Summary

The play takes place in the farmhouse of John and Minnie Wright on the day after
John Wright is found strangled in his bed. Minnie Wright has been arrested and
taken into custody, so the house has been empty for a day. The Sheriff, Henry
Peters, and the County Attorney, George Henderson, have just arrived at the house
to investigate the crime scene. They are accompanied by Lewis Hale, the neighbor
who discovered John Wright’s body, and his wife, Mrs. Hale. The Sheriff’s wife, Mrs.
Peters, has also come to collect a change of clothes and a few of Minnie’s
belongings to take to her in jail. The house is very cold inside because the previous
night's temperature had dipped below zero, and the fire had gone out. The Sheriff
explains that he sent one of his men early in the morning to light the fire so that the
group wouldn’t freeze during the investigation, but he assures the County Attorney
that the man didn’t disturb any evidence.
The County Attorney questions Mr. Hale about how he discovered John Wright’s
body. Mr. Hale explains that he stopped by to try to persuade John Wright to buy into
a party line telephone. Upon arriving, he found Minnie sitting in her rocking chair
and acting “queer.” When Mr. Hale asked to speak to John, Minnie replied matter-of-
factly that John was dead and pointed upstairs. Mr. Hale took another man up to the
bedroom, where they found John in bed, strangled with a rope around his neck.
When they asked Minnie how John was killed, she claimed not to know because she
“sleeps soundly.” Mr. Hale decided to call the Sheriff and the coroner, which didn’t
seem to upset Minnie. However, when Mr. Hale mentioned to Minnie that he had
come to ask John about installing a telephone, Minnie suddenly burst out laughing.
Once the Sheriff and coroner arrived, Minnie was arrested and taken to jail.
The County Attorney seems satisfied with Mr. Hale’s story and announces that they
will begin searching around the property for any signs of a motive. He looks around
the kitchen briefly and concludes that Minnie must be a poor housekeeper because
it is quite a mess, with unwashed dishes, dirty towels, and bread sitting outside the
breadbox. Mrs. Hale defends Minnie’s housekeeping, quipping that there is quite a
lot of work to do on a farm besides cleaning up after men, who aren’t always so tidy.
The County Attorney jokes that Mrs. Hale is “loyal to her sex” and asks if she is
friends with Minnie. Mrs. Hale replies that she has not visited Minnie in more than a
year, partly because she felt uncomfortable around John Wright.
While looking in a cupboard, the County Attorney discovers that several jars of
canned fruit have exploded, making a sticky mess. Mrs. Peters remarks that when
she spoke with Minnie in jail, she had been worried about the jars exploding in the
cold. The men laugh at the irony of Minnie worrying over her preserves when she
has been accused of murder. Mr. Hale remarks that “women are used to worrying
over trifles.” The men soon decide that there is no important evidence in the
kitchen and resolve to search the bedroom and the barn instead, leaving the two
women alone. Before going upstairs, the County Attorney tells Mrs. Peters that he
will want to inspect everything she decides to take to Minnie, and he asks the
women to “keep an eye out” for anything that might help the case.
Once the men leave, Mrs. Hale expresses her displeasure with the way the men
have criticized Minnie’s housekeeping. Mrs. Peters, who had not previously known
Minnie, replies that the men are only doing their jobs. As the women collect Minnie’s
things, they notice little clues about what Minnie was doing before she was taken
away. Mrs. Hale says Minnie keeps to herself and rarely goes out anymore, but she
recalls how vibrant and outgoing Minnie was before she married, when she wore
fancy clothes and sang in a choir. Suddenly, Mrs. Hale asks Mrs. Peters if she thinks
Minnie is really the murderer. Mrs. Peters softly replies that her husband, the Sheriff,
seems convinced of Minnie’s guilt, but the County Attorney thinks they must find
evidence of a motive to convince a jury. Mrs. Hale insists that she sees no signs of a
motive and does not believe Minnie is guilty.
The women turn their attention to a half-finished quilt that Minnie was sewing. Just
as the men are returning, Mrs. Hale wonders aloud if Minnie planned to “quilt it or
just knot it.” The Sheriff repeats the phrase derisively, mocking the women for
talking about the quilt. All the men laugh before going outside to inspect the barn.
After the men leave, Mrs. Hale complains about the Sheriff’s comment, and Mrs.
Peters apologetically replies that the men have important things on their minds. The
women then notice that one section of the quilt is poorly sewn, unlike the rest. As
Mrs. Hale wonders aloud what could have led to such “nervous” sewing, she begins
ripping stitches out and repairing them. Mrs. Peters says they probably shouldn’t be
touching anything, but she doesn’t stop Mrs. Hale.
Then Mrs. Peters finds a birdcage in a cabinet. The cage door appears to have been
violently ripped off, and there is no sign of a bird. Mrs. Hale speculates that Minnie
must have bought a canary, which reminds her of how Minnie herself used to sing
like a pretty bird before she got married. Mrs. Hale is overcome with regret for not
visiting Minnie more often. She realizes how lonely Minnie must have been being
married to a cold man like John Wright, and she concludes that Minnie probably
bought the bird to keep her company.
The two women decide they will take the quilt to Minnie in jail so she can finish it.
