Ms. Wright's Criminal Psychology Murder in human history dates back to the biblical story of Cain and Abel, the first descendants of Adam and Eve . Cain killed Abel out of jealousy, and since then, countless quarrels have led to the extreme action of murder as a solution to the dispute. Murders have become so common that some can now be considered justified, which seems to be the popular perception of Mrs. Wright's murder of her husband in Susan Glaspell's play Trifles. Aside from self-defense and the role of the military in protecting the innocent, there is never a case in which murder can be justified, especially in the case of Ms. Wright. Although Glaspell provides clues to a psychologically abusive marital relationship, it does not give Mrs. Wright a justification for the murder. In fact, his approach is very calculated and sociopathic. As you uncover clues throughout Susan Glaspell's Trifles, you'll uncover a calculated murder that earns Ms. Wright the title of sociopath. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay One of the great rights afforded to Americans is the ability to always stand trial, regardless of the crime, this way even the accused has a chance to plead their innocence. However, lawyers often exploit loopholes in the law to get their clients out of trouble, or at least minimize the penalty. The same can be said for playing on the emotion of the jury, which would most likely be Ms. Wright's defense tactic if Susan Glaspell had continued Trifles at her trial. However, this would not have been necessary due to the clues presented by Glaspell, which make it obvious to the reader that it was Mrs. Wright who killed her husband. Yet even with these clues, many feel that Ms. Wright acted in a justified manner because of the emotional abuse she suffered at the hands of Mr. Wright. According to Mrs. Hale's description of Mrs. Wright before her marriage, “[Mrs. Wright] used to wear pretty clothes and be vivacious when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls who sang in the choir. (Glaspell, 605). This earlier characterization of Mrs. Wright reveals how much she has changed as a result of the marriage. Mrs. Hale also goes on to describe the house as not a very happy place with Mr. Wright living there. In Darlene Oakley's article titled "Emotional Abuse: The Invisible Marriage Killer," men are usually the abusers because of the need to be in control. Oakley attributes this to possibly a lack of a father figure or witnessing this same abuse. These abusers are “self-referenced,” meaning that their only point of view is their own and anything to the contrary fuels the abuse, which is why the woman feels the need to always be obedient. Oakley also profiles the emotionally abused woman who has low self-esteem even though she appears to be in control of her situation and loses confidence in the relationship. Without any confidence, she must emotionally detach herself from the situation just to survive, which comes at the expense of her soul and spirit. (Oakley). Therefore, the reader may feel sympathy for Mrs. Wright since her husband is presented as the one who ruined her life, but this does not give Mrs. Wright the excuse to murder Mr. Wright, it only gives her a motive. It's rare in history to find a female killer, but there have been enough of them for trends to form. In Sophie Davison's book Criminal Behavior and Mental Health, she discusses the rareserial killers and their motivations. According to Davison, Ms. Wright would be classified as a “black widow,” one who kills members of her family. Ms. Wright may also fit the description of a "Revenge Killer" since it was Mr. Wright who metaphorically took her life, so she literally took his in revenge. (Davison). Now with a motive, Mrs. Wright began planning to get rid of her husband after the 30 years of emotional abuse she had to endure. A sociopath is defined as a person with a personality disorder manifested by extreme antisocial attitudes and behaviors and a lack of conscientiousness. What Ms. Hale and Ms. Peters discover, revealing what the men in the room consider “trivial” details, is in fact the evidence presented by Glaspell of Ms. Wright's progression into a sociopathic killer. Glaspell begins by giving us Mr. Hale's description of his conversation with Mrs. Wright. “Well, she looked like she didn't know what she was going to do next. And somehow arranged. (Glaspell, 602). Mr. Hale goes on to describe Mrs. Wright's actions as strange, as if she had no intention of caring that her husband had just been killed. This can be excused as a strange distressed reaction, but it also gives the feeling that Mrs. Wright shows no remorse and is also apathetic about the situation. Glaspell then goes on to ask the women to find strange sewing patterns in Mrs. Wright's apron. As the women conclude, the method Ms. Wright uses for sewing is called "tying." This is not only ironic, but it presents a clue and the second part of the killer's progression that Mrs. Wright was in fact practicing the knot she was going to use to kill her husband. Another hint of irony used in this situation is that when a couple gets married, it is called "marrying", which Mrs. Wright also does to end this marriage. The third clue Glaspell gives is a bit mysterious to the women in the play, but would make sense in continuing Mrs. Wright's progression into a killer. As the women continue to rummage through Mrs. Wright's belongings, they discover an empty birdcage. Mrs. Hale goes on to provide insight into Mrs. Wright's life before her marriage: "She was like a bird herself – very sweet and pretty, but rather shy and flitting" (Glaspell, 608). The two women eventually find the dead bird in Mrs. Wright's sewing kit with a bow tied around its neck, the same way Mr. Wright was strangled. There are now two theories as to who was responsible for the bird's death, the first being that it was Mr Wright. There is some credibility to this theory when we consider Ms. Hale's description of Ms. Wright as a bird. Obviously, Mr. Wright did not like a bustling lifestyle, which is why he killed the bird the same way he took away Mrs. Wright's free spirit. However, this would mean that killing the bird was a trigger for Mrs. Wright's emotion, making her husband's murder a violent reaction that does not fit her profile as an obedient, abused wife. This theory would also give no meaning to the apron knots. Rather, it is the theory that Mrs. Wright is the bird killer that correlates most closely with the other clues. There is much more evidence to support Ms. Wright's theory, leading one to believe that this is how Susan Glaspell wanted Trifles to progress. The first piece of evidence is that this is the third part of Ms. Wright's progression into a sociopath. This step is the first time it has actually caused any damage.. 2016.