Trifles. The playwright Trifles, written by Susan Glaspell is a whodunit type of murder

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1 1 Nigel Douglas June 29, 2010 Goodwin pm Trifles The playwright Trifles, written by Susan Glaspell is a whodunit type of murder mystery about the victim John Wright, who was strangled with a rope, and Mrs. Wright, the quiet and forlorn wife of John who was held in custody because she is the suspect and was the only one there when it happened. The discovery of John s body is told by Mr. Hale s exposition. It took place a day after the tragic death of Mr. Wright in the kitchen of Mr. and Mrs. Wright. The sheriff and his wife Mrs. Peters, the county attorney George Henderson and the neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Hale were all there to discuss and investigate what happened. Mr. Hale explains how he paid a visit to the house and once there, Mrs. Wright greeted him but behaved strangely. Asking if he can see John, Mrs. Wright told him no, reason was that he is dead. The ladies separate their selves from the men in the story. The women discover a broken marriage within the Wright household, while the men are dazed and confused on where to get evidence. The women build a background of how the Wright household was before the death of Mr. Wright. Within the play there was a parallelism of structure with the protagonist and antagonist. It s basically men vs. women in every case. During the play the men were belittling the women because of the perceived lack of responsibilities they have. When everybody was in the kitchen they noticed that there was a great deal of work needed to

2 2 be done. The only ones who actually cared about how the kitchen looked and what can be solved by looking at a dirty kitchen were Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters. Nothing here but kitchen things (Glaspell 895) is one of many disparaging comments made by the men to minimize the importance of women in society. The men criticize Mrs. Wright s housekeeping skills, irking Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters. More worried about the preserves, the women are once again criticized by the men, Well, can you beat the women! Held for murder and worryin about her preserves, said by the sheriff. Well women are used to worrying over trifles, (895) said Mr. Hale. Mr. Hale makes this statement when Mrs. Peters gives a lot of attention to the significance of the exploded jars of fruit preserves. He gently speaks upon the women for lacking the common sense and mental focus to pay attention to the important things, but he suggests that the men should forgive them for their shortcomings because they are only women. The men went upstairs to investigate and look for forensic evidence while the ladies gather what they need to take to Mrs. Wright. Glaspell concentrates on the women in the kitchen instead of moving the play further along with the investigation continued by the men. As the ladies look around and converse with each other they noticed vital details that the men would not worry about. Details like: ruined fruit preserves, a loaf of bread that s just sitting out, an unfinished quilt, a half clean half messy table top and the broken down stove. She was going to put this in there. (896). Referring to the loaf of bread beside the cupboard, Mrs. Hale noticed Mrs. Wright had bread set. Mrs. Hale asks Mrs. Peters, Do you think she did it? (897). Mrs. Hale replied to Mrs. Peters answer by simply stating, Well, I don t think she did. Asking for an apron and her little shawl. Worrying about her fruit (898). Who would worry more about their apparel, when you

3 3 are a suspect of murder? It feels like Mrs. Wright was innocent and was trying to find a way to pass time in jail. The women find a bird-cage with no bird in it. Wondering if Mrs. Wright had a bird and asking Mrs. Hale, Did she have a bird? (898). the women started to recognize that the bird symbolized Mrs. Wright in a way. Before she was Mrs. Wright, she was Minnie Foster who used to wear pretty clothes and be lively. One of the town girls singing in the choir (896). Also, Mrs. Hale remembers that there was a man who was selling canaries for cheap, but I don t know if she took one; maybe she did. She used to sing real pretty herself (898). They discover a fancy little box, inside wrapped in silk is a dead canary. Its neck has been wrung. The theory is that Minnie s husband did not like the canary s beautiful song which represented Mrs. Wright s desire for freedom and happiness. So, Mr. Wright busted the cage door and strangled the bird. The bird and birdcage was symbolic because when she was happy she sang in a choir, dressed in colorful clothing. She come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and fluttery (899). To an extent, the bird is Minnie and when John killed the bird, it killed her spirit. The bird was trapped within the cage and Minnie was trapped in the house in what could have possibly been an abusive relationship between John and her. The bird is Minnie and when John killed the bird, it killed her spirit. The bird was trapped in the cage and Minnie was trapped in the house in what could have possibly been an abusive relationship. Mrs. Hale reflects upon the broken birdcage, she realizes how the Wright s household, patronizing herself for negligence. I could ve come. I stayed away because it weren t cheerful--- and that s why I ought to have come. I I ve never liked this place.. I dunno what it is, but it s a lonesome place

4 4 and always was. I wish I had come over to see Minnie foster sometimes. I can see now- (899). Mrs. Hale believes that her neglect of Mrs. Wright could have contributed to Mrs. Wright isolation and her believing that her only friend was the canary. They theorize that Mr. Wright s cold, oppressive nature must have been dreary to live with Mrs. Hale comments about Mrs. Wright being childless: Not having children makes less work but it makes a quiet house. Mrs. Hale feels sympathetic because she excused also was a farm wife but at least, she had her children to keep her company. To the audience, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters unveil a psychological profile of a desperate housewife. Using tactics like asking many questions and making inferences made it seem like the women were the trained detectives. The pieces of evidence found in the kitchen by the women paint a picture of desperate woman who had suffered mental and physical abuse from the hand of her husband.

5 5 Works Cited Glaspell, Susan. Trifles. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts. 4 th compact edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, Bradford, Wade. "Trifles by Susan Glaspell - Plot and Characters of Trifles Play." Plays / Drama. Web. 16 July <

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