What Does Trifles Mean

What Does Trifles Mean
The true definition of the world trifle is something of very little value or importance. "Trifles" is a story about a small group of people trying to
solve the mystery of why a woman killed her husband. Two women named Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale are helping the two men, the sheriff and the
county attorney, find Mrs. Wright's motive to kill her husband. The women begin to find small details that reveals plenty of information that could
be useful in the investigation of the murder. These small details that the women find around Mrs. Wright's home are "Trifles" to the men. As Mrs.
Peters and Mrs. Hale search around the house, Mrs. Peters finds a birdcage in a cupboard. Mrs. Hale finds a dead bird wrapped in a box with its neck
broken, and in finding this, they come to the realization that Mrs. Wright killed her husband because he killed her bird. The women know that Mrs.
Wright's husband did not enjoy her singing and he would never allow her to have a bird because it sang too.
While searching a cupboard for some sewing supplies to fix a poorly sewn quilt, Mrs. Hale finds a birdcage tucked away inside of it. The birdcage that
Mrs. Hale finds is the most symbolic object that reveals the motive for the crime. A birdcage can be symbol of confinement or imprisonment. Mrs.
Hale says, "No, Wright wouldn't like the bird–a thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that, too" (781). Mrs. Hale compares Mrs. Wright to a bird
in the sense that birds sing but Mr. Wright does not want her
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Trifles Analysis
In Susan Glaspell's play Trifles, written in 1916, two female characters are left in the kitchen of a house where a murder has been committed, while
the menfolk search around for clues. The men largely ignore the women and are mocking of them and their petty concerns on the occasions that they
do speak to them. While the men are about looking for the "cold hard facts" of the murder, the women are in the kitchen bothering with "trifles" that
display all of the details about the wife's life and, most probably, her motivation for the murder. In this play, Susan Glaspell has written male characters
that clearly display the "Ethics of Justice", a sort of right is right and wrong is wrong view; while the women clearly embody the "Ethics of Care", a
view that takes relationships and feelings into account when judging the morality of actions. The "Ethics of Justice" deal with large, sweeping, abstract
concepts about the ideals of Justice without regard to relationships. A view that wrong is wrong no matter what the circumstances really. The "Ethics
of Justice" encourage "impartial duty" and "portray the moral agent as someone who listens to reason, figures out the right thing to do, and does it"
(96). They admit that they are holding Mrs. Wright for murder and they are looking for "a motive; something to show anger, or––sudden feeling"
(101). However, they fail to actually search the place where the woman would have spent most of her time. The Ethics of Justice, just as the men in the
play, are largely unconcerned with personal details. The men are likely looking for something very large in their search, rather than the slow–building
motive that the women piece together. They fail entirely to notice anything out of place about the kitchen and chalk anything that they do notice up to
Mrs. Wright being "not much of a housekeeper" (99). In short, the men are concerned with the "Why" of the case but only in the large terms of what
they would consider, impetus for murder. They are concerned with finding a reason that makes sense to them but not necessarily to the, in all
likelihood, female murderer. It seems that they are attempting to determine "What would cause another person to murder an innocent man?" rather than

Trifles Research Paper
Short Essay 3: Trifles The play Trifles written by Susan Glasspell depicts the classic contrast of how men and women think. This play was written in a
time when society was still very patriarchal, the setting of rural farmland only adding emphasis. A man is murdered with he only suspect being his own
wife although with no known motive. The motive, however, may have been discovered had the men been less dismissive of what the women thought.
There are three men, who seem to be in agreement that women tend to worry about the trivial things and that it is their nature. This is illustrated when
the character Hale states "Well, women are used to worrying over trifles" (1128). However it is the women who discover the trifles which ultimately
pointed

