to prove she is capable of the knotting the rope around her deceased husband. Again, that was only something a woman could have noticed because the men only laughed when Mrs. Hale brought this small detail to their attention. Mrs. Hale mentioned “this was a quiet house” making it quite lonely for an individual to spend their entire day locked up in house doing the same thing every day could drive someone mad. Visiting Mrs. Wright could have been the extra encouragement she needed to keep going; that is something Mrs. Hale now could “see” as she put the evidence together in her head.
Mrs.

Hale found it quite odd about the Wright’s having an animal as beautiful as a bird living there specially when it was always so dark and gloomy in their home. Digging though Mrs. Wright’s sewing basket they found a beautiful red box that contained the “bird” from the missing cage with a “wrung neck”. Seconds after discovery of the dead bird the gentlemen return to the living room asking the women about the empty bird cage they had discovered; both, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, decided to hide their knowledge of the dead bird in the beautiful red box. Mrs. Hale identified the missing link of Mrs. Wright’s motive to murder her husband by stating “Wright, wouldn’t like the bird – a thing that sang. She use to sing. He killed that, too.”. Mr. Wright had obviously oppressed his wife specially during those times when women did not have the right to vote and, much less, to voice their opinions even in the comfort of their own home. Figuratively speaking Mrs. Wright’s beautiful voice was oppressed while the bird was literally killed by non-other than Mr. Wright; which leads us to the psychological snap Mrs. Wright

experienced.
Mrs. Wright saw herself as the bird in the cage, spent all the time in a cage never allowed to fly about freely. Witnessing her husband kill the innocent creature, who she resembled herself with was the breaking point she needed to free herself from the incarceration her husband lead her to live. The two women present at the scene of the crime could quickly put the puzzle pieces together at Mrs. Wright, who was not in the proper state of mind that lead her to make such an impulsive move on her husband. Yet, they hid the evidence from the court which could potentially have linked Mrs. Wright to the murder of her husband and dismissing her possibilities to receive the proper mental care she needed. Understanding the importance of psychology and how a person could snap from being completely normal to making irrational decisions to help them cope with what they are currently experiencing in life.