Mrs. 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 feuds have led to the extreme act 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 military serving to protect the innocent, there is never a case where murder can be justified, especially in Mrs. Wright's case. Although Glaspell provides clues to a psychologically abusive marital relationship, this does not provide Mrs. Wright with justification for the murder. In fact, the way he deals with the act is very calculated and sociopathic. Uncovering clues in Susan Glaspell's Trifles will reveal a calculated murder that gives Mrs. Wright the title of sociopath. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay One of the great rights guaranteed to Americans is the possibility to always stand trial, regardless of the crime, in this way even the accused has a chance to assert his innocence. However, many times lawyers exploit loopholes in the law to get their client out of trouble, or at least minimize the penalty. The same can be said for playing on the jury's emotion, which would most likely be Ms. Wright's defense tactic if Susan Glaspell had continued Trifles in her trial. However, this would not have been necessary due to the clues presented by Glaspell, which makes it seem obvious to the reader that it was Mrs. Wright who killed her husband. Yet, even with these clues, many feel that Ms. Wright acted justifiably because of the psychological abuse she received from Mr. Wright. According to Mrs. Hale's description of Mrs. Wright before her marriage, “[Mrs. Wright] She wore nice dresses and was lively 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 she changed following her marriage. Mrs. Hale also goes on to describe the house as not a very happy place for Mr. Wright to live in. In Darlene Oakley's article titled "Emotional Abuse: The Invisible Marriage Killer" men are typically the perpetrators of abuse due to the need to be in control. Oakley blames this on the possibility of a lack of a father figure or having witnessed this same abuse firsthand. These abusers are “self-referential,” meaning the only perspective they have is their own and anything to the contrary is what fuels the abuse, which is why the woman feels the need to always be obedient. Oakley also provides the profile of the emotionally abused woman who has low self-esteem even though she appears to be in control of her situation and loss of trust in the relationship. Without any trust, she is left to detach herself emotionally from the situation just to survive, which comes at the cost of her soul and spirit. (Oakley). Therefore, the reader may feel sympathy for Mrs. Wright as her husband is presented as the one who ruined her life, but this does not give Mrs. Wright the excuse to kill Mr. Wright, it only gives her a reason. It is rare in history to find a female assassin, however there have been enough of them in history for trends to form. In the book CriminalBehavior and Mental Health by Sophie Davison discusses rare female serial killers and their motivations. According to Davison, Mrs Wright would be classified as a "black widow", one who kills members of her family. Mrs. Wright may also fit the description of a "Revenge Killer" as 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 rid herself of her husband for the 30 years of psychological abuse he endured. A sociopath is defined as a person with a personality disorder that manifests itself in extreme antisocial attitudes and behavior and a lack of conscience. What is discovered by Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, discovering what the men in the play consider "nonsense" details, is actually evidence that Glaspell presents Mrs. Wright's progression into becoming a sociopathic murderer. Glaspell begins by giving us Mr. Hale's description of his conversation with Mrs. Wright. “Well, it seemed like he didn't know what he was going to do next. And sort of done. (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 reaction to distress, but it also gives the sense that Mrs Wright shows no remorse and is apathetic towards 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 Mrs. Wright uses for sewing is called "knotting." This is not only ironic, but presents a clue and the second part of the murderous progression that Mrs. Wright was actually practicing the knot she would use to kill her husband. Another hint of irony used in this situation is that when a couple gets married, it is called "tying the knot" and Mrs. Wright is also doing to end this marriage. The third clue Glaspell provides is a bit of a mystery to the women in the play, but it would make sense to continue the progression of Mrs. Wright evolving into a killer. As the women continue to rummage through Mrs. Wright's things, they discover an empty birdcage. Mrs. Hale goes on to provide more information about Mrs. Wright's life before her marriage: "She herself was like a bird: very sweet and pretty, but a little shy and fluttering" (Glaspell, 608). The two women eventually find the dead bird in Mrs. Wright's sewing kit with a knot tied around its neck, similar to the one where Mr. Wright was strangled. There are now two theories as to who is responsible for the bird's death, the first being Mr Wright. There is some credibility to this theory when one considers Mrs. Wright's description of Mrs. Wright as a bird. Obviously, Mr. Wright was not fond of a lively 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 triggered Mrs. Wright's emotion, making her husband's murder a violent reaction that does not fit her profile as an obedient and abused wife. This theory also would not give any meaning to the apron knots. Rather, it is the theory that Mrs. Wright was the bird killer that correlates most strongly with the other evidence. There is much more evidence to support Mrs. Wright's theory, leading one to believe that this was how Susan Glaspell intended for Trifles to progress. The first proof is that this is the third part of the journey.. 2016.