Mrs. Hale is a key character in Susan Glaspell’s play Trifles, and her loyalty to her friend and neighbor, Mrs. Wright, plays a crucial role in the story. Despite the suspicions about Mrs. Wright that are raised by the male characters in the play, Mrs. Hale remains steadfastly loyal to her friend throughout the course of events. She demonstrates this loyalty through her actions as well as her words, putting aside her own concerns and focusing instead on helping Mrs. Wright navigate the difficult circumstances she finds herself in after being accused of murdering her husband.
Through all of this, Mrs. Hale shows an admirable resilience and determination to stand up for what she believes is right, even when it means going against conventional ideas about justice and fairness. In the end, it is Mrs. Hale’s loyalty to Mrs. Wright that ultimately helps the latter escape punishment for a crime she did not commit, and which allows her to finally find some peace and closure after a tragic event. Susan Glaspell’s Trifles is thus a story about the power of female friendship and loyalty, and Mrs. Hale is a key example of these themes at work in the play.
The idea I want to explore has to do with how Mrs. Hale stands behind Mrs. Wright, even though it appears that everyone else especially (the men) would prefer to lock her up and throw away the key. When she becomes enraged at the County Attorney for slandering Mrs. Wright’s housekeeping skills, we see this right away. This is beautifully symbolic in that most women of this era accepted whatever males said about their sex, never fighting back or together
It is clear that Mrs. Hale feels a strong sense of loyalty to her fellow woman, and this has endeared her in my eyes. I will argue that Mrs. Hale’s loyalty towards Mrs. Wright shows us just how society was changing at the time, with women slowly gaining more agency and independence. This is reflected in the way she defends her friend against all odds, even when everyone else seems determined to judge her without understanding the full picture.
By standing up for what she believes in and refusing to buy into the status quo, she becomes an inspirational figure for other women who feel trapped or marginalized by society. Whether you agree with Susan Glaspell’s portrayal of these events or not, it is undeniable that Mrs. Hale serves as a powerful symbol of female resilience and strength.
Ultimately, the loyalty that Mrs. Hale displays in Trifles is a testament to her character and the way she refuses to be confined by gender roles or societal expectations. She shows us just how far women have come since that time, and stands as an inspiration for all those who wish to break free from the status quo.
When you hear this, it’s easy to understand why, because Mrs. Peters is fighting what she is hearing the men say versus what she feels inside. When Mrs. Hale tells Mrs. Peters that she would want the guys out of her kitchen snooping about and insulting, Mrs. Peters replies, “Of course it’s only their duty.” This reflects a lady who has been indoctrinated with the male perspective on history that she can’t even recognize basic emotions like love between women.
Mrs. Hale is a rare find in her time, someone who speaks openly and honestly about what she feels, even when it goes directly against what the men believe to be true. Further evidence of Mrs. Hale’s loyalty to women over men is seen in how she tries to defend Minnie Wright from Mr. Henderson by saying that he was just as much to blame for Minnie’s psychological distress. She notes “I didn’t like the way any of you talked about her being driven crazy–like she was a animal.” This shows that Mrs. Hale has empathy towards the plight of women, especially those who are marginalized and mistreated simply because they are women.
Overall, Mrs. Hale is an independent and strong-willed woman who is not afraid to speak her mind, even when it goes against popular opinion. Her loyalty and sense of camaraderie with other women are a testament to the strength, resilience, and dignity of the female spirit.
We then move on to the part of the narrative in which the ladies discuss Mrs. Peter’s encounters with other females in town. Mrs. Hale stated that she was not a member of the Ladies Aid (which appeared to be what women did in that community), and that she dressed poorly and never had done so before becoming Mr. Wright’s wife, implying she isn’t a good wife or mother since it is difficult for her to dress neatly now that he is unemployed.
Mrs. Hale also makes it clear that she does not think Mrs. Wright murdered her husband, whereas Mrs. Peters is unsure if the Attorney feels it looks bad because she didn’t wake up when her spouse was murdered in bed beside her; while I believe Don’t blame her because he couldn’t have awakened anyhow or perhaps he would be alive now or at least maybe he could have awoken her in his struggle Ms. Hale takes the viewpoint of
Susan Glaspell’s play Trifles is set in a small town in Iowa where the Wright’s live on a farm. This particular story takes place in the Wright’s kitchen where Mr. and Mrs. Hale have come to help gather some of Mrs. Wright’s things because she has been taken to jail for the murder of her husband, Mr. John Wright. The Attorney and Sheriff are also present and are mostly focused on finding evidence to convict Mrs. Wright, while the women are more concerned with what kind of life she must have had living with such a difficult man.
The men overhear the women discussing Mrs. Wright’s quilt, wondering if she would knot it or quilt it, and they laugh at them as a further visual aspect of the play. Mrs. Hale is angry with them for making fun of the ladies because “they have a lot on their minds.” They had plenty of time to make jokes about the females, but not Mrs. Peters. She does nothing to defend women; instead, she allows males to dominate her and bully her into feeling inferior.
Susan Glaspell makes a very powerful statement about women’s rights and how they were not appreciated in this time. Susan also shows how close women can become by showing the unity between Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters when talking about the quilt and also because they are both women.
It is important to Susan that women unite and fight for their own because if they do not, no one else will. Susan Glaspell was way ahead of her time in writing this play and it is still relevant today. She shows how even though times have changed, some things have stayed the same like the inequality between men and women.
Mrs. Hale is the only one that stays loyal to Mrs. Wright throughout the play despite what everyone else says about her. She is the only one that seems to understand her and sees her for who she really is. Susan Glaspell does a wonderful job of showing how women were often treated during this time and how important it was for them to stick together in order to have their voices heard. Whether you agree with Susan Glaspell’s views or not, her writing has a powerful message that continues to resonate today.
