Journal 1: Introduction to Literary Genre

https://www.doanestuart.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Trifles.pdf

The irony in Susan Glaspell’s “Trifles” is in the title and the men’s dismissive attitudes toward the women’s observations. The word trifles by definition is “a matter of trivial importance or significance”. The men, investigating John Wright’s murder, overlooked household details they considered insignificant, but these “trifles” holds key evidence. The women, through their attention to details, discover crucial clues like the broken birdcage and dead canary, which reveal the motive behind the murder, and Mrs. Wright’s emotional and psychological abuse. The moral dilemma in the play centers on whether Mrs. Wright’s murder of her husband. John Wright is portrayed as an oppressive figure whose abuse led to his wife’s isolation and despair. While murder is inherently wrong, the context of prolonged abuse evokes sympathy for Mrs. Wright, complicating the moral evaluation. I believe that some considerations should be taken in this situation but I would have to be honest and taken her in. She couldn’t pled self defense due to him being murder in his sleep, but insanity could be a viable plea using the murder of her bird as the moment she snapped.