Analysis Of Susan Glaspell 's Trifles Essay

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.

“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.

Marriage a sacred bond uniting two people who are so deeply in love that they can't live without one another, for even a second. Many couples in this situation take these marriage vows to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. Those vows remain cherished throughout the years of marriage. Partner’s share intimate details and form a strong trustworthy bond with one another. Often couples settle into a routine, move out of the city and have children. Occasionally over time that love will fade; couples change and lose interest in one another and begin to look for a way out of marriage. In Susan Glaspell’s play Trifles, there is evidence to

When investigating throughout the house, the men laugh about things that the women become concerned about such as Mrs. Wright’s fruit jars (Glaspell 264). Mrs. Hale’s husband states that “women are used to worrying over trifles,” referring to things that the women tend to find important (264). However, the half wiped table, half poured sugar, and the dirty pans (Alkalay-Gut 3) are clues to the investigation unseen by the men due to their inability to interpret things beyond “what they consider to be significant information” (4). Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Wright conclude that Mrs. Wright was forced “out of the pattern of her chores” (3). Later, the women find motive for John Wright’s murder when they discover the strangled bird that indicates to Mrs. Hale that Mrs. Wright found herself as a caged bird being strangled by her husband (6). The ladies then transfer their roles from “being married to the law” and following their spouses to sympathetic

Constantly being torn down and belittled over the course of a lifetime can put a toll on anyone’s sense of purpose and health, so it makes sense that in the 1916 play Trifles by Susan Glaspell someone finally snaps. In the play, Minnie Wright is accused of killing her husband John Wright in his sleep. The mystery, however, does not surround Minnie’s innocence, but rather her motivation in killing her husband. Ironically, the mystery is solved, not by those who purposefully came to the house to investigate, by the women who came as friends of the accused. By the finale of the play, the men in the party have still failed to find any useful evidence and are actively being worked against, as the women are hiding a crucial bit of evidence. But

Susan Glaspell uses a variety of symbols in her play to demonstrate the stereotypical view and treatment of women by men during the start of the twentieth century. She intricately portrays the female characters in her story as intelligent, but passive due to the fact that males dismiss their ideas and conversations as unimportant. The play, Trifles, uses multiple symbols to show how men fail to recognize the intelligence of women, and oppress the feminists’ way of thinking throughout society.

The relation of the title of the play “Trifles” to the play is subtle but present. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the word trifle means “something of little value, substance, or importance”. Near the beginning of the play, Hale says “Well, women are used to worrying over trifles.” (Glaspell 258). This is the only time “trifles” is used in the play.

Glaspell develops the theme of gender roles by what Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters fret about at the crime scene. For instance, the first concern that Mrs. Peters voices revolves around Mrs. Wright’s fruit preserves and implies that the women are housekeepers. Both the Sheriff and Mr. Hale remark about how the women are “worryin’ about her preserves” and “worrying over trifles” (Glaspell 3). Later, when the men go upstairs to look for evidence, the women decide to bring Mrs. Wright’s apron, fruit, shawl, and quilt for her in prison. To further establish Mrs. Wright as a domesticated housewife, Mrs. Peters suggests that Mrs. Wright wants her apron “to make her feel more natural” (Glaspell 5). Because of what Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters discuss at the crime scene, Glaspell verifies that the women play the role of housekeeper and cook.

Often seen as the weaker sex, women have been overlooked by a male-dominated society for generations. Men have devalued women’s work, not seeing the importance of what women do in the home or in the workplace. The early 1900s saw a time of public awareness for women’s issues. With women’s suffrage on the cusp of everyone’s lips, the social oppression of women was a major topic in all forms of communication and entertainment, especially the theater. Trifles, a one-act play by Susan Glaspell tells the story of a woman, Minnie Wright, who murders her abusive husband John Wright.

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.

Susan Glaspell challenges society’s set ideas of gender roles through her one-act mystery play “Trifles”. At first glance, Glaspell creates a seemly innocent metaphor comparing Minnie Foster to a bird, however as the play progresses a darker tone of the metaphor unravels – one that illustrates how easily women can be trapped into their gender roles, as birds can be in cages. This theme becomes clear, when Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters discover a broken birdcage and a strangled canary while gathering things to bring to her in prison. Upon discovering the birdcage with a missing door hidden in the cupboard, Mrs. Hale cannot recall whether Minnie had a bird or not.

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.

A Symbol can be specified as an experience, from both a perceptive point of view as well as a creative one. The specific use of the term “Symbolism” relates to the cultured movement; of different styles of writing, that began in the nineteenth century which has a major role in literary arts. Susan Glaspell uses symbolism in Trifles as a literary device to highlight the theme of feminine identity. Here, Glaspell provides women with a numerous amount of symbols to justify their feelings and making it easy for them to hinder the investigation. In this drama, details are thoroughly thought out and selectively placed to give the reader more ambition to find their own explanation of the symbols. Glaspell’s symbolism helps paint a picture that is