Essay on Trifles
Trifles
Trifles, written in the early 1900's by Susan Glaspell, is a one–act play illustrating how women can overreact to their own emotions, allowing these
emotions to cloud their judgment. This is shown by describing the feelings of two women who are willing to defend a suspect, blame the victim, and
go so far as to hide evidence, to protect another woman from being charged with murdering her husband. Mrs. Wright is the suspect in the murder of
her husband, who was strangled in his sleep, found with the rope still around his neck. The sheriff and an attorney are examining Mrs. Wrights home
for evidence. Mr. Henderson, the attorney, speaking of Mrs. Wright says, "Here's a nicemess, ..Dirty towels! Not much of a housekeeper,...show more
content...
Wright as if he were a cruel man, "he was a hard man, ..like a raw wind that gets to the bone."(1171) After hearing this, Mrs. Peters compares how
Mrs. Wright must have felt with a memory of her own past. "I know what stillness is. When we homesteaded in Dakota, and my first baby died – after
he was two years old, and me with no other then – I know what stillness is." (1173) There is a sense of pity for the suspect, anger toward the victim, as
if he must have deserved to die.
While talking, the women find a fancy box belonging Mrs. Wright. Inside the box, is what they believe to be Mrs. Wright's dead pet bird. They realize
that "somebody – wrung – its – neck" (1172) Remembering a similar incident in her life, Mrs. Peters says, "When I was a girl – my kitten –there was a
boy took a hatchet, and before my eyes, ..If they hadn't held me back I would have hurt him." (1172) They place the dead bird back in the box, and
then, surprisingly, they hide the box. You can almost see what's going on in the mind of these two women as they must be imagining poor Mrs. Wright,
horrified that her awful husband killed her bird, then she must have snapped and strangled him to end her own suffering.
The men come back in, not yet finding a motive, Mr. Henderson says, "it's all perfectly clear except a reason for doing it, ..

Trifles Analysis
"Well, women are used to worrying over trifles" one of the husbands in Susan Glaspell's play Trifles states when the women try to give their
interpretation of a crime scene. This is just one example of how women tend to be respected much less than their male counterparts in a
male–dominated society. Althoughthe play Trifles was written in the year 1916, many of the feminist themes found in this play can be found in
today's society still. Michael Hollinger wrote the play Naked Lunch in the year 2003, and the female role is still written as the weaker more
vulnerable character. Just as they were then, women are often portrayed as victims and do not receive the same respect that men do in our
male–dominated world. In the play Naked Lunch by Michael Hollinger, the audience sees a very controlling and abusive relationship between two
ex–lovers being portrayed, with the male character Vernon acting very aggressive towards the female character Lucy. The two's lunch starts off
fine enough, but it becomes increasingly tense after Lucy admits she is now a vegetarian. It is made blatantly obvious from Vernon that he thinks
this choice is ridiculous, even though he has no right to control her. He cannot seem to accept this fact about her new life, and even goes one step
further as he pokes fun at the matter, saying "your soul said to you 'no more meat'" (989). Using context clues from the sexual undertones of this
play, one can conclude that Vernon may be more upset at her not wanting to eat a different kind of meat per se. Throughout the lunch, Vernon tries
to pressure her into eat the meat and enjoy the meal, stating he "figure I'll open a bottle of wine, apologize . . . maybe we'll get naked, be like old
times," (991). Lucy doesn't seem to be keen on this idea at all, yet Vernon keeps pushing her to eat the meat until he is screaming "EAT THE MEAT!"
while standing in front of her phase (991). This can be interpreted as Vernon sexually abusing Lucy, who obviously did not want to be intimate with
him in any regard, and who said no multiple times. Lucy was most definitely the victim in this situation as even when she was in an uncomfortable
situation, Vernon was relentless and forced her to do something she did not

