Summary

Susan Glaspell's one-act drama "Trifles" examines gender norms and relationships in early twentieth-century America. The piece is inspired on the actual incident of a lady accused of killing her husband.

The county attorney, sheriff, and a nearby farmer arrive to the farmhouse to investigate the murder. The guys immediately start looking for le and interviewing Minnie Foster, who is being detained in jail. Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, two village women who have gone along to recover some personal belongings for Minnie, begin to unearth critical evidence about the case that the men miss.

As the play unfolds, the ladies discover evidence that Minnie was abused by her husband and driven to murder. They find a shattered birdcage and a dead canary, both of which Minnie adored as a reminder of her lost youth and independence. The women realize Minnie's acts were not random, but rather a reaction to years of persecution and solitude.

The males, on the other hand, disregard the women's conclusions as "trifles," preferring to concentrate on the physical facts. They are unable to comprehend the emotional and psychological aspects that contributed to the murder. Finally, the women resolve to protect Minnie by keeping the evidence hidden from the males.

"Trifles" is a strong statement on gender roles and the need of empathy and understanding in the quest of justice. The drama explores how women are frequently excluded and discarded in male-dominated sectors such as law enforcement and criminal justice. It also demonstrates the strength of female solidarity and the possibility for collective action to impact change.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Give your responses to these inquiries:

a. Do you think Mrs. Wright was the one who killed her husband? Explain.

Of course, Mrs. Wright killed her husband. From the accounts of two women, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, we come to know that her husband was abusive. The dilapidated condition of the kitchen, the canary with broken neck and cage all suggest that Mrs. Wright’s husband was an abuser. In addition, we also come to know that the house was away from the community and Mrs. Wright had a canary bird as a companion which was killed by breaking its neck. Similarly, Mr. Wright was also killed by first strangling and later breaking the neck. The motive and the nature of both the murders match which clearly hints that Minnie Foster is the murderer.

b. Do you believe that if Mr. Hale hadn't stopped by the Wrights' house, the death of Mr. Wright wouldn't have been discovered?

I do not think so. First of all, only a woman wouldn’t be able to dispose the body safely and the second person would know it, if someone helped her. Secondly, Mr. Wright used to work and if he would not go for work, people would notice his absence and start searching him. Thirdly, if Minnie would have fled the village leaving Mr. Wright’s body on bed, people would be suspicious and inform the police; the smell from the body would fill the air. Therefore, any how people would know about Mr. Wright’s murder.

c. Why does Mrs. Hale think that Mrs. Wright’s worries about her preserves indicate her innocence?

When Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters were taking some belongings of Mr. Wright, they saw that she had some preserves and Mrs. Hale remembers her worrying about her preserves. She thinks that the woman who is worried about such trivial things and about home making; she could not be a murderer because it takes a lot of courage and plan.

d. How does Mrs. Peters' homesteading experience associate her to Mrs. Wright?

Note: Homesteading is a self-sufficient way of living. It is distinguished by subsistence agriculture, home food storage, and the small-scale manufacturing of textiles, apparel, and craft work for household use or sale.

In Homesteading, rearing pets also falls. Here, as Mrs. Wright, who had a canary bird as a pet, during her childhood; Mrs. Peters also had a cat. In both the cases their pets were murdered and the feeling was same; murdering the killer. Secondly, Mrs. Peters connects her pain of losing a child to losing a canary bird. In this way she is connected to Mrs. Writght’s homesteading.

e. How do the women’s perspectives on men differ?

Initially, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters think that they are married to intelligent men, but later on as the play unfolds and the evidences are recovered, women come to know that the men they are married to are foolish and can be easily fooled. Men overlook the major evidences which could be helpful to prove Mrs. Fosters guilty. Taking advantage of this, both the women hide the evidence to Minnie Foster.

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

Answer the questions that follow after reading the following selections from the play.

a. “MRS. PETERS: (glancing around). Seems funny to think of a bird here. But she must have had one, or why would she have a cage? I wonder what happened to it?

MRS. HALE: I s’pose maybe the cat got it.”

I. Who does 'she' allude to?

It is Minnie Wright.

ii. What is the meaning of the word "one"?

