“The Portrayal of Dead Canary and Broken Birdcage as The Symbol of Minnie Wright’s Oppression in An Abusive Marriage and Her Effort in Reclaiming Lost Freedom”

When men give a damn about trifles

In the one-act play entitled Trifles, Susan Glaspell unfolds the conflict with respect to feminist issue. The play succinctly shows the audience how insignificant clues and trifles might be interpreted differently by men and women. In this play, Glaspell talked about murder investigation, in which a married woman named Minnie Wright was accused of murdering her husband, John Wright. In this production, the men (Mr. Hale, Sheriff Peters and the County Attorney) attempted to unveil the motives behind Minnie’s defiant act. Along with the men, the women (Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters) were also at the house but they didn’t share the same purpose with the men’s. The women came to the house to pick some clothes for the imprisoned Mrs. Wright. In the course of studying the house, men and women saw the same messiness and gloom around the kitchen and barn. However, they didn’t have interpretation in common. They came up with very different point of view. The men translated the messiness into negligence of Minie’s duties as house maker. On the other hand, the women tried to read the messiness from Minnie’s shoes. They still respected Minnie’s work as a housekeeper and went emphatic as to what possibly happened with Minnie’s daily life. The women thought that the men just could not think like Minnie. From the view of men, every single unfinished work such as unwashed pans under the sink, a loaf of bread outside the breadbox, a dish towel on the table, etc. was merely the indicator of a bad housekeeper and another trifles embracing imperfect stitched-quilt, dead canary and broken birdcage never spoke anything. The men assumed that such kind of trifles were not concrete enough to convince all men-jury. On the contrary, to women, those trifles talked a lot as to what happened with Minnie’s marriage. Besides, they did communicate the oppression of Minnie during thirty years that possibly drove her commit the murder. To kindle the theme of women’s oppression, Glaspell brings several obvious symbols such as dead canary and broken birdcage into the text. The two significant symbols, which are dead canary and broken birdcage, successively communicate the oppression of Minnie Wright in an abusive marriage and her effort to set her free from the entrapment.

The first mentioned symbol, namely dead canary, signifies Minnie’s oppression in the course of abusive thirty year-marriage. The canary is a symbol of Minnie Foster before she weds John Wright. The bird does communicate her former happy and colorful life because she used to be a lively and cheerful girl with nice outfit. She also used to sing a song in the choir. Her joyful moment when she was Minnie Foster is described well by the chunk of dialogue below:

Mrs. Hale : “She used to wear pretty clothes and be lively, when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls singing in the choir. That, oh..that was thirty years ago.”

                        (Page 41-42)

         In addition, another chunk of dialogue in page 46 also remarks the former fascinating youth of Minnie Foster.

 

Mrs. Hale   : “I wish you’d seen Minnie Foster when she wore a white ribbon with blue ribbons and stood up there in the choir and sang.”

                        (Page 46)

           

After getting married with John, her excited life diminishes. She is no longer a lively woman with pretty clothes. She doesn’t longer sing anymore. She is just like a dead canary in the box. Her marriage has robbed her freedom. Her husband has stolen her happiness. The only present that her husband gives is just a package of oppression. She is trapped in the abusive relationship with John that she couldn’t feel the air of freedom. To picture her cheerless life after her wedding day, the following dialogue might be good evidence.

Mrs. Hale   : “She _come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself_ real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and fluttery. How she did change.“

(Page 44)

The dead canary which its neck is wrung by John Wright communicates how the freedom of Minnie is robbed harshly. John has killed both the canary, the only friend of Minnie and Minnie’s dignity. Referring to that, the dialogue below depicts how John treats Minnie and her beloved pet. 

Mrs. Peters                     : “It's the bird.”

Mrs. Hale (jumping up.)  : “But, Mrs. Peters--look at it. Its neck! Look at its neck!  It's all--other side to. “

Mrs. Peters                     : “Somebody--wrung--its neck. “ 
 (Their eyes meet. A look of growing comprehension of horror)

                                                (Page 45)

Mrs. Hale                              : “No, Wright wouldn’t like the bird_a thing that  sang. She used to sing. He killed that too. “

Mrs. Peters (moving uneasily): “We don't know who killed the bird.”

Mrs. Hale                               : ”I knew John Wright.”

                                                    (Page 45-46)

            The dialogue above shows the audience that John Wright do not like the canary’s beautiful song which is actually a symbol of his wife’s desire for freedom and happiness. So, Mr. Wright strangles the bird.

The later symbol is broken birdcage portraying Minnie’s effort to set her free from the restrictive role of desperate and abused housewife. Having got caged in a repressive marriage for thirty years, she takes revenge for what John Wright has done to her, for all the years of cruelty and oppression. She strangles the life out of her husband just like he strangles the canary. The way she wrings his neck is the same as the way he wrings the canary’s neck. In reference to this interpretation, the following chunk of dialogue might function to strengthen the interpretation.

Mrs. Peters        : “It was an awful thing was done in this house that night, Mrs. Hale, killing a man while he slept, slipping a rope around his neck that choked the life out of him.”

Mrs. Hale           : “His neck, Choked the life out of him.”

                                    (Page 46)

Furthermore, dialogue of County Attorney in page 45 serves as the additional evidence of the symbol interpretation.

   

 County Attorney        :(seeing the birdcage)”Has the bird flown?”

To answer the question above, Glaspell lets the symbol says “Yes, the bird has flown very far away from the birdcage and Mrs. Wright has escaped herself from thirty year-oppression. She has reclaimed her lost freedom.”