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Trifles (Play)

In Glaspell’s Trifles the author satirizes the relationship between married women and men. Mrs. Wright is being held for the suspected murder of her husband. There are five characters in the play, the county attorney and two couples (the Sheriff and Mrs. Peters and the Wright’s neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Hale). The male characters are not as well defined as the female characters and this works to reinforce the theme that women are often relegated to a subservient position to their husbands, even though they are deeper emotionally and intellectually. Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, after all, are the only ones who piece together evidence that would help convict Mrs. Wright. This is because they have the female perspective and are able to identify all the signs that remain obtuse to the men. They know something is wrong by the way the table is only half cleaned, like someone left it in a hurry. They also feel something is weird about the way Mrs. Wright was sewing her quilt. When they discover the bird with its broken neck, they are fairly sure of Mrs. Wright’s guilt. However, they conceal this evidence from the men, not just because they empathize with the repressed existence of the married woman accused of murder, but also as a way of retaining power over the men. As the County Attorney says, “For that matter, a sheriff’s wife is married to the law. Ever think of it that way Mrs. Peters?” Her response is, “Not-just that way” (162).

The play should be staged naturalistically because the action transpires in the gloomy kitchen and home of the Wrights. The lighting should be kept low so as to mirror the repression aspect of the play’s theme and to also add to the gloomy affect. The colors of the objects in the rooms and all of the character clothing should be kept neutral and dull in order to enhance this affect, and also because the two women are also in an inferior position to that of their husband’s. The a...

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Trifles (Play). (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 08:56, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1686514.html