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Justice Is Served In Susan Glaspell's Trifles

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Justice Is Served In Susan Glaspell's Trifles
Justice Is Served

Justice is served, a three word sentence that holds to be true and false at the same time. The true definition of justice can be hidden behind the eye of the beholder. In Susan Glaspell's play Trifles Mr. John Wright is strangled in the middle of the night. His wife seems to know nothing of the murder, nor does she seem concerned about the death of her husband. She is considered the prime suspect from the beginning. The Sheriff, his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Hale, and the county attorney are dissecting the crime scene to determine what happened on that dreadful night. The men and women in Glaspell's play have vital roles in solving the mystery of John Wright’s death.

In the beginning of the play the men gathered to search for evidence around the Wright
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Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters noticed that in the last square of the quilt the stitching began to look "fidgety." To the two ladies this was a telltale sign of nervousness. Why was Mrs. Wright nervous? What was she hiding? The women also noticed a broken door hinge, which may have indicated some forceful action. Last, but not least, was the birdcage the women discovered, along with the dead bird. The women speculated that Mr. Wright had strangled the bird since the neck was twisted and mangled. Since Mrs. Wright had no children of her own, the bird may have been her last bit of sanity. Mrs. Wright was going to bury the bird in a beautiful box which also indicated her love for the canary. The women stated that her home wasn't "cheerful." Mrs. Hale was her neighbor and never even visited. With all this being said the women came to the conclusion that Mrs. Wright may have killed her husband. In retaliation for the death of her lovely bird, she strangled her husband just as he had killed her canary. The women did not form a cohesive team to make a believable story because their evidence was based on speculation and

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