Comparing Mrs. Wright & Mrs. Hale in Trifles - Essay Sample

Introduction

Trifles is a one-act play by Susan Glaspell and first performed at the Wharf Theatre on August 8 1916. The play is based on the murder of a man called John Wright where his wife Minnie Wright is the prime suspect. The play starts on an abandoned farmhouse which looks disarray with unwashed dishes and a bread prepared and not baked (Susan 1). In the compare and contrast of two characters, I shall consider two women who have a significant similarity to base the Comparison. The two women are Mrs Peters and Mrs Hale, who are wife of Henry Peters and Lewis Hale respectively. The two women are acquaintances and united in the play through their husband. Their husbands are investigating the murder of Mr Wright, and the two women accompany them during their probe. The women are given the task of collecting items from the kitchen that Minnie had requested be brought to her at the jail. The items include clothing and apron.

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Mrs Peter has a character of being more transgressive compared to Mrs Hale which is ironical considering that she is the wife of the town sheriff Henry Peters. Her character behaviour is observed when she is unwilling to expose the uncovered evidence to the investigating men. Mrs Peter transgression behaviour is brought about by her character of forgiving, which is manifested when she was young, where she forgives a boy who had killed her childhood pet kitten. While forgiving the boy, Mrs Peters says, "the law has got to punish crime." (6). Mrs Hale is a woman who is faced with regret and guilt for not visiting Minnie Wright more often so that she can support her through the difficulties she experiences of living with an unkind husband. She even concurred with Mrs Peters in their decision of hiding the evidence that would probably convict Minnie Wright of her crime. In her expression of regrets, Mrs Hale says that, "Oh, I wish I would come over here once in a while! That was a crime! That was a crime! Who is going to punish that?" (8). Mrs Hale guilt of not visiting Minnie shows that she is an understanding woman and aware the loneliness Minnie go through.

Mrs Peter is more fearful than Mrs Hale and has more awareness of the responsibilities the women have to the law and also their husbands when they uncover the truth of Minnie Wright murder of her husband. They can feel the sympathy Mrs Wright is going through and understand the situation that could have lead to the motive of the killing, which makes them hide the evidence against her. Mrs Hale and Mrs Peter have differing perspectives on how men treat them. Mrs Hale is more critical of how men are judging Mrs Minnie, whereas Mrs Peters try as much to explain and dismiss the men behaviours as them doing their regular duty.

The two women have a defying character against the control of their husband and the law that is made and controlled by men. This character can be seen by how they conceal the dead bird, which is against the will of their husband. They think that all women face the same problem where Mrs Hales says that, "We all go through the same thing, it is all just a different kind of the same thing." (6). They are also faced with the moral dilemma of whether to tell their husband about the motive of protecting the suspect whom they see as a victim. This can be termed as an act of solidarity behaviour the two women have.

Both women are feminist, and they consider that men are oppressing the women in many circumstances, such as coming with rules that are against them. They even consider the act of men coming to the kitchen as an unacceptable behaviour. Mrs Hales also says that, "I would hate to have men coming into my kitchen, snooping around criticizing, of course, it is no more than their duty." (8). The action was caused by the dirty towel in the Minnie kitchen.

Conclusion in Comparison of Two Women

The play has outline how the character of women is manifested during their fight for equality with their fellow men. Susan has clearly shown how women face oppression brought about by their husband, and this is the reflection of the society. Women are now coming together to fight for equality which can be seen by how Mrs Peter and Mrs Hale are fighting for justice of Mrs Minnie whom they consider as a victim of oppression faced by women in the society.

Work Cited

Champlain, Nikola. "Trifle Quotes," Lit chart LLC, eight may 2015 web May 2020

Susan. "Trifle a play in one act" Boston press retrieved 1951, Journal of legal education, Washington, DC, 1916 71-81