What Does The Birdcage Symbolize In Trifles?

In 1916, the Provincetown Players premiered Susan Glaspell's one-act drama Trifles. The play portrays a woman accused of murdering her husband and explores the dangers of strict gender roles and the inherent inequalities of a male-dominated society. It was written during the First-Wave Feminist movement and has been widely recognized by feminist critics.

To make the story interesting to read, Susan has used several symbols. One of the most famous of the lot is the 'birdcage.' Let us delver deeper into the symbolism.

But before that, you need to know your author first. So, let's start with that.

Introducing Susan Glaspell

Susan Glaspell is a multi-talented writer, actress, novelist, and journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize. She co-founded the Provincetown Players, America's first modern theatre company. Her one-act play, Trifles (1916), based on a murder trial she covered as a young reporter, is considered a masterpiece of American theatre and a significant feminist work.

At the beginning of her career, Glaspell succeeded in a field that men mostly dominated. She got a job as a reporter for The Des Moines Daily News, where she wrote about murder trials and the state legislature. After leaving the newspaper, she wrote fiction stories for Harper's and The Ladies Home Journal, which helped her pay for her move to Chicago and her first book, The Glory of the Conquered (1909). Although she was famous for her novels and short stories, her biggest achievement was her ground-breaking impact on plays. Trifles the play is considered a feminist masterpiece and one of her greatest works.

Moving on, let's peek into the plot summary and a few more details of the play so that you get a better essence of the symbolism of the birdcage.

Analysis Of The Trifles

The Trifles highlights the unfairness of a society where men hold all the power. The story initially centres on an investigation where two law enforcement officers and a witness go to a crime site to search for evidence of motivation. However, it is unclear why they have brought their wives along. Mrs. Peters seems to be there to collect some of the suspect's belongings and a change of clothes to take to her in jail.

The Sheriff and County Attorney seem unwilling or unable to collect Minnie's belongings. It turns out that Mrs. Peters did not know Minnie until after she was arrested, which suggests that she may have only been invited because she is a woman. Perhaps they are not knowledgeable enough about women's clothing to comprehend what a woman might require.

There is limited information available about Mrs. Hale's involvement in the investigation. She was not present at the Wright home on the day before the murder and therefore is not considered a witness. Her presence at the crime scene would unlikely provide any new information, as she has never met Mrs. Peters and cannot add to her husband's account. Furthermore, due to her familiarity with the main suspect, the County Attorney may be worried about her potential involvement and liability in maintaining the evidence's integrity. However, she is permitted to enter the home and hang out with Mrs. Peters despite being left unsupervised at a crime scene for extended periods.  

The women in the story prove to be better detectives than their male colleagues, who are arrogant and unable to help. The County Attorney leading the case fails to ask about John Wright's treatment of his wife, Minnie and ignores the possibility that it could be related to the murder. Despite the main suspect being a housewife, the Sheriff dismisses the importance of investigating the kitchen and anything related to housekeeping. Law enforcement officials view these matters as trivial and associate them with feminine stereotypes, making it difficult for them to understand the situation from a woman's perspective. They even make jokes about Minnie's intentions with her quilt, showing their lack of interest in these matters. The three men seem to bond over constantly making fun of women and ignoring their concerns. This behavior shows a lack of understanding and respect toward femininity.

While this is going on, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters effortlessly piece together the clues. They are able to see Minnie's marital distress in her housework because they are themselves housewives. Thus, they understand and admire the job of a housewife.

Mrs. Hale, who knew Minnie before her marriage, recognizes right once that John Wright has suffocated Minnie in a manner similar to how he strangled the canary. When Minnie married John Wright, a stern, cold guy who didn't speak much, didn't care what she wanted, and never gave her any children, she withered away from the bright, singing young woman she had once been. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters empathize with Minnie as they have gone through immense sorrow and isolation. Men tend to bond by ridiculing women, while women bond over their shared experiences of oppression by men.  

