The document analyzes the symbolism of the canary bird in the play Trifles by Susan Glaspell. The canary represents Mrs. Wright and her freedom within her marriage. Its death symbolizes the loss of Mrs. Wright's livelihood and sanity. Killing the bird drove Mrs. Wright to lose her mind and murder her abusive husband, as it was the last straw that caused her emotional damage and breakdown. The document explores how the canary acted as a symbol of Mrs. Wright's happiness and well-being within her oppressive marriage, and its death ultimately led to the death of her husband at her hands.

1. The Symbol Of The Bird
TRIFLES BY SUSAN GLASPELL

2. Why Mrs. Wright would have
killed her husband over a small
bird?
First and foremost we need to realize what kind
of bird that represented in this drama and the
specialities of this bird. The bird that was reared
by Mr. And Mrs. Wright was a canary. Canary is a
bird who has pretty light coloured feathers. It
also has a nice chirping sound and if we try to
compare the canary with Mrs Wright (Minnie
Foster) we’ll find that they have some
similarities. Lets we go back to one of the
dialogues from Mrs. Hale- she, come to think of it,
she was like a bird herself, real sweet and pretty,
but kind of timid and..fluttery.

3. From the dialogue, we noticed Mrs. Hale likens
Mrs. Wright as the bird. Before marriage, Mrs.
Wright was one of the Church choir members.
She sings very well and back in those days she
was very pretty. She’s having a better life before
she was married. However, everything’s
changed. It obviously shown from one of the
dialogues by Mrs. Hale, how-did-she-changed.

4.  The canary represents Mrs. Wright’s well being.
The life of the canary symbolizes Mrs. Wright’s
freedom, striving to live. When the bird died,
Mrs. Wright’s freedom went with it. Keeping a
dead bird wrapped up in a box is an example of
an abnormal behaviour, along with killing her
husband. The life of the canary symbolizes the
liveliness of Mrs. Wright, trying to live. The
death of the bird symbolizes Mrs. Wright’s end
for a fight to live, and she loses her mind and
kills her husband.

5.  Apparently, the canary in the cage represents
Minnie Wright’s happiness and sanity living in a
house of hell with a very “hard” husband, John
Wright. The presence of the bird, the sweet singing
chirp keeps Mrs. Wright’s sanity and help her hold
herself together, as she herself is represented as the
bird, “she was kind of like a bird herself—“. However,
the ‘murder’ of the bird by Mr. Wright causes her to
break emotionally and lose her sanity. That is the
cause of her husband’s murder, he caused her to
become emotionally damaged when he strangles
and she kills him as a result.