Susan Glaspell's Trifles

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1. The play unravels in a dreary setting of a ramshackle farmhouse. The “unwashed pans under the sink… loaf of bread outside the breadbox… dish towel on the table” (1386) elevate its mysterious theme. The dark atmosphere extends throughout the entire play. It is consistent with the obscurity of the plot, as the story finishes without a denouement.

2. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters do not stand by the fire, where the men discuss the case. They try to shun their curiosity, and instead, busy their minds with trifles. This resembles the social norms, which constrain women to lower standards than those of the opposite gender. While the men surround the flames, heated by the importance of their work, the women “stand close together near the door” (1386). …show more content…

The men take themselves really seriously, but disparage the women’s actions. Mr. Henderson laughs a few times at the women’s worrying over trifles. He labels them only as housewives, making fun of their worries yet stating “what would we do without the ladies,” (1389) almost sarcastically. This is a mere reflection of how society perceives women at the time. The attitude towards them is highly condescending. Glaspell shows how women are affected by these judgments, even though they uncovered the most significant clue of the murder case.

9. Trifles is a feminist drama, after all. If the men’s pursuit of the case took more stage time, the slight yet subtle notions of the women would not have been seen, thus the play would have lost its purpose. The lack of appearance of the men, allows the audience to take an unconventional look at an otherwise worn-out detective story. The audience is able to join the women in focusing over trifles, which later prove major to the …show more content…

As Mr. Hale describes what he observed to the county attorney, he slips critical information about how he “didn’t know as what his wife wanted made much difference to John” (1387). Mr. Henderson ignores this seeming “trifle,” which in fact is another clue as to why Mrs. Wright killed her husband. This irony of rather crucial trifles, extends throughout the play. “Nothing here but kitchen things” (1388), claims the sheriff, failing to realize the importance of the neglected kitchen. Similar to the kitchen and the rest of the “trifles,” in the society where the play takes place, and based on its norms, women are thought of as nothing more than housewives. They must be treated well, but are never taken seriously, as they “are used to worrying over trifles” (1389). This extended irony serves as a reminder that just like the dead bird and untidy house, women, needless to state, can be just as significant and deft as men, if given the same opportunity, and held to the same

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