Trifles Review

“Trifles” by Susan Glaspell observes the different reactions characters have due to a murder case. Each of the characters emotions are captivated within the dialog and fundamentally an understanding of the state of mind that lies beneath the scene. The play explains the psyche of the suspect who feels justified due to their past experiences, the sympathy shown from a friend who wasn’t always there, the difference in thought process amongst genders, and the empathetic struggle between law and justice. Glaspell explores how the understanding of a situation depends on the character’s personal relations with the suspect, and in turn how this affects their judgment of a person’s actions. Mrs. Hale’s reaction to the situation is empathetic to Mrs. Wright based off of her own personal experience of knowing her. Mrs. Hale remembers Mrs. Wright as a delightful person but years with Mr. Wright she had become cold and dark to the outside world. The only light for Mrs. Wright was her pet bird. Mrs. Hale finds the bird’s neck snapped and realizes that after all the abuse Mrs. Wright had taken; the bird’s death was the final straw for her (Glaspell 1035-1036). Glaspell shows both Mrs. Hale’s empathy and realization in the following lines, “I wonder how it would seem never to have any children around. No, Wright wouldn’t like the bird- a thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that, too” (1036). Glaspell use Mrs. Hale’s reaction to not only explore her bias empathy but also to show reason in Mrs. Wright killing her husband. Mrs. Hale’s empathetic reaction also comes from her own guilt. Mrs. Hale was feeling guilty because she hadn’t come by to see Mrs. Wright. Her regret is indicated in these lines, “Oh, I wish I’d come over here once in a while! That was a crime! That was a crime! Who’s going to punish that” (Glaspell 1036). After Mrs. Hale understood Mrs. Wright was trapped and slowly abused without any outside help, she knew she had taken justice into her own hands.