Freedom and Responsibility in That Term Paper

Mrs. Peters shows this belief when she says, "But Mrs. Hale, the law is the law." (Glaspell, 16.)

Many of the laws that govern society are based on maintaining society. This includes criminal laws, which are easily justified, they protect everyone's safety. It also includes business laws, which again protect society by clarifying how businesses can operate. Everyone has a responsibility towards society simply because they are part of it. This means that individual freedom is restricted in favor of the freedom of society.

The question that "Trifles" raises, is when is it all right to overlook this responsibility to society in favor of responsibility to an individual. In life, this question is raised often. Stealing is a crime, but is it acceptable to steal food if a child's life depends on it? In the play we see that a criminal crime of 'suppression of evidence' occurs where Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale hide the bird.The fact that this is a reflection of not doing as society requires is emphasized by the county attorney saying, "for that matter, a sheriff's wife [Mrs. Peters] is married to the law." (Glaspell, 29) However, we see that the sheriff's wife hides the bird anyway. This is a case of choosing between one's responsibility to society and one's responsibility to an individual. Even though this is against the rules of society, this behaviour seems justified. The main reason is that we see that Minnie's husband is a cruel man and that he has killed the bird. We also see that Minnie's husband had a responsibility to his wife as an individual. A responsibility to take.....