Analysis Of Susan Glaspell's Trifles

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What a Kitchen Could Teach a Man
In Susan Glaspell’s short play, “Trifles,” the author meticulously explores the gap between the sexes as it existed in early twentieth-century America. American culture, on the whole, has evolved considerably over the years, yet change comes very slowly. “Trifles” was published in 1916 prior to the Women’s Suffrage Act. This was a period in American history where women were treated as chattel, rarely respected and valued only by the efficacy of their homemaking skills. These sentiments are craftily exposed in this “whodunit” tale, loosely based upon a true murder case Glaspell covered as a reporter. This play is a mystery consisting of two separate investigations: the “official” investigation conducted by the …show more content…

The play begins with Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale entering the farmhouse behind the men and keeping close to the door (1384). Their actions are symbolic of the culture that men are deemed superior to women -- men first, and women follow. Before “Ms.” or the hyphenated surname, women are pleasured to be known as “Mrs.” and the surnames of their husbands. Once married, the woman loses her identity. However, Glaspell refers to Mrs. Wright as “Minnie;” the other women are identified as extensions of their husbands, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale. By killing her husband Minnie has liberated herself of that bond and has earned her own identity. Minnie’s apron is also symbolic. In Hale’s rendition of the facts, he speaks of Minnie’s “pleating her apron” as she tells him of her husband’s demise (1385). This nervous action is indicative of her state of mind, but more importantly, it symbolizes the “pleating” or “folding” of the life she has known. She asks for her apron as she sits in her jail cell, attempting to cling to her identity as a woman and wife (1388). Hale further describes discovering Minnie rocking back and forth in her rocker (1384). She later moves “off her rocker” to the chair, symbolizing her state of mind after the incident (1385). The women uncover Minnie’s sewing basket and find patches of quilt she is stitching. They …show more content…

The men are flat, two-dimensional characters, while the women are three-dimensional and much more complex. The author uses this to emphasize the difference between the sexes and the superiority of women. Women, as a rule, are more detail-oriented. This is affirmed by Hale with his sexist, off-the-cuff joke trivializing the role of women when he states, “Well, women are used to worrying over trifles” (1386). It is through the examining of these “trifles” the ladies are able to determine what has happened and why. Because of Mrs. Peters keen sense of observation, she is able to discover a quilt “at the under part of the small corner table” which holds the first clue (1389). Mrs. Hale, a friendly neighbor regrets not visiting Minnie before things got out of hand, and who also is a fine quilter, is able to “read” the stitching and determine that something has really upset Minnie. “Why, it looks as if she didn’t know what she was about!” (1389). Mrs. Hale see this as a clue to Minnie’s state of mind. “What do you suppose she was so nervous about?” (1389). She asks Mrs. Peters, a thin frail, nervous woman who is “married to the law” (1392). While Mrs. Hale is somewhat brash, unapologetic, and strong-willed as evident by the ease at which she offers her opinion and acts upon her instincts, Mrs. Peters, on the other hand, is quiet, reserved, and afraid to step out of the

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