As they are looking for sewing material, they discover a red box with the body of the
dead bird inside. The bird’s neck is broken, and the women realize someone has
strangled it. Just then, the men return, and Mrs. Hale hides the box with the dead
bird under the quilt. The County Attorney mockingly asks if the women have
decided whether Minnie was going to “quilt it or knot it.” Then he notices the
birdcage and asks what happened to the bird. Mrs. Hale suggests that the cat must
have got it, even though no cat is in the house. But the County Attorney is too
distracted to challenge her lie and quickly leaves to talk to the Sheriff about
something else.
Alone again, the women continue their conversation. Mrs. Peters recalls how angry
she felt as a young girl when a cruel boy killed her pet kitten right in front of her.
Mrs. Hale says she knows John Wright killed the bird. Mrs. Peters, becoming
emotional, insists they do not know who killed the bird or John Wright. Mrs. Hale
laments how lonely Minnie must have felt when John killed her bird, especially since
she had no children. Mrs. Peters then shares that she herself went through a very
lonely time after her first baby died. But she still insists that the law must punish
crimes like the murder of John Wright.
The men return again, having found no clues of a motive. The Sheriff asks the
County Attorney if he wants to look at the things Mrs. Peters has packed to take to
Minnie. The County Attorney laughs when he sees Minnie’s apron and quilt and
quickly concludes that they are “not very dangerous things.” Then he jokes that he
doesn’t need to supervise Mrs. Peters because, as the Sheriff’s wife, she is “married
to the law.” Mrs. Peters bristles at the joke. The men leave the room momentarily,
and Mrs. Hale hides the bird’s body in her pocket. As the play ends, the County
Attorney sarcastically remarks that at least they managed to determine how Minnie
Wright was going to finish her quilt. He turns to the women to remind him of the
correct quilting term. With her hand over her pocket, Mrs. Hale responds that Minnie
was going to “knot it.”
Characteristics
Minnie Wright (Mrs. Wright/Minnie Foster)
The wife and suspected killer of the murdered John Wright. Minnie never appears on
stage, so the audience only learns about her through other characters. The male
characters find her perplexing, unable to comprehend why she might have gone
mad and killed her husband. The female characters have a more sympathetic view,
empathizing with the loneliness and isolation of her oppressive marriage.
John Wright
Minnie’s deceased husband found strangled in his bed the day before the play
begins. He was reputedly a “good man” because he paid his bills, was honest, and
did not drink. But Mrs. Hale remembers him as an exceptionally cold, cheerless man
who was cruel to Minnie and made her give up singing. Mrs. Hale speculates that
John Wright killed Minnie’s bird because he couldn’t stand anything that sang.
Mrs. Hale
The wife of Lewis Hale and neighbor to the Wrights. As the only character who is
well acquainted with Minnie Wright, Mrs. Hale feels guilty for not visiting Minnie
more often. She understands all too well the challenges of running a farmer’s
household and takes exception to the men’s unfair criticism of Minnie’s
homemaking skills. Observant and deeply suspicious of men, Mrs. Hale is the first to
notice the clues that implicate Minnie Wright in the murder, but she feels no
obligation to divulge anything to the Sheriff or County Attorney.
Mrs. Peters
The Sheriff's wife, who is tasked with retrieving a few of Minnie’s belongings from
the farmhouse. A relative newcomer to the town, Mrs. Peters does not know Minnie
Wright well, having only met her after the arrest. Even so, Mrs. Peters can easily
perceive the clues that Minnie was lonely and unhappy and likely responsible for the
murder. As a woman, Mrs. Peters empathizes with Minnie, but as the sheriff’s wife,
she feels compelled to uphold the law. Her conflicted feelings create suspense as
the audience wonders whether she will reveal the evidence to her husband and the
County Attorney.
County Attorney (George Henderson)
The man in charge of the investigation. Young, self-assured, and pompous, the
County Attorney is confident he will find evidence that explains Minnie Wright’s
motive for the murder. Although he tries to establish a rapport with the women
through humor and flattery, they find his jokes condescending and insulting. Like
the other men, he looks for evidence in all the wrong places, dismissing important
clues as feminine trifles.
The Sheriff (Henry Peters)
The local lawman and husband of Mrs. Peters who arrested Minnie Wright. The
Sheriff was called to the crime scene on the day of the murder, so he initially has
more knowledge than the County Attorney. Early in the play, he convinces the
County Attorney not to bother looking for evidence in the kitchen because there are
only “kitchen things” there. Even though it seems fairly evident that Minnie
murdered John Wright in their own bed, the Sheriff inexplicably seems focused on
checking the bedroom, the windows, and the barn for signs of a break-in. Like the
other men, he seems dismissive and judgmental toward women, making several
jokes at their expense.
Mr. Hale
The neighboring farmer who discovered the murder. Early in the play, Mr. Hale
recounts his visit to the Wright’s house and describes Mrs. Wright’s “queer”
behavior. Although Mr. Hale seems hesitant to conclude that Mrs. Wright committed
the murder, he joins the other men in making fun of the women during the
investigation. The play’s title comes from Mr. Hale’s declaration that “women are
used to worrying over trifles.”