Theme Analysis of the play Trifles Essay
A play can be analyzed in multiple ways. One of these ways is through the play's theme. The theme of a work is often a statement about life and the
human condition. In the play Trifles by Susan Glaspell, the theme noticing the little things can make a difference can be explained through plot,
character, and setting.
The theme can be developed through the plot. In Trifles, Mr. Wright was found murdered in his bed, so the police arrested his wife. Mrs. Hale and
Mrs. Peters, neighbors of the Wrights, went to Mrs. Wright's house to pick up some things for her while she was in jail. As they were looking for
Mrs. Wright's sewing kit, the women found a birdcage with its door torn open in the cupboard. After looking some more, Mrs. Hale and Mrs....show
more content...
Wright as the murderer.
Along with plot, character can help develop the theme. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters say that Mrs. Wright used to be lively and social, and used to sing
in the choir. However, Mrs. Wright now stays in her home most of the time. The women also say that Mr. Wright was a hard man. He might have
made Mrs. Wright give up her friends and her singing. When Mrs. Wright got a canary, Mr. Wright might have strangled it because he did not like its
singing. Mrs. Wright might then have murdered Mr. Wright for taking away the one thing she had left.
Setting can also be used to develop the theme. The setting in the play was Mrs. Wright's kitchen. The Wrights' house was isolated, down in a hollow.
The isolation, coupled with not going to town any more, might have felt terrible for Mrs. Wright. In the 1920's, the woman's place was traditionally in
the kitchen, so any clues about Mrs. Wright would be in her kitchen. She had left a mess out in the kitchen: a half–wiped table, unwashed pots and
pans, a dishtowel lying out, and a misplaced loaf of bread. Mrs. Wright would only have left a mess if she was in a hurry or was interrupted, such as
by Mr. Wright coming in and killing the canary.
Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters showed that noticing the little things could make a difference. By noticing the mess in the kitchen and finding the strangled
canary, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters were able to figure out that Mrs. Wright killed Mr.

Trifles Research Paper
Gender discrimination starts with the assignment to a sex category on the basis of what the genitalia looks like. Gender is a significant part of our
life, and it is an important part for both men and women. It depends on both persons based on how to act and how they're acting? In our social point
of view, man role has been to take care of his family and children. The housework is usually the basis of thewoman's role. In the play "Trifles," women
were ignorant and lack respect for the men. Men superiority extents are the men in the story feel comfortable with disparaging Mrs. Peters and Mrs.
Hale's interest in trifles with the clear synthesis that women are so impulsive and in generous about the significant issue such as Mrs. Wright's
farmhouse

Trifles Analysis
In Trifles, Susan Glaspell debates the roles between men and women during a period where a debate was not widely conducted. Glaspell wrote Trifles
in the early 1900s–a time when feminism was just getting started. In this play, Glaspell shows us her perspective on the roles of men and women and
how she believes the situation would play out. Trifles seems like another murder mystery on the surface, but the play has a much more profound
meaning behind it. Glaspell presents the idea that men and women analyze situations differently, and how these situations are resolved based on how
we interpret them. Research shows that women's brains "may be optimized for combining analytical and intuitive thinking." On the other hand, male
brains are predominately "optimized for motor skills and actions" (Lewis). In the play, this research shows true when the women, Mrs. Hale and Mrs.
Peters, analyze details rather than looking at the apparent, physical evidence, and they find out the motive of the murder. The men, on the other hand,
look at broader evidence that does not lead to any substantial conclusion. When Glaspell was writing this play, she wanted the women to be the real
instigators, the ones that would end up solving the mystery. While the men in the story laugh at the 'trifles' that women worry about, these details mean
a great deal in Glaspell's eyes. Glaspell presents the idea what men and women are different in the way they live their lives through detail.
Susan Glaspell

Analysis of Trifles by Susan Glaspell Essay
"Trifles" is a play with a unified plot. Although there are verbal flashbacks to the events of the day of the murder of John Wright, the play's entire plot
begins and ends in a span of one day. The author also extends the unified plot to create a single setting (the farmhouse kitchen). The plot centers on John
Wright's murder. Mrs. Wright is the main suspect; an investigation is taking place as to the motive or reason for the crime.
The Sheriff, Mr. Hale and the County Attorney are introduced first to theaudience. They are investigating the crime scene. The women, Mrs. Hale and
Mrs. Peters, accompany the men to gather whatever of Mrs. Wright's belongings that she needs in jail. This exposition turns ironic when the women end
...show more content...
Mrs. Peters, we'll call her the antagonist, repeatedly brings up the fact that the men are only doing their job and that the law will determine Mrs.
Wright's fate. Mrs. Hale, on the other hand, as the protagonist, resents the men's "sneaking" and "snooping around. Now she turns the men's stereotype
of women against them. She feels guilty about not being around the Wright's farmhouse more often.
The climax of the play unfolds as the women find an empty birdcage with a broken hinge. As the two women speculate why it was empty, Mrs. Hale
describes Mrs. Wright to Mrs. Peters as she knew her when they were single women. The suspect's maiden name was Minnie Foster. She was a
beautiful songstress. A voice that was muted when she became Mrs. Wright.
When Mrs. Hale finds a dead bird in Mrs. Wright's sewing box, she soon recognizes the obvious reason why John Wright was murdered. The
audience sees character motivation in Mrs. Wright. Mr. Wright was a man who used silence and coldness to control and mold his wife into
someone he thought she ought to be. He killed the singing bird, which was a symbol for Mrs. Wright as Minnie Foster. In an indirect way, he killed
her joy of singing, her spirit, keeping her in her own "cage" which she can not escape from. Unless she "got rid of" what (or who) was holding her
prisoner.
As she comes up with her own judgments, Mrs. Hale

