Discussion Board

Write one post and respond to two other postings. Was Mr. Wright a good husband? Answer yes or no, and using the text support your answer. (20 pts)

Post 1. It seems like it could be hard to tell whether or not Mr. Wright was a good husband, there's always a chance that Mrs. Wright was losing her mind when he died or perhaps he did it himself. My opinion, however, is that he was not a good husband, and that's why Mrs. Wright killed him. Mrs. Hale explained that he was a decent man at face value, he paid his debts but didn't have a personality conducive to being friendly. Mrs. Hale then went on to liken Mrs. Wright to a bird with how she used to sing in the choir, so sweet and pretty, but she changed after tieing the knot with Mr. Wright. The suffocation of the bird mimics how Mr. Wright suffocated his wife's joys, and is a foreshadowing to how she would get her revenge on him. It would also make sense that she killed her husband because she was so calm when she spoke about it, just fiddling with her apron. Mr. Wright may have been a decent man to the public eye, but nobody that suppresses their partner's pleasures can be a good spouse.

Post 2. Throughout Trifles by Susan Glaspell, we do not have the opportunity to delve much into Mr. Wright’s relationship with his wife, Minnie. However, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale speak from their perspective of the couple which ultimately, leads me to believe that Mr. Wright was not a good husband. Mrs. Hale expresses regret when explaining she never visited Minnie, despite her seeming lonely and unhappy ever since her marriage. She recalls a time Minnie had sung in the choir however, that is followed by account that she no longer appears lively and cheerful like she once did. Mrs. Hale also lists some positive attributes about Mr. Wright, nonetheless, she concludes her description of his personality by saying he was a “hard man". As she does this, she shivers and compares him to a raw wind. This coldness could be the cause of Minnie’s assumed suffering in her relationship, similar to her jars of preserves breaking in the winter weather. After this discussion in the kitchen, the two find a bird with a rope wrung around his neck, similar to how Mr. Wright was found. This could point to his death as revenge, as we may assume, he killed the bird who brought his wife so much joy. While it is not explicitly stated, after the dialogue between the two women and their discovery of the bird, I presume that Mr. Wright was not a good husband.