Susan Glaspell's Trifles and A Jury of Her Peers

1762 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay about trifles by susan glaspell

In the early 1900's Susan Glaspell wrote many works, two stand out, the play "Trifles" and the short story "A Jury of Her Peers". Trifles was written in 1920, while "A Jury of Her Peers" was written the following year. Trifles was written in only ten days. The true greatness of these works were not recognized until the 1970's.

In the short story "A Jury of Her Peers" a woman named Minnie Wright is accused of the murder of her husband. Minnie Wright is a farmer's wife and is also isolated from the out side world. There is an investigation that takes place in the home of the murder. There are three men that are involved on the case and two women accompany, but are not there to really help solve the murder. These two women will solve the murder and protect Mrs. Wright of any wrongdoing. The women will justify to themselves, that the murder was justifiable. The three men seek out to find motive, but they never do and the case will go unsolved. Glaspell uses symbolism as her a literary device to illuminate her theme. The symbols include: a jar of cherries, a bird, a quilt, kitchen, an even the type of knot that was used for her quilt. All of these details will help the two women justify the murder of Mr. Wright. I wish to show how Glaspell uses symbolism to justify the murder. I also wish to show how a disturbed farm-womon will get away with murder because of two farmwomen helping her, by getting rid of valuable evidence.

In the short story "A Jury of Her Peers" Glaspell first uses the kitchen as her first use of symbolism, to show disarray. According to one critic Kathleen Wilson"The kitchen is described as being in disorder with unwashed pans under the sink, a dishtowel left on table, a loaf of bread outside the breadbox, and other disarray. This gives the impression of no attention having been paid to cleaning up either recently or usually" (Wilson 3). The room has faded wallpaper, an old black stove, and an old iron sink with a hand pump and no curtains at the one window. The unpainted table at the center sounds old and utilitarian. The description suggests a very uninviting room with no frills or anything to brighten the area. Nothing frivolous or feminine, like flowers or colorful plates are described as being in the room. Now these are details that were very thought out to help give the reader more ambition to find their own explana...

... middle of paper ...

...tchen, and the knot that was used for her quilt. I am sympathetic to Minnie being abused by her husband, but I still think that murder was not the answer to her problems.

Works Cited

Alkalay-Gut, Karen."' Jury of Her Peer': The Importance of Trifles." Studies in

Short Fiction 21 (1989): 1-9

Ben-Zvi, Linda. "'Murder, She Wrote': The Genesis of Susan Glaspell's Trifles." Theate Journal 44 (1992): 1-21

Glaspell, Susan. "A Jury of Her Peers". Literature and the Writing Process. Elizabeth

McMahan, Susan X Day, and Robert Funk. 5th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ:

Prentice, 1999. 281-294.

Maillakais, Mike."A Woman's Place: Literary Background for Glaspell's Trifles."

Susan Glaspell Trifles. Dr. Jim Wohlpart and Lisa Crocker. Web. 22 Nov. 2014.

http://itech.fgcu.edu/faculty/wohlpart/alra/glaspell.htm

Smith, Beverly A. "Women's Works-Trifles The Skill and Insights of Playwright Susan

Glaspell."International Journal of Women's Studies 5 (1982): 172-184

Wilson, Kathleen. Susan Glaspell's' A Jury of Her Peers'." Women's Studies 12 (1986): 89-110. Rpt. in Short Stories for Students. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Literature Resource Center. Web. 22 Nov. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • A Jury Of Her Peers And Trifles Comparison

    869 Words  | 2 Pages

    Susan Glaspell was an American playwright, novelist, journalist, and actress. She married in 1903 to a novelist, poet, and playwright George Cram Cook. In 1915 with other actors, writers, and artists they founded Provincetown Players a group that had six seasons in New York City between 1916-1923. She is known to have composed nine novels, fifteen plays, over fifty short stories, and one biography. She was a pioneering feminist writer and America’s first import and modern female playwright. She wrote the one act play “Trifles” for the Provincetown Players was later adapted into the short shorty “A Jury of Her Peers” in 1917. A comparison in Susan Glaspell’s “Trifles” and “A Jury of Her Peers” changes the titles, unfinished worked, and