Comparison Of Trifles And A Jury Of Her Peers
"Trifles" a play written by Susan Glaspell is also a short story named "A Jury of her Peers". These two forms of writing that are similar in many
regards but somewhat different when taken a closer look through. The following with compare and contrast the genres of the story, give a detailed
reasoning on why one is better than the other, and a preference on which title is better and alludes more to the writing. Firstly, the play "Trifles" is a
genre more focused on the items throughout the book that lend itself to continue chapter by chapter using different items to enhance the story. In "A
Jury of Her Peers" Glaspell uses more or less the same dialogue from the play but intensifies it with the story focusing on characters such as Mrs. Hale
and Mrs. Peters. The short story adds a more descriptive insight into the story allowing us as readers to dive deep into the emotions and minds of its
characters. The play does not do this as well due to the fact that it was written so that the actors and actresses on stage can portray the emotions and
help develop the story through there acting. In the play, the items are the things that judge Minnie Foster whereas the story uses Mrs. Hale and Mrs.
Peters to interpret the objects and tell the story that way. The other main difference is that the male characters have more depth in the short story than
in the play. Secondly, in my opinion the short story "A Jury of Her Peers" is a better story that "Trifles." This is mainly due to the

Trifles Essay
Trifles, written by Susan Glaspell, is a real life murder case that uses symbolism to help solve a mystery. Glaspell's use of dialect, set on a midwestern
farm, emphasizes the town's gender–separated society. Isolationism, a quilt, and incomplete house work are the three key symbols in the play the help
the reader figure out who murdered Mrs. Wright's husband.
First of all, isolationism is an important clue in the murder case. Mrs. Wright's farmhouse is located in a hollow, down in the woods, which puts her
in a secluded place. Mr. Hale, a friend, came to talk to Mr. Wright about a party telephone, but he said, "He put me off, saying folks talked too
much anyway . . . " (59). This is an example of how Mr. Wright did not want...show more content...
Later, they find the bird in Mrs. Wright's sewing box, and Mrs. Peters states that " Somebody – wrung – its – neck" (65). We can assume
from this that her husband was tired of hearing the bird sing and he was the one to wring to bird's neck. But, to Mrs. Wright the bird was important to
her. It was the only normality to the outside world she had, and Mr. Wright had taken that away from her.
A quilt that Mrs. Wright was working on is also an importantsymbol in the play. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters find the quilt Mrs. Wright had been
working on. Mrs. Hale says, referring to the sewing, "Why, it looks as if she didn't know what she was about" (63). Mrs. Wright was
nervous when she was sewing the quilt and had knotted it. Knotting the quilt would symbolize knotting her husband's noose. It is evident that she is
upset about the bird, and her mind was not on quilting, but plotting her husband's death.
Finally, incomplete housework is the third important use of symbolism. When the sheriff and the attorney arrive at the scene, they notice unwashed
pans, bread outside the bread box and a dish towel on the table. The shefiff makes the comment, "Not much of a housekeeper, would you say,
ladies" (61)? Women the time of Trifles always kept up the house work, and it was unusual for things to be out of place. We can ssume that
incomplete house work symbolizes trouble in Mrs. Wright's marriage and that her mind was on other things.
In conclusion,

