An Essay On Trifles By Susan Glaspell

Trifles was written in the early 1900's by Susan Glaspell. This occurred far before the women's movement. Women were generally looked upon as possessions to their husbands. Their children, all wages, and belongings were property of their husbands. In Glaspell's story it is easily depicted as to what role the men and women portrayed in society at this time.

The play written by Susan Glaspell in 1916 is based on the murder of John Wright where the prime suspect is his spouse; Minnie Foster. “Trifles” is fixated on the investigation of the social division realized by the strict gender roles that enable the two men and women to have contending points of view on practically every issue. This is found in the way the men view the kitchen as they consider it as not having anything of significant worth. From the earliest starting point, the two women and men possess distinctive positions. For instance, the women are unimportant guests to Minnie Foster's home while the men have desired authority obligation.

“A jury of her Peers” and Trifles are works of literature. In these works, they depict the murder of Mr. Wright. The men accuse Mrs. Wright to the murder of her husband, however are they are trying to find evidence to prove this. Both works are loosely based on the murder of John Hossack, which Glaspell reported on while working as a news journalist for the Des Moines Daily News. Hossack's wife, Margaret, was accused of killing her husband. However, Margaret argued that an intruder had killed John with an axe. She was convicted but it was overturned on appeal. In the play Trifles and the short story “A Jury of her Peers”, Susan Glaspell conveys how she transforms the play to the short story by change in the plot, the characters, and the themes of Female vs men and freedom

“Trifles” by Susan Glaspell is situated in 1916 and is a one act play which incorporates essential components of what the women’s rights movement was about. After moving on from Iowa’s Drake University in 1899, Glaspell commenced her writing vocation of composing short stories and books. The play from Glaspell recounts the story of a homicide mystery involving the married couple of Mrs. Wright (Minnie) and her spouse, the murder victim, John Wright; this story also incorporates the outlook of society towards women being viewed as beneath men. “Trifles” demonstrates the unfair mentality regularly acknowledged among men towards women in 1916. In addition, it showcases the big role comradery plays for women in becoming equal represented

The play “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell is type of murder mystery that takes place in the early 1900’s. The play begins when the sheriff Mr. Peters and county attorney Mr. Henderson come to attempt to piece together what had happen on the day that Mr. Wright was murder. While investigating the seen of the murder, they are accompanied by the Mr. Hale, Mrs. Hale and Mr. Peters. Mr. Hale had told that Mrs. Wright was acting strange when he found her in the kitchen. After taking information from Mr. Hale, the men leave the women in the kitchen and go upstairs at seen of the murder. The men don’t realize the plot of the murder took place in the kitchen.

Symbols are important, especially in literature. They have been known to inspire hope and life, in turn inspiring some of the most profound actions in the history of the world. Yet, humanity’s statement to symbols goes beyond us finding meaning in innominate or non-human objects. People assign humanity into objects, almost a part of themselves. This concept is clearly demonstrated in Susan Glaspell’s play, Trifles. The work contains many element of symbolism that make important and relieving comments on the characters of the play and the themes of the story.

Susan Glaspell's use of dramatic technique and foreshadowing came alive through the characters in the story. The story's views of male dominance over women and the belittling of women lead to the unsolved murder. From the beginning of the story with the revealing title to the end, Susan Glaspell had foreshadowed and showed the irony of gender inequality and the belittlement of the women in the story Trifles. The men's action and words of dismissing the women led to the mens end knowledge to be of minor significance to the case because of their dismissive views of women that the they displayed. Mrs.wright, the emotionally damaged women who in her life got pushed to the edge and could no longer take the actions of Mr.wright ended up killing him.

