Protagonist

Character Role Analysis

Mrs. Hale

It's kind of cool that even though everybody is buzzing about the murderous Mrs. Wright, she's not the protagonist of this play. Instead, Mrs. Hale steals the spotlight. Throughout the play, she's the one who's pushing the main action forward.

Whenever the men swing through the kitchen with a sexism drive-by, Mrs. Hale is the one who challenges this, along with Mrs. Peters. She's also the one forces Mrs. Peters to face the facts of what went down in the Wright house. In the end, all of Mrs. Hale's radical thinking pushes Mrs. Peters to help her hide the murdered bird that they think will prove Mrs. Wright's guilt. So, yes: our protagonist is guilty of obstructing justice, and we love her for it.