    Read More

  • Pathos In Trifles

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    The character Mrs. Wright is portrayed as a kind and gentle woman. She is also described as her opinion not being of importance in the marriage. It is stated by Mr. Hale that “ I didn’t know as what his wife wanted made much difference to John” .(745) Her neighbor, Mrs. Hale, depicts her as “She─come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself─real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and─fluttery. How─she─did─change”. (752) It appears that Mrs. Wright is a kind and gentle woman, not capable of committing a murder. But, with the evidence provided and the description of Mr. Wright’s personality it can also be said that the audience will play on the sympathy card for Mrs. Wright. She appears to be caught in a domestic violence crime in which she is guilty of, but the audience will overlook the crime due to the nature of the circumstances. By using pathos it will create a feeling that Mrs. Wright was the one who was suffering in the marriage, and that she only did what she felt necessary at the

    Read More

  • UPS Strike

    1839 Words  | 4 Pages

    This strike was a battle over several issues. One factor that escalated the strike intensity was the pensions battle. Billons of dollars in pensions were on the line. The Teamste...

    Read More

  • Susan Glaspell's A Jury of Her Peers

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    In  A Jury of Peers  by Susan Glaspell, the story revolves around the sudden death of John Wright. There are five characters that participate in the investigation of this tragedy. Their job is to find a clue to the motive that will link Mrs. Wright, the primary suspect, to the murder. Ironically, the ladies, whose duties did not include solving the mystery, were the ones who found the clue to the motive. Even more ironic, Mrs. Hale, whose presence is solely in favor of keeping the sheriff s wife company, could be contributed the most to her secret discovery. In this short story, Mrs. Hale s character plays a significant role to Mrs. Wright s nemesis in that she has slight feelings of accountability and also her discovery of the clue to the motive.

    Read More

  • The Pullman Strike of 1894

    1479 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Pullman Strike of 1894 was the first national strike in American history and it came about during a period of unrest with labor unions and controversy regarding the role of government in business.5 The strike officially started when employees organized and went to their supervisors to ask for a lowered rent and were refused.5 The strike had many different causes. For example, workers wanted higher wages and fewer working hours, but the companies would not give it to them; and the workers wanted better, more affordable living quarters, but the companies would not offer that to them either. These different causes created an interesting and controversial end to the Pullman strike. Because of this, questions were raised about the strike that are still important today. Was striking a proper means of getting what the workers wanted? Were there better means of petitioning their grievances? Was government intervention constitutional? All these questions were raised by the Pullman Strike.

    Read More

  • Reconstruction After the Civil War

    1850 Words  | 4 Pages

    against their employers, employees were able to go on strike and prove a point. Some

    Read More

  • Theme Of Empathy In Trifles

    2049 Words  | 5 Pages

    Devising the perfect murder is a craft that has been manipulated and in practice dating back to the time of the biblical reference of Cain and Abel. In the play, “Trifles” exploration is focused on the empathy one has for a murderer who feels they have no alternative from their abuser. As a multifaceted approach, the author Glaspell gives her audience a moral conflict as to whether murder should be condemned based on the circumstances rather than the crime. Presenting Mrs. Wright as the true victim of the crime of domestic abuse rather than a murderer gives Glaspell a stage which shows her audience the power of empathy.

    Read More

  • Analysis of the Play Trifles

    1307 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...g to conceive to her audience by proving all opinions matter no matter whose it is. By looking in the past the audience can see that the story shows some significant similarities to the time it was written in. Glaspell shows women how a united cause can show the world that women should have just as much rights as men do. The theme of the story is expressly told through how and why Mr. Wright is murdered and Mrs. Peters transformation at the end of the story. Film adaptations that changed the title of Trifles to A Jury of Her Peers probably did it to appeal to the male audience and include a double meaning of how a jury can hold bias even with evidence directly given to them.

