I think there is an unmistakable link between Mrs. Wright and the dead bird. It almost seems as if they are linked spiritually, as they both share the ability to create beautiful music. In addition, their fragility is exposed by Mr. Wright. He physically strangles the bird, while emotionally scarring Mrs. Wright, not just through breaking that spiritual link between her and the bird, but also through (seemingly) years of neglect and/or verbal abuse.
As for Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, the sight of the murdered bird is quite horrifying for both of them. I personally see a real turn in their attitude when they see the lifeless creature, and at that moment I think their already fragile minds crack. Both commit a serious offense (altering/hiding evidence), a large aspect of the play that should not be overlooked. Whether they are championing a certain unity for women or feel embarrassed for Mrs. Wright is up for debate, but I am very confident that the sight of the dead bird shatters the psyche of both Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters.
Does anyone agree or disagree? If you do not agree, you should listen to Nelly Furtado's "I'm Like a Bird," and then maybe you will reconsider :)
So if the canary represents Mrs. Wright, and if the canary's death symbolizes how John Wright killed Mrs. Wright's inner life, then does the bird's fate give any indication of Mrs. Wright's fate in prison? Or was the bird killed, in a way, in place of Mrs. Wright, so that Mrs. Wright herself won't be hanged or whatever for killing her husband? I'm still trying to figure out what happens to Mrs. Wright after "Trifles" ends. I'm also curious, Ryan, about how you see Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters as "fragile." Mrs. Wright is definitely frail, but I'm not sure about the other two women. Mrs. Peters is timid, to be sure. But they seem mentally strong. At least they have the mental capacity to decide what to do with the evidence when they find it.
ReplyDeleteThere is most certainly a strong bond between Mrs. Wright and the bird, but I am not yet sure who wrung its neck. Mrs. Wright elicits the "caged bird" metaphor as she has been corralled into the domestic sphere. It seems that she lives vicariously through the bird's singing (it was alluded to that she once sang). There are many smaller signs of mental anguish and disorder on Mrs. Wright's part (the biggest of which is the bird). Once Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters find the bird, they most certainly change. I do not think that their psyche has been "shattered," as much as it has been shocked. I think they instantly become aware of (and sympathize with) Mrs. Wright's mental anguish. Also, I love that song.
ReplyDeleteI think the major thing for me, Bethany, is that Mrs. Hale seems to already be majorly shaken by the whole situation, and she looked at the dead bird in horror. Mrs. Peters, who is the wife of the sheriff, and supposedly "married to the law," commits a crime herself. I personally see both Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale as fragile because they do not stand up for justice. In my humble opinion, if Mrs. Wright was the killer (as all the evidence shows), then she should be punished, no matter how cold or bitter her husband was. Maybe that is just a biased male perspective, but that is why I feel that all three of the women characters are fragile, with their inability to deal with negative people/situation around them, and instead break the law in an effort to combat those negative people/situations.
ReplyDeleteI like that definition of "fragility." Now that you put it that way, I can definitely see it. So it's escapism, almost, instead of dealing with the problem. "We can't deal with conflict so we're just going to sweep everthing under the rug (or, in this case, into our pockets)." But imagine the conflict that /will/ ensue if their husbands find out what they've done!
DeleteKeep an eye on the "woman as bird" metaphor. It will come up again!
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