Analysis Of Trifles By William Shakespeare
In the group that I was in our claim was that the role of irony in "Trifles draws attention to specific actions and dialogues among the characters, which
groups the women and men into respective groups, each thinking they were an "insider" and the other was an "outsider". Today, many social
interactions such as liking commenting and using emoji's on Facebook may serve different meanings, which often hints to "inside–joking" where only
the "insiders" are privileged with the information to appreciate the joke. The use of Facebook to model the interactions within Trifles is meant to
mimic 21st communication, highlighting ironic moments in the play, creating a sense of diaspora amongst both the men and women groups,
ultimately hinting to the overall ironic ending exposing the women as the true insiders. My group had a really good claim and supportive evidence to
back it up throughout the PowerPoint. Our style was very creative and very humorous. Group 1 decided to do "Midnight in Paris" their claim was
that, Midnight in Paris, directed by Woody Allen, effectively challenges the viewer's notion of insiders and outsiders through the portrayal of the main
character, Gil Pender, a Hollywood screenwriter and self–proclaimed "old soul" struggling with a straggling relationship and a lifestyle unfit for his
personality. It also successfully demonstrates that insiders and outsiders change throughout time, and in historical context are seen as icons, but in their
respective time

Essay On Trifles
The story of An Hour by Kate Chopin focuses on the main character, Mrs. Mallard, a young woman with a heart problem. On the arrival of the bad
news concerning the death of her husband, Richard, her husband's friend and her sister, Josephine, have to break the news with great care because of
Mrs. Mallard's health situation. However, it is ironical how Mrs. Mallard reacts to this horrifying news, she is excited and feels free from the chains of
her marriage. At the end of the story, Mr. Mallard appears and on seeing her husband, Mrs. Mallard dies of a heart attack. Similarly, Trifles by Susan
Glaspell is a murder mystery story, which examines gender relationships and how women and men share power. Therefore, the paper explores women's
social...show more content...
In the Trifles, Susan Glaspell exposes how the society looks down upon women, and in marriage, a woman becomes a man's property. Moreover,
since the 1900s, women have struggled to break away from abusive marriages. Therefore, Susan Glaspell clearly argues that the society does not even
appreciate women's efforts, such as pain in child bearing, household, and farm chores. Susan Glaspell present women as second–class citizen supposed
to perform household chores (Hilton 146). While, on the other hand, men have the right to perform most important jobs, as women, such as Mrs.
Wright have a fixed daily routine. In the same way,Kate Chopin argues that women are not happy in their marriages because they have no freedom.
For example, Mrs. Mallard feels caged by her marriage and even feels relieved upon the death of her husband. However, finally, the story ends sadly
upon the appearance of Mr. Mallard, making Mrs. Mallard sudden disappearance of her happiness and freedom (Berenji 88). In fact, Mrs. Mallard
cannot come to reality of the shock and she dies from a heart attack. Thus, both stories, give a detailed description of how the society perceived women
and their treatment at their respective

Rhetorical Analysis Of Trifles
Alesha Jeter
Trifles Rhetoric Essay
5.30.17
The one–act play Trifles, by Susan Glaspell, tells the story of a group of people attempting to figure out the murder of a man in their neighborhood.
The main suspect in the case is the man's wife and a group of people from the town try to find any incriminating evidence against her in the home.
There are five characters in this play, the County Attorney Sheriff Peters, hiswife, Mrs. Peters, Hale, a farmer, and his wife, Mrs. Hale. This play
thought to be one of the earliest examples of feminine dramas. This is obviously due to the themes of feminism and female stereotypes present in
the play. Glaspell uses her power of rhetoric, though it is subtle, to make a point that women shall no longer be neglected or glanced over even
though they are at the same level, if not more equipped to do all of the same things men can do. The topic of this play is clearly the capability of
women to step out of their stereotype for the time of the obedient wife. This is shown when Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale hide the dead canary rather
than showing it to the two men. They knew that if they showed the dead bird to the men, then that would be all the information needed to make
prove Mrs. Wright's guilt. John Wright was strangled and everyone knew of his temper which would make it obvious that he killed the bird. This, in
turn, would make Mrs. Wright want to kill him. It is clear that Glaspell's stance on feminism is adamant support for it. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peter
commit a crime of their own by hiding incriminating evidence. Mrs. Peters is even worse off since she is the wife of the sheriff. Yet neither of the
women flinch as the bird is hidden from the men. They understand why Mrs. Wright would possibly want to do such a thing and they do not think that
it is right for her to be punished for defending herself. Hiding the bird goes back into the theme of feminism because while the men thought they had
simply let their wives alone to do their "women stuff" the women had inadvertently solved the case.
MRS. HALE It's a log cabin pattern. Pretty, isn't it? I wonder if she was goin' to quilt it or just knot it? (Footsteps have been heard coming down the
stairs. The SHERIFF enters

