Expression of Common Viewpoints of the Early 1900's in "Trifles", by Susan Glaspell

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Recommended: The role of women in the late 19th century

The play "Trifles", by Susan Glaspell , is an examination of the points of view of the early 1900s against women and equality. The most noticeable theme in this story is men discrediting women's intelligence and their ability to do a man’s job, as detectives, in the story. A less noticeable theme is the sympathy the women in the plot find for each other.

Examining the play from this viewpoint we see a diverse set of characters, a plot, and a final act of sacrifice. The three main characters, Mrs. Hale, the sheriff’s wife Mrs. Peters, and Mrs. Wright are an outcome of a tyrannical society which denies them their right to speak and think freely. In the case of Mrs. Wright, it also denies her the right to be happy and free, not only from jail but also from the prison her husband created for her. Once they are left alone, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale are able to find clues to the cause for the murder from their detailed knowledge of being simple housewives to which the men are completely ignorant. They also are forced to find compassion for Mrs. Wright as they compare their own experiences to the clues they find out about her life. At the beginning of the play, the two women are not taking a very active part in the play. In fact, they seem a little unsettled to be on the scene of a murder, their only words as they stand by the door on a cold night are "I'm not - cold." The women don’t start participating in the story until Mr. Henderson finds the broken fruit preserves jars in the cabinets.

Then we see the women’s initial protection of Mrs. Wright. After the attorney makes a joke, "Held for murder and worryin' about her preserves.", he tries to clean his hands but can’t find a clean towel. He comments on Mrs. Wright to the ladies, "N...

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...ing the box with the strangled bird and hiding it from the men in an attempt to save Mrs. Wright. The feeling of togetherness that the ladies have encountered with one another including Mrs. Wright is declared by Mrs. Hale in the last line of the play. "We call it - knot it, Mr. Henderson." This line has a double meaning. The first being that the women were tied together by their synonymous connection of living in a world controlled by man, where men think women are good only for petty activities and taking care of the household’s chores, and second, that they are united by their common bond of fighting for each other. The reference to knotting the quilt given by Mrs. Hale can also be interpreted as an indication to knotting Mr. Wright's neck. This final remark shows the determination of women in that time to fight for equal rights, no matter what the moral cost.

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