Trifles by Susan Glaspell Essay Example For Students

Trifles by Susan Glaspell Essay English 1302 October 30, 2003 In this theatrical production, titled Trifles, by Susan Glaspell, Minnie Foster Wright is being accused of murdering her husband, John. In this production, Mrs. Wright is consistently referenced, and although she is not witnessed, she is very recognizable. There are important symbolisms in this play that signifies Mrs. Wright and her existence as it once was and as it currently exists to be. The play opens in Minnie Wrights kitchen. Minnies husband has been murdered, he was found strangled with a rope around his neck. The County Attorney, the Sheriff, his wife and a few neighbors are there. The Sheriff, the attorney and the men set up the task of investigating the murder. The women, however, are concerned with the appearance of the house, especially the kitchen. The word trifle is used once in the play to indicate how the men think of what the women. are doing in the kitchen while the men are trying to solve the murder. The women were in the kitchen discussing the fact that Minnie was concerned about her fruit preserves. The County Attorney makes the statement: I guess before were through she may have something more serious than preserves to worry about. Mr. Hale responds with: Well, women are used to worrying over trifles. Because the women were concerned with cleaning and tidying the kitchen, which men considered trifle, the men overlooked that area and went out to find some real clues. However, the real clue to solving the murder was found in the kitchen. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters find a birdcage in the kitchen cupboard. They discuss the fact that Minnie must have had a bird at one time, but do not connect it with the murder at first. This is an example of how the men considered what the women were doing of no importance. Mrs. Wright had requested a few things from the house, her apron, shawl and some clothes. While the women were gathering these things, they came across her quilting and were discussing whether or not they thought Mrs. Wright was going to keep on quilting or knot the quilt and finish it. The men came downstairs and laughed at the women. The Sheriff said, They wonder if she was going to quilt it or just knot it! Mrs. Hale said, I dont know as theres anything so strange, our takin up our time with little things while were waiting for them to get the evidence. I dont see as its anything to laugh about. This is another example of how what the women were doing was considered trifle, of no importance to the investigation. However, as the women were looking for patches to fix the quilt, they came across a dead canary wrapped in a piece of silk. The canarys neck had been broken. The County Attorney came in and saw the birdcage and asked Has the bird flown? The women told him that they thought the cat had gotten it. The women were starting to put the facts together. The women connected the fact that Mr. Wright had killed the canary by breaking his neck, and in turn Mrs. Wright killed her husband by strangling him with a rope. The men completely missed the point because what the women were doing had no significance to the investigation. They were more interested if anyone came in through the windows. The County Attorney said to the Sheriff, No sign at all of anyone having come from the outside. Their own rope. Now Lets go up again and go over it piece by piece. .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9 , .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9 .postImageUrl , .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9 , .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9:hover , .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9:visited , .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9:active { border:0!important; } .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9:active , .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9 .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u57cf2bfd90914ab757f41a07e94a73a9:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Flannery O'Conner Essay The word trifle had more than one meaning in this play. The womens duties were considered trifle, to be insignificant. As a result the men never found the clues necessary to solve the case. In addition, Mrs. Wrights life was also considered to be trifle, she had no children, and did not participate in any community activities. The title of the play adds to our understanding of the plays characters and theme by showing that the birdcage also represented something trifle to the investigation. The men did not consider this a clue, but the women realized that Mrs. Wright was .