“One”, here, means a bird.

iii. What is the full form of "s'pose"?

It is suppose.

iv. When Mrs. Hale says, "the cat got it," what do you mean by that?

It means that may be cat killed killed/ ate the bird.

b. “MRS. HALE: Wright was close. …… she used to wear pretty clothes and be lively, when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls singing in the choir.

But that— oh, that was thirty years ago.”

i. Why is Mrs. Wright referred to as "Minnie Foster" by Mrs. Hale?

Minnie Foster is the maiden name of Mrs. Wright.

ii. What do you learn about Mrs. Wright from her description?

From this description I come to know that Mrs. Wright was a pretty good singer and beautiful who liked wearing beautiful dresses before her marriage to Mr. Wright. She was carefree and free as a bird.

iii. What does she mean when she says, "that was thirty years ago? "

It means, that she is referring to the time when Mrs. Wright was very young.

c. What is the play's main theme?

"Trifles" makes a powerful message on gender roles and the importance of empathy and understanding in the pursuit of justice. The play examines how women are routinely marginalized and rejected in male-dominated fields such as law enforcement and criminal justice. It also shows the power of female solidarity and the ability of collective action to affect change.

d. Discuss the text's use of symbolism.

One of the many literary devices is symbolism. Symbolism adds meaning to the theme of a literature. In the play ‘Trifles’ various symbols are used that are discussed below.

i. Alive and free canary bird: It symbolizes Minnie Foster who was beautiful and sang beautifully who enjoyed her freedom before her marriage.

ii. Bird Cage: Cage symbolizes the house of Mrs. Wright which serves as a jail to Mrs. Wright.

iii. Dead Canary and Broken Cage: They symbolize the aggression and oppression of Mr. Wright toward Mrs. Wright. Broken cage also symbolizes the freedom that Mrs. Foster achieved after the death of her husband.

iv. The condition of the kitchen: It symbolizes the relationship of Mr. and Mrs. Wright which was completely ruined.

v. The Quilt knot: It symbolizes that the ladies concealed the evidence of Mr. Wright’s murder.

e. Talk about the setting of the play. Does it have an effect on the play's theme?

Yes the setting plays an important role. The setting of the play is forlorn house where there live only two members, Mr. John Wright and his wife Mrs. Wright. It shows that Mrs. Wright was kept away from the world with a lot of restrictions. The kitchen adds to the theme that Mrs. Wright was tortured by her male counterpart. This shows the lives of early 20th century American women who were denied of their freedom and had to be submit to their husband’s desires.

REFERENCE OUTSIDE OF THE TEXT

a. A character's credibility is influenced not only by their thoughts and deeds but also by what other characters say and think about them. Discuss in relation to Trifles' characters.

Although Mrs. Wright is not physically present in the play, we know her through Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters. They discuss about her youthful days, about her likes and dislikes. They also talk about the relationship of Mr. Wright with her husband, which was not good, and her liking to spend her time in making home. We also know that she was in pain and to console herself she had a bird. We also know that she did not have kids which made her lonely. At last, even if we know that she killed her husband, due to the description of Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters we sympathize with Minnie Foster and feel that she should not be jailed.

b. Dramatic irony occurs when the characters in a play know something that the audience or reader does not; it creates suspense and tension. Based on the following questions, analyze the play and discuss the author's use of dramatic irony:

i. Which information is essential to the play Trifles?

The crucial information regarding dramatic irony in this play is Mr. Wright's murder. Through Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, the readers learn the details of the murder, but the men characters, who appear to be very busy looking for clues, are unaware of these details.

ii. What method does the playwright employ to achieve dramatic irony with this information?

The playwright uses this information tactfully to create suspense and excitement on the readers in order to create dramatic irony. The playwright keeps giving information about the murder through predictions and evidence that the characters know but he male character do not.

iii. How do the play and the audience react to the dramatic irony?

The playwright manages and presents dramatic irony very well. It has prioritized the readers and audience over the play's main male characters. It has satisfied all of its readers’ anticipation, curiosity, hope, fear, and suspense. Here, the actual information is available to the audience prior to all of the play's male characters. This play's dramatic irony has made it very interesting and full of twists in which facts are revealed to pique readers' curiosity.