The Principle of Justice in "Trifles"
The principle of justice is expanded upon in the short story Trifles. The plot contains a flaw in justice as two mothers, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, intervene to defend Ms. Wright from the lawsuit charging her with murdering her husband. The County Attorney and the Sheriff enter Ms. Wright's house to collect clues of the murder investigation, as the plot continues. Any facts can be found in the conversation; Mr. Hale describes Ms. Wrights' reaction when she came to see the husband. “She just stood there with her hands held together and looked down,” he says (Glaspell 23). Mr. Hale felt that the “calm” reaction of Ms. Wright proved that she might have had something to do with the death of the husband. However, the two women, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hales, hide the evidence to protect her; this prevents justice.
The Impact of Hidden Evidence
Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters had gotten a proof that could have incriminated their friend, but decide to hide it. They find the dead bird which Ms. Wrights loved so much, and believed that this could have instigated her to kill her husband. When they find the dead bird which Ms. Wrights loved so much, Mrs. Peters hides the bird. This is indicated in the play, “[Suddenly Mrs. Peters throws back quilt pieces and tries to put the box in the bag she is wearing. It is too big. She opens box, starts to take bird out, cannot touch it, goes to pieces, stands there helpless. Sound of a knob turning in the other room snatches the box and puts it in the pocket of her big coat]” (Glaspell 30). By hiding evidence and tampering with the proof of the possible Ms. Wright’s murder charges, the two women cause a flawed justice in the society.
Gender Biasness and Flawed Justice
Flawed justice could also be witnessed in the manner in which gender biasness is rampant in the play. Men have all the power in the society while women are belittled with limited rights. Apart from the fact that their role is defined domestically, they are not perceived to be important in promoting justice. The undermining of women in the play can be witnessed when the Sherriff and the attorney goes to look for evidence at Ms. Wright’s house. When Mrs. Peters tells them of Wright’s concern over her preservatives, the men become discriminatory:
MRS. PETERS: (to the other woman). Oh, her fruit; it did freeze. (To the Lawyer). She worried about that when it turned so cold. She said the fire'd go out and her jars would break.
SHERIFF: Well, can you beat the woman! Held for murder and worryin' about her preserves.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: I guess before we're through she may have something more serious than preserves to worry about.
HALE: Well, women are used to worrying over trifles (Glaspell 23).
By suggesting the women are always worried about “trifles” rather than important views, it is evident that they are discriminated upon. This is itself a lack of justice since women’s rights are undermined, thus, a flawed justice system.
Work Cited
Glaspell, Susan. Trifles. Baker’s Plays, 2010.
