Another stereotype placed on women is that they are not intelligent. They are not worthy of education and their opinions and ideas are meaningless. Before leaving the women alone in the kitchen, the men tell them to keep an eye out for clues but then Mr. Hale laughed, "would the women know a clue if they did come upon it?" (Glaspell 301). This demonstrates the lack of respect the men gave women throughout the story. It was a joke to them that women could actually find a clue or think on an intelligent level. Throughout the story, Glaspell's male characters point out that women concentrate too much on details and not on the facts of the whole picture. "Women are used to worrying about trifles," comments Mr. Hale, when the women notice Mrs. Wright's ruined jam (Glaspell 300). The men find these kinds of details silly and insignificant. Ironically it is these very "trifles" and the women's intelligence that, one could assume, solve the mystery of why Mrs. Wright murdered her husband.
Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are left alone in the kitchen of the Wright home, while the men investigate the rest of the house and property. Upon a closer investigation, the women begin to notice disorganization and certain objects that help them to better understand Mrs. Wright and even relate to her lifestyle. At a glance, the kitchen appears a mess. Only part of the sugar has been poured into its canister. Only half of the kitchen table has been cleaned. Mrs. Hale quickly relates to the feeling of leaving tasks undone and the pressure of needing to finish them to be a good housekeeper. This ties back to the stereotype of keeping the house clean because that is what is expected. Upon further investigation the two women come upon a quilt that Mrs. Wright had been working on. They examine it noticing the delicate stitching and perfection throughout the quilt except for one square. Here, the stitches are mangled and knotted.
