Themes about trifles.

1. Name: NG YEE XUAN
CHIN JIA HAO
LAU YI LUN
TSL1064 – DRAMA
IN ENGLISH

2. TRIFLES BY
SUSAN
GLASPELL
THEMES

3. WOMEN AND FEMININITY
• Time in America where women are neglected, ignored and generally
belittled by men
• When two women hide evidence that could convict another housewife of
murdering her husband
• Because like the murderess, they are tired of being neglected, ignored
and belittled
• Mrs Wright’s murder of her husband an be seen as an act of feminine
revolt against male-dominated society
• Mrs Peters’ journey through the play from meek housewife to
lawbreaking rebel is a blueprint for female enlightenment

4.  The men are not interested in knowing Minnie situation. Even if the men
do not have any evidence that connects Minnie Foster to the murder of
her husband, John Wright.
 The women depicted to master in the kitchen in the story by the men.
Without considering her situation, the men are judgmental toward Minnie
Foster. This is manifested in the way the county attorney view Minnie as
a lousy housekeeper. The county attorney says about Minnie after
kicking his foot against the pans under the sink, “not much of a
housekeeper”. Besides, the attorney accuses Minnie of possessing no
“home-making instincts”.
 Traditionally, the kitchen was a reserve of the female gender. For this
reason, the men do not see anything of value for their investigation in
the kitchen. The Sheriff says, "Nothing here but kitchen things“.

5. FREEDOM AND CONFINEMENT
 We've got a lady in jail for murdering her husband in this play, so we dare
anybody to say freedom and confinement is not a theme.
 On top of the literal imprisonment, Trifles also paints an incredibly sad
picture of the murderess's years of metaphorical entrapment by her
husband's neglect and emotional abuse.
 As if that weren't enough, the play also makes it crystal clear just how
confined by male-dominated society all women were at the me the play was
written.
 If that's not enough Freedom and Confinement for you, we don't know what
is.

6. JUSTICE AND JUDGEMENT
 The men and women have different conceptions of justice. The men want Minnie to be convicted of
murder, whereas the women hide the evidence that would have convicted Minnie out of respect for the
years of abuse Minnie suffered.
 Typically, when somebody murders another person, we think they ought to be punished,
right? Trifles says, "Meh, not so much.“
 When the super sleuth farmwives of this play decide to help a murdering woman go free, we're
guessing a good part of the audience roots for them to succeed.
 Showing a world where law is created entirely by men, this play dares to ask the question of whether
women should be expected to follow rules they weren't allowed to help create.

7. ISOLATION
 The location of the house was down in a hollow which is an isolated
remote are where Mrs. Wright cannot even see the road.
 No one comes to visit, and she does not go out. Moreover, her
husband is very quiet, so she has to live alone without
communication with someone.
 Her only friend is the canary bird which is later killed by Mr. Wright.
The house is quiet and unlively because they have no children.
 Both of them do their own activities. When Mrs. Wright was Minnie
Foster, she is apparently a woman who looks lively, dress lively,
and loves singing. After she gets married to her husband, she
becomes isolated from everybody. She does not join any activities.

8. THANK
YOU!