In "Trifles" Susan Glaspell portrays a scenario that is intended to be most disturbing to her readers. Glaspell indicates that a man has died in a quite peculiar way as well as providing her readers with clues, such as a "dead canary," in order for them to decipher who had committed the crime. Mrs. Wright was the obvious offender. But the question that I pose while analyzing the work is: Was Mrs. Wright suffering from an all too common sickness known today as Battered Women's Syndrome? And if this proves to be a legitimate hypothesis, was she therefore justified in killing her husband? Mrs. Wright's actions were justified because murder was Mrs. Wright's only escape from the pure terror and madness that existed within the walls of the Wright farmhouse.
             First we must ask ourselves, what is it that truly classifies a woman to be 'battered?' "We consider a woman to be battered if she is subjected repeatedly to coercive behavior (physical, sexual, or psychological) by a man attempting to force her to do what he wants her to do regardless of her own desires, rights, or best interests" (Walker 102). We are not able to hear directly from Mrs. Wright in Glaspell's play. The evidence and clues that lead us to believe that Mrs. Wright was indeed suffering within her marriage to John Wright all comes to us from her old friend, Mrs. Hale. Mrs. Hale reminisces over the times prior to Mrs. Wright's marriage, as she was known then as Minnie Foster. She mentions that Minnie Foster was "real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and fluttery." She then goes onto mention: "How-she-did-change." This tells us that Mrs. Wright was no longer who she had once been. This change, most definitely, was not a positive one in any way. Mrs. Ha!
             le makes many references to Mr. Hale as being a "hard man." As she continues to speak of Mr. Wright she shivers as she says "Just to pass the time of day with him- Like a raw wind that gets to the bone....