The defendant, Minnie Wright has been the focus of investigation involving the murder of her husband, John Wright. Her guilt in his murder has been determined due to a body of evidence suggesting this to be the case. Minnie's murder of her husband has resulted in her going to trial. In assessing the circumstances of Mr. Wright's death, it is evident that there were a variety of extenuating psychological and emotional circumstances that led her to act in such an irrational way.
The events occurred on a cold day in the winter. When visiting the Wright's farmhouse, Mr. Hale noticed that something was off, due to Mrs. Wright's strange behavior, and upon investigating the upstairs of the home he found her husband dead, strangled to death with a rope. At this point, Geroge Henderson, the county attorney, and Henry Peters, the local Sheriff, were called to the home in order to question Mrs. Wright. During questioning, she claimed that he had been killed by somebody while she slept. Ultimately it was found that her pet bird had be strangled by Mr. Wright, indicating that she had a motive for killing him. This coupled with years of cognitive abuse resulted in her taking action against him in a compulsive and passionate way (Glaspell).
In analyzing the surrounding circumstances of the case it is evident that there is a large body of evidence that creates sympathy for Minnie. Mr. and Mrs. Wright had been living in the farmhouse together for a number of years. However, evidence suggests that Mrs. Wright was unhappy in her marriage, as indicated by Mrs. Hale's testimony, who was called as a character witness to the crime. She had suspected that Mr. Wright's wife was deeply unhappy due to an oppressive marriage.
The dead bird was the primary clue that brought this case to trial. While evidence of the suspects guilt in ending her husband's life, it is also evidence of the systemic desire for control that her husband had and his inability to allow his wife the freedom that she needed in order to be happy. His killing of the bird is a symbolic act that represents his inability to even let a caged bird sing (Ben-Zvi). Minnie used to sing before she got married and her inability to continue to do so likely inspired her to adopt the bird as a pet. This bird, for her, was symbolic of her own inner desire for expression, while her marriage had her trapped like a bird in a cage.
Furthermore, this evidence will be shown to ultimately mitigate any sympathy that there might have been for John. The killing of this bird was the last act in a long line of progressively violent and emotionally destructive actions that were aimed at deriding and limiting Mrs. Wright's self-respect and confidence. He did this for his own personal ends, out of fear of her socializing and having friends. Her husband would not allow her to pursue any type of pleasure, which resulted in the spiritual death of Minnie long before the death of her husband. She had a cold husband and was kept in a cold home.
Furthermore, Mrs. Wright suffered from a lack of personal interaction. She seldom had company, as even her neighbors and friends did not feel comfortable coming and visiting her. Her lack of social life coupled with the constant derision of her husband likely pressed her to find personal interaction from other sources (Manuel). This would lead her to adopting the bird as a pet, a companion that would give to her the songs that she had lost in her past. John's destruction of her self resulted in a need to kill the bird, a symbol of her desire for freedom and the last breath of air that she had in an oppressive household. Her actions were the consequences of John's own decisions, which pushed her to take drastic measures in order to regain some small sense of personal dignity.
While Minnie was emotionally damaged at the time of the incident and likely had a variety of extenuating circumstances, it is still evident that she committed a crime. This crime, however, has been shown to be out of passion, not premeditated or thought out. It was the result of years of cognitive abuse that allowed Mr. Wright to hold a grip on Mrs. Wright's life. Unwilling to allow her any personal attachments he even killed her bird, the one source of solace that she had in a cold and lonely world. It is not inconceivable that she would break down and lose her composure, acting to show Mr. Wright the level of viciousness that his own actions had. This resulted in his death.
The death of Mr. Wright should be paid for. However, it should not be paid for with Mrs. Wright's life. She has already sacrificed enough of her life for her husband. Minnie's consequences should therefore be a minimum sentencing in a psychological hospital, which can allow her to regain her composure and experts can determine the level of competence that she has to reenter the real world after her time has expired. Rather than tragically taking another life, or sentencing her to live the rest of her days in a prison that would be just like the home that she has lived in for years, we should try to help her to confront her actions and their moral consequences. She should be counseled to deal with the actions that she has taken. In this way, she can receive the help that she desperately needs.
Works Cited
Ben-Zvi, Linda. “Murder, She Wrote": The Genesis of Susan Glaspell's.” Theatre Journal,
Vol. 44, No. 2. 1992. Print.
Glaspell, Susan. Trifles. Frank Shay. 1916. Print.
Manuel, Carme. Susan Glaspell's Trifles. North American Studies. 55-65. 2000. Print.