The ending of the play suggests that women have more power than men realize, even in a society where men are dominant. Mrs. Peters initially feels obligated to follow the law represented by her husband, the Sheriff. However, her compassion for Minnie ultimately leads her to work with Mrs. Hale to conceal evidence that could incriminate Minnie. This is made possible by the arrogance of the men in the story. The County Attorney is disarmed by the apron and quilt brought by Mrs. Peters to examine, which he previously agreed to do. He chuckles and dismisses these items as harmless "womanly frivolities," believing that Mrs. Peters doesn't need supervision as she is "married to the law." This statement carries a negative connotation in a society where marriage is often viewed as oppressive. However, just as Minnie outsmarted John Wright, the two women easily outsmarted their husbands and the County Attorney. Although their quiet rebellion may not eradicate male oppression, it exposes a significant flaw in the arrogance and foolishness of men.

After a detailed analysis of the play, now it is time to know about the symbolism of the birdcage in the play. The section below mentions it in detail.

The Symbolism Of The Birdcage

The birdcage and dead canary in Trifles are key evidence that sheds light on Mrs. Wright's motivation for killing her husband. These items represent Mrs. Wright's oppressive marriage and personal struggles. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters strongly react to this evidence as they can relate to Mrs. Wright's difficult situation.

As the play was being created, the image of imprisoned women stuck behind bars also became the symbol for the short story. The dead canary and its broken cage represent Minnie Foster Wright and the prison that her life became due to her hasty and unhealthy marriage. Mrs. Hale describes how the young and unmarried Mrs. Wright used to be lively and wear pretty clothes when she was known as Minnie Foster, one of the town girls who sang in the choir. This makes it clear that the little bird trapped in a cage is a representation of Minnie. However, all of this happened thirty years ago. Mrs. Hale's observation established a powerful symbol that compares a lively young woman to a colorful canary. Once joyful and free in the trees, the canary has now lost its freedom and voice as it is trapped inside a small cage. View Examples

In her writing, Glaspell clarifies the symbolism she introduced earlier. For example, Mrs. Hale describes Minnie as resembling a bird - sweet and pretty but also timid and fluttery. Glaspell reinforces this symbolism by having Mrs. Hale wonder aloud, "How - she - did - change." The shattered door of the cage also serves as a metaphor for Minnie's situation, adding a bittersweet element to the story.

Many believe that the cage symbolizes Minnie Foster's imprisonment resulting from her strict conservative beliefs on gender roles, which caused her once joyful and singing demeanor to be trapped. This aspect is considered to be of great importance. The cage is a powerful symbol in Glaspell's work, representing the theme of imprisoned women that she observed during her time as a newspaper reporter in jail. However, the brokenness of the cage is just as important. The image of a broken cage is particularly striking when combined with the symbolism of Mrs. Wright as a beautiful bird trapped in that cage. Regardless of how the cage became damaged, it remains a potent metaphor for the end of an unhappy marriage. The shattered cage is a significant symbol in Glaspell's exploration of various topics, particularly the location of the most severe damage. An important moment in the story is when Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale examine the cage and find that not only has the door been broken, but the cage itself has also sustained significant damage, as if someone used brute force to escape due to strong emotional reactions.

Naturally, Mr. Wright's violent nature and excessive fury are the cause of the cage door's hard damage in real life. On a level of symbolism, however, it is possible to interpret Glaspell's recognizing that women in such roles of submission to power throughout that time frame were able to flee their imprisonment by responding to violence with violence as the fact that the cage's door appears to have undergone a particularly arduous struggle during Wright's desire to wring the bird's neck. The door that is damaged seems to symbolize the difficult path that must be taken for liberation, particularly if the age is a stand-in for Mrs. Wright's confinement in her marriage.

Though there is still an argument about whether the birdcage symbolizes the life of Minnie in her unhappy marriage or her days in prison, in a way, it justifies both. Susan Glaspell has very interestingly used the symbol to describe the condition of the women in that era and the fate they survived if they stood for their peace and freedom. It gives us clear images of how they were treated. And the detailed explanation of the poor condition of the cage's condition also explains a lot about the strength and dominance applied to establish patriarchal control.