Critical Analysis Of Trifles
"Trifles" a play by Susan Glaspell, emphasizes the thought that women were kept in their homes and their contributions to the home and family went
unappreciated and unnoticed. The play gives readers a view of how women were view and treated during the 1900's. As a female analyzing the play,
Mrs. Wright's motive for killing Mr. Wright was quite clear. Susan Glaspell gives her readers a feminist approach, to demonstrate how Mrs. Wright's
murdering of her husband is justified.
If I were to ask you if killing someone is justifiable, some will answer with a strong no and others like me might say it depends on what they did.
However, that is a job for the police to investigate and figure out. No human being kills another without some sort of...show more content...
Hale her neighbor says that the only time Minnie wright seemed happy was when she was not married. Mrs. Hale says, "I heard that she used to wear
pretty clothes and be lively, when she was Minnie foster. But with thirty years ofmarriage, Mrs. Wright is now worried about her canned preserves
freezing, and not having her apron whilst she is in jail. Mrs. Peters, the sheriff's wife suggested that Mrs. Wright wanted her apron so that she can "feel
more natural"; because that is what she is use to.
While the men in the story where playing Sherlock Holmes looking for evidence that Mrs. Wright killed her husband, they missed the bad fruit and
the bread left out of the bow, a quilt that was not finished and had a few bad stiches, an unclean table and a birdcage that was empty. They were so
determined to find specific clues of the murder, that they missed the clues of the emotional abuse that Mrs. Wright was subjected to from her
husband. They were also so busy criticizing everything that Mrs. Wright did or did not do, that they missed everything that was right in front of their
eyes. They even slipped with some sexist remarks Mr. Hale says 'Well, women are used to worrying over trifles', not realizing that the women were in
the room.
The men in the play showed lack of respect and concern for how difficult it was for women to keep the house clean and running smoothly. During the
play the men did nothing but criticized everything the women said about Mrs. Wright, they would

Research Paper On Trifles
The unknown author of "Overview: Trifles" focuses on the background Susan Glaspell's and how she came up with the idea of writing "Trifles".
The play "Trifles" was inspired from a true event happened in Iowa and Glaspell was the reporter for the case and later she wrote the play.
Additionally, the main point of this article is to go on details from the setting of "Trifles" to all the way to explaining the characters' characteristics.
Furthermore, this source is valuable because this source only give me the information on the plot and the characters. This is reliable because it doesn't
give any biased information. The goal for this article is to give little details about "Trifles" that no other source will give. Moreover, this source is
beneficial

Trifles By Susan Glaspell Essay
The 1916 play Trifles by Susan Glaspell is a one act murder–mystery that showcases a range of characters that help to portray the undervaluing of
women, their work, and their interests in society. The main plot revolves around farmer Lewis Hale, his wife, Sheriff Henry Peters, his wife, and
county attorney George Henderson trying to figure out who could have strangled farmer John Wright in his bed and, more importantly, why. The true
culprit is clear from the moment Hale begins to recount what occured the previous day. "...I opened the door––this door and there in that rocker––sat
Mrs. Wright" (940). It isn't until near the end, however, that Mrs. Wright's motive is revealed. It is evident that Mrs. Wright did not enjoy her life with
Mr....show more content...
Wright. The sheriff and county attorney reflect these values as well, but with their elevated status in the community, it makes their remarks even more
impactful, which can be seen in the way the women act around the men. As the scene starts, the women stay close to the door rather than huddling
around the fire with men, showing that they are uncomfortable to even be near them. The women stick together because they are support for each
other. When the men verbal attack them with comments and bites at their gender, the women instinctively huddle together, which is seen after Hales
remark when "The two women move a little closer together," (942). They despise the men, but what can they do but stand together, silently showing
solidarity with each other. It is also worth noting that the entire play takes place in what would have been seen as a woman's sphere in the home at the
time, the kitchen. The kitchen in this house is in complete disarray, with unfinished furnishings sitting front and center in the scene. This is a reflection
of the relationship that occured within the home, which is absolutely lost on the men, as they see nothing but a mess and, "kitchen things," (942). The
irony in this case is that as the men walk from room to room, from the house to the barn, back and forth, they are trying to find a motive. What they
can't see, however, is that