    Read More

  • The Theme of Justice in Susan Glaspell's 'Trifles'

    1245 Words  | 3 Pages

    Susan Glaspell’s most memorable one-act play, Trifles (1916) was based on murder trial case that happened in the 1900’s. Glaspell worked as a reporter, where she appointed a report of a murder case. It was about a farmer, John Hossack who was killed while he was asleep in bed one night. His wife claimed that she was asleep next to him when the attack occurred. No one believed in her statement, she was arrested and was charged on first degree murder.

    Read More

  • Gender Differences in Susan Glaspell's Trifles

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    Glaspell, Susan. "Trifles." Plays by Susan Glaspell. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company,  Inc., 1920. Reprinted in Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry and Drama.  X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia Eds. New York: Harper Collins Publisher, 2004.

    Read More

  • Collective Bargaining

    1145 Words  | 3 Pages

    In order to make collective bargaining successful unions, and their members, must reach a greater understanding of all aspects and conditions with the company that employs the members. Concessions must be made on both ends to achieve a result that is satisfactory and improving. Common grounds for agreement include wages, hours, and the conditions in the workplace. Occasionally, when concessions can’t be reached strikes may result.

    Read More

  • Justice In Susan Glaspell's Trifles

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the play Trifles, Susan Glaspell brings together three women through a crime investigation in the late nineteenth century. Glaspell uses symbolism, contrast of sexes, and well-constructed characters to show that justice for all equally important to finding the truth.

    Read More

  • Women In Othello Essay

    886 Words  | 2 Pages

    All through history, the role of women and their place in the general public has tremendously changed. William Shakespeare’s Othello was established during a time period where the role of women and their collective value were downgraded in the Venetian and Elizabethan era. During the Venetian era women were dominated by their sexual orientation. The Venetian era had a patriarchal society. In a patriarchal society, the father is the head of the household and men have authority over women and children. During the Elizabethan era the conduct toward women was vicious. Women were considered second class citizens. Males only consider women as possession, who is obligated to remain submissive and meek. Additionally, women are expected to be quiet, obedient to male figures, and chaste. Women were either considered a good wife or a whore. There are only three women in Othello; Desdemona, Emilia, and Bianca. Desdemona is the passive wife of Othello who has a quite idealistic take on life and marriage. Emilia is the cynical, perceptive women who seem to have a bitter take on her marriage to Iago. Bianca is portrayed as the whore of the play, and she has relations with Cassio. Although, each woman varies in roles and personality, they all had a common trait; they lived in a patriarchal society and suffered together. Each of them live in a society where it was ideal to think women were psychologically and physiologically inferior to men, however in reality each of them knew their role in society.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis Of Trifles

    745 Words  | 2 Pages

    One woman’s Trifles is another man’s clues. The play Trifles, was written by Susan Glaspell based on the murder of John Hossack, which Susan reported on while working as a news journalist for Des Moines Daily News. Susan Glaspell was an American Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, actress, novelist, journalist, and founder of the Provincetown Players. She has written nine novels, fifteen plays, over fifty short stories, and one biography. At 21 she enrolled at Drake University even after the prevailing belief that college make women unfit for marriage. But many don’t know that her work was only published after the death of her husband George Cram Cook. Trifles is an example of a feminist drama. The play shows how male dominance was

    Read More

  • The Role Of Women In William Shakespeare's Othello

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    Forced by predominant men in Elizabethan society, women conform to a facade based on an socioeconomic status rather than character. As expected, women in William Shakespeare’s Othello demonstrate obedience in their behavior in accordance with a man’s expectations. Throughout this tragic play the once formidable Othello, becomes crazed with jealousy based on his ensign 's puppet master. Determined to murder his wife, Desdemona, because of her alleged infidelity, Othello fights against being a cuckold. Critical in Venetian society, Desdemona’s reputation no where compares to her husband’s reputation, which demonstrates a woman’s status as subordinate to men including servants and paramours. William Shakespeare reveals the influential males in a woman 's life govern the way the world

    Read More

More about Susan Glaspell's Trifles and A Jury of Her Peers

Open Document