Does Hale Create Suspense In Susan Glaspell's Play Trifles?

In Susan Glaspell’s play “Trifles,” five members of a small town come together to investigate the murder of a neighboring farmer, John Wright. While George Henderson, the county attorney, Henry Peters, the town sheriff, and Lewis Hale, John Wright’s neighbor who discovered the murder, investigate the farmhouse for evidence, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters gather clothing and other belongings for their neighbor and murder suspect, Mrs. Wright. However, while the women are inside the house, they discover incriminating evidence against Mrs. Wright. Instead of providing this evidence to their husbands and Mr. Henderson, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters cover up the evidence due to the guilt they feel for not being there for Mrs. Wright. Because the women interfere

with a murder investigation, the audience is kept on their toes as to if the women will get away with the cover up or if the men will catch them. Susan Glaspell utilizes the stage directions in her play “Trifles” in order to create suspense for the audience through the characters Mrs. Hale, Mrs. Peters, and the men.
To begin, Susan Glaspell utilizes stage directions in order to create suspense for the audience through her character Mrs.

Hale. To explain, Glaspell depicts Mrs., Hale as strong and forceful when she “pulled at a knot and ripped the sewing” (1266). Through having Mrs. Hale display strong characteristics through her actions, Glaspell is able to create suspense for the audience as to how Mrs. Hale will handle the investigation. Additionally, Glaspell further creates suspense for the audience through Mrs. Hale’s interference with the investigation. To explain, at the end of the play, Mrs. Hale “snatches the box and puts it in the pocket of her big coat” (1269). Glaspell utilizes stage directions to create suspense for the audience through the uncertainty of Mrs. Hale getting caught for covering up evidence. Susan Glaspell builds on the initial suspense of the murder investigation through the actions and mannerism of her unpredictable character, Mrs.

Hale.
Moreover, Glaspell constructs suspense for the audience through her stage directions for her character Mrs.

Peters. For example, while setting the initial scene, Glaspell describes Mrs. Peters as “a slight wiry woman, [with] a thin nervous face” (1259). Because Glaspell depicts Mrs. Peters as a nervous and timid character, the audience feels suspense as to if Mrs. Peters is going to be able to successfully cover up evidence from her husband. Also, Glaspell creates suspense for the audience through her stage directions pertaining to Mrs. Peters and the dead bird. To clarify, while Mrs. Peters is attempting to hide the bird from the men, she "opens the box, starts to take the bird out, cannot touch it, goes to pieces, [and] stands there helpless” (1269). Because Mrs. Peters is passive and timid towards the bird, Glaspell is able to create suspense if Mrs. Peters is going to be able to successfully hide this incriminating evidence for the audience. Because Glaspell utilizes stage directions to characterize Mrs. Peters as passive and timid, she is able to further build the suspense in her play due to the uncertainty the audience experiences regarding Mrs. Peters’ ability to successfully cover up the

evidence.
Furthermore, Glaspell creates suspense for the audience through her stage directions for the men in the play. To explain, Glaspell depicts how Mr. Henderson dismisses the items the women picked to take to Mrs. Wright and “moves a few things about, disturbing the quilt pieces which cover the box” (1269). Glaspell creates suspense through her stage directions because the audience is uncertain if Mr. Henderson will find the incriminating evidence the women have hidden. Additionally, Glaspell creates suspense through her stage directions by the way the men interact with the women. For example, as the investigation of the farm house is ending, Mr. Henderson mockingly states that although the men did not find any evidence the women at least discovered the type of quilt Mrs. Wright was making (1270). This creates suspense for the audience as they know what the women are hiding and are awaiting the women’s response to the offensive behavior of the men. By having the men on the brink of finding the incriminating evidence, Glaspell is able to reach the peak of suspense in her play.
In her play “Trifles,” Susan Glaspell utilizes stage directions to create suspense for the audience through the characters of Mrs. Hale, Mrs. Peters, and the men. Glaspell utilizes her stage directions for Mrs. Hale in order to create suspense for the audience about if the women will get caught hiding evidence. Because Glaspell uses stage directions to establish Mrs. Peters as a passive and timid woman, the audience feels suspense as to if Mrs. Peters can handle covering up the evidence. Moreover, the audience experience the suspense of the men dancing around the incriminating evidence the women are hiding due to the stage directions Glaspell uses throughout the play. Glaspell carefully constructs a suspenseful play for the audience due to the stage directions she gives to the characters.