Trifles by Susan Glaspell: An Investigation of The Murder of John Wright

The short story Trifles written by Susan Glaspell is a story regarding the investigation of the murder of John Wright by his wife, Mrs. Wright. Mrs. Hale is the wife of Mr. Hale, one of the men investigating the murder, and the neighbor of the Wrights. While the men investigate around the farmhouse looking for clues to prove Mrs. Wright was guilty, Mrs. Hale is downstairs with Mrs. Peters discovering their own evidence in the mishaps of Mrs. Wrights cleaning and sewing. Mrs. Hale begins to reminisce on how cheerful and full of life Mrs. Wright was prior to her marriage. She regrets not visiting with Mrs. Wright throughout the years especially since they were neighbors. Upon finding the unfinished quilt and the empty bird cage, they discover a dead canary with a strangled neck, the same way Mr. Wright’s neck was strangled. She begins to see the reasoning for Mrs. Wright murdering her husband. She concludes that Mrs. Wright was unhappy with her marriage and possibly neglected. She decides to keep this information between her and Mrs. Peters instead of informing the men of their findings. Why would Mrs. Hale’s change in view of Mrs. Wright make her justify the reasoning behind why she murdered her husband? Maslows Hierarchy of Needs is a theory developed by Abraham Maslow to understand human motivation to fulfill our peak potential. It is described as a model which is divided into our basic needs (physiology, safety, love and esteem) and our growth needs (cognitive, aesthetic, and self-actualization.) (McLeod, 2007) Saul McLeod believes that one must satisfy lower level basic needs before progressing to meet higher level growth needs. (McLeod, 2007) Mrs. Hales regresses from the cognitive need down to the love and belonging need as she begins to see Mrs. Wright as the friend whom she used to have and because of this she believes she was in an unhappy and neglected marriage, which has driven her to murder her husband. After entering the Wright house, which is

Cited: McLeod, S. A. (2007). Maslow 's Hierarchy of Needs. Glaspell, Susan. "Trifles." Backpack Literature An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing Fourth Edition. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2012. 659-671. Print.