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Insanity In Susan Glaspell's Trifles

679 Words3 Pages

A tarnish yellow creature stands in fear as it lingers behind bars viewing the shadow of a male figure. However, the acts of oppression can enrage the creature to break free. Feminist writer, Susan Glaspell, in the short story, Trifles, asserts how women are oppressed by male dominance in their marriages in the 1916. Glaspell’s purpose is to promote awareness of how much isolation and an abusive relationship can influence a woman’s insanity towards men. She adopts a calm yet caution tone in order to express the effect men have on women. Through the act of Mrs. Wright murdering her husband, Glaspell conveys that a women’s insanity to kill is due to the actions of men.
Before Mrs. Wright was maltreated, her reputation was symbolized as a woman of color. As stated by the ladies, Mrs. Hales and Mrs. Peters, Mrs. Wright was seen in elegant clothing and lived “lively” as she used to be in the town’s girl choir. This description displays the “Before” of Mrs. Wright reputation and symbolizes her roaming free and living life fully like the bird. However, the ladies later reveal that suddenly disappeared from society and her clothing seemed as if the color was taken from it. Mrs. …show more content…

In addition, her choice of killing was to the neck with a rope as is similar to the way Mr. Wright killed her pet bird by wrecking its neck. Figuratively in this story, the bird is Mrs. Wright therefore, her killing the bird meant that she was close or already had killed Mrs. Wright’s true personality. The thought of this is what made Mrs. Wright rage vigorous from her cage as the thought of the constant oppression and the murder of her pet that influence her to reach for the rope. This scene is what drove Mrs. Wright to insanity as the constant nagging of abusive behavior and isolation is what made her leave her cage and remove the problem that was impeding her escape to

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