Essay on Trifles by Susan Glaspell
Trifles was written in the early 1900's by Susan Glaspell. This occurred far before the women's movement. Women were generally looked upon as
possessions to their husbands. Their children, all wages, and belongings were property of their husbands. In Glaspell's story it is easily depicted as to
what role the men and women portrayed in society at this time.
Glaspell proves her point by a conversation between two women in this story. The women, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, are at the scene of the murder of
John Wright. The women accompanied the County Attorney, theSheriff, and Mr. Hale to the house. Mr. Hale describes everything that he saw the
morning he discovered Mr. Wright's body. The men have come to the house looking for evidence to...show more content...
All the men notice is clutter. The men do not look deeper behind the meanings of this disarray. However, the women do. The women understand that
the reason that things such as the towels are not clean is because she more than likely was busy doing her many other chores of the household. They
also considered how much trouble Mrs. Wright went to fix the preserves. The women reason that the uncaring concern John had for Minnie and the
attention he paid to the house perhaps forced Minnie to resort to killing. Even the County Attorney, Sheriff, and Mr. Hale could not understand all the
difficulties women go through. They criticize Mrs. Wright as well as insult all women. Mr. Hale says, "Well, women are used to worrying over
trifles." The actions of just these men show how women were taken for granted in this era. Inevitably, the men are unable to prove that Mrs.
Wright murdered her husband but are going to convict her anyway. However, the women have solved the case. They come to the conclusion that Mrs.
Wright was not treated very well by her husband and was not able to withstand the mistreatment anymore. They could tell the lack of attention he paid
to his wife. The men still have a hard time accepting this concept because they do not believe that men treat women badly.
The title, Trifles, as well as the examples all represent how men view women. A "trifle" is something

Critical Analysis Of Trifles
Trifles, by Susan K. Glaspell, is a play written in 1917 when the need for women's rights was sought. Throughout the years, many productions of the
play have taken place, as the story is famous for it's strong opinion on the treatment of women, however many directors take what they can from the
story to give their interpretation of the characters, setting, and the plot. A video production of A Jury of Her Peers, directed by Sally Heckel, will be
different than an audio production of the same play, directed Martin Jenkins, even if they stick to the same dialogue. For example, the bird scene,
although with the same lines and characters, can have different undertones depending on how the characters stress their words, the pauses between
sentences, their subtlety or their blatantly when in action, and even the emotion expressed on the characters face. However, how can you see these
emotions through just an audio of the play? How can you feel the tension in the air, the pained expression on the character's face, or their tight–lipped
remarks? The audio production due to it's lack of visual representation has to compensate with fervid voice action and controlled background noises.
Due to this, Ms.Peter sounds sophisticated and appeared to sound pleased when finding the birdcage in Mrs.Wright's kitchen. When addressing the
birdcage, Ms.Peters and Ms.Hale talk fast paced, this causes their conversation to sound whole like they know what they're talking about. Throughout
the scene the emotions that they portray are watery; my only explanation is that there is no heaviness or intensity of the truth of birdcage, they have
no build up of the plot as if the presence of the birdcage is a small matter but not the initial cause of Ms.Wright's trouble. However, when Ms.hale
describes Ms.Wright the tone changes to a serious note The video production, on the other hand, brings the scene to life. They perfectly portray the
house as stuffy, small, and worn down just how a house on a farm would actually look like. The conversation between the town characters are perfectly
constructed, with Ms.Peters and her soft concerned face to Ms.Hale and her weary, worn out personality. Ms.Hale sounds sorrowful in the home since
she was

What Does Trifles Mean

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What Does Trifles Mean