Someone once said “The best revenge is always to just happily move on and let karma do the rest.” ,Mrs.Wright wasn’t thinking this when she killed her husband. Throughout the play, “Trifles”, solidarity and revenge major concepts. Mrs. Hale, the neighboring farmer, and Mrs. Peters, the sheriff’s wife, find themselves hiding and lying about evidence to protect their friend, Mrs. Wright, who’s being accused of murdering her husband. In “Trifles”, Susan Glaspell shows that, solidarity and revenge were some of the only ways women could get justice and protect themselves in 1800’s

Dating back to early civilization, women’s lives were to do as they are told. In the one-act play, Trifles written by Susan Glaspell, it is often viewed as an example of early feminist drama. In this murder play, Mrs. Peters, wife of the sheriff and Mrs. Hale, wife of a neighboring farmer, are asked by the victim’s wife, Mrs. Wright (Minnie Fosters) to take her back a few items. As the women gather items per her request they discover evidence tracing back to Mrs. Wright. Since they are able to sympathize with the victims wife, and their understanding of her possible motives lead them to discover the murderer of John Wright. The men, George Henderson, country attorney and Henry Peters, the sheriff fail to realize the reality of this murder,

In the play Trifles by Susan Glaspell women had different roles in the ninetieth century compared to women in today society. Women in the early and late ninetieth century were just the maids of the house they cooked, cleaned, and took care of the kids. In the article by Kathryn Hughes she stated during this time, “Women were considered physically weaker yet morally superior to men”. However, men did not allow women to work or have a steady job like them, so they were the only providers during this time. Women could not speak their mind so the had to live by the rules that were set for them.

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.

In the academic writing, there are many ways that we can indicate our beliefs. Identifying themes is one way to indicate beliefs. In the play “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell talks about the murder scene of John Wright's murder, so the sheriff Henry Peters, the county attorney George Henderson, Lewis Hale, Mrs. Peters, and Mrs. Hale come to John Wright's kitchen where the investigating takes place of John Wright's murder. Lewis Hale tells the sheriff how he sees Mrs. Wright being very strange. Also, she tells him that her husband is killed while she was sleeping. The sheriff with the other characters starts to search for evidences that can lead for the murder. Susan Glaspell illustrates the themes of protection, revenge, and loneliness in the play “Trifles.” Susan Glaspell illustrates the themes of protection, revenge, and loneliness in the play “Trifles.”

“Trifles” is a one act play written by Susan Glaspell in 1916, which was first performed on August 8th by the Provincetown Players in Provincetown, Massachusetts at the Wharf Theater. The author, Susan Glaspell, was born on July 1, 1876 in Davenport, Iowa. Over her lifetime she had become proficient in many different professions: Playwright, Actress, Novelist, and Journalist. For her works, she won an American Pulitzer Prize in 1931. The Provincetown Players was founded by Susan Glaspell and her husband, George Cram Cook. This was the first modern American theater company. Most of her works centered on current issues at the time such at gender roles between males and females. Susan Glaspell was not the typical woman of her time, she decided to go to school and get herself an education and find herself a her own career instead of waiting around for a husband. In 1899, Glaspell graduated from Drake University in Iowa and found herself a job as a journalist for the Des Monies Daily newspaper. The play Trifles was based upon a story that Glaspell reported on when she was a journalist.

A trifle is something that has little value or importance, and there are many seeming "trifles" in Susan Glaspell's one-act play "Trifles." The irony is that these "trifles" carry more weight and significance than first seems to be the case. Just as Glaspell's play ultimately reveals a sympathetic nature in Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, the evidence that the men investigators fail to observe, because they are blind to the things that have importance to a woman, reveals the identity of the murderer and are, therefore, not really "trifles," after all. Thus, the title of the play has a double-meaning: it refers, satirically, to the way "trifling" way some men perceive women, and it also acts as an ironic gesture to the fact that women are not as "trifling" as these men make them out to be. This paper will analyze setting, characters, plot, stage directions, symbolism, themes and genre to show how Glaspell's "Trifles" is an ironic indictment not of a murderess but rather of the men who push women to such acts.

What is a trifle? A trifle is something that has little to no importance (dictionary.com). For instance, the color of your nails would be considered a trifle. In Trifles by Susan Glaspell, women are criticized and made fun of by men because of the little things they worry about, such as the color of their nails or their hair. This exhibits the gender role difference portrayed during the play’s time period. The central conflict is what the plot is centered around. In Trifles, the central conflict involves the investigation the Mr. Wright’s murder. As the story progresses, we learn that the women’s trifles would’ve helped the men solve the murder, which is ironic. Numerous accounts of symbolism, relating Mrs.Wright to the bird, is also found