Susan Glaspell's Drama Trifles
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Susan GlaspellÆs drama ôTriflesö was written in 1916 at a time when gender roles in U.S. society were more rigidly defined. WomenÆs roles during the era were largely relegated to that of wife, mother, and housekeeper. In ôTrifles,ö we see that Minnie Wright lives on an isolated farm with her husband John. She is kept busy with the chores of managing a farm household and seldom has interaction with her neighbors or other townspeople. Once a lively young girl who liked to sing, Minnie has become a captive of her own household. When her husband is found dead, strangled in the same bed in which Minnie sleeps next to him, we discover that MinnieÆs seemingly typical life was anything but typical. Subjected to an insensitive husband, MinnieÆs existence in her isolated, male-dominated household results in JohnÆs murder. Though we never know for sure if Minnie killed her husband, Glaspell uses many symbols in the story to unite Minnie with Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters in an unspoken unity of female bonding.Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters come to MinnieÆs home when it is discovered that her husband has been murdered in his sleep. The Sheriff and County Attorney are also present. As they investigate MinnieÆs kitchen, the menÆs disparaging remarks alienate Mrs. Hale and show that men imposed rigid roles on women. The County Attorney complains ôHereÆs a fine messö over MinnieÆs frozen fruit preserves that have exploded from the cold (Glaspell 3). He also criti
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we will learn MinnieÆs life was like imprisonment so it is only natural she wishes to wear her apron when actually in prison.
When Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters encounter a piece of stitch-work they believe was intended as part of a shawl, Mrs. Hale wonders ôif she was goinÆ to quilt or just knot itö (Glaspell 6). The men overhear this and the Sheriff sarcastically replies, ôThey wonder if she was going to quilt or just knot itö as he and the County Attorney erupt in laughter (Glaspell 6). The sarcasm of the Sheriff demonstrates that men often viewed women as concerning themselves with only ôtrifles,ö even in the midst of something serious like murder. This shows that men often relegated the activities of women to a category of insignificance. The question of Mrs. Hale also applies to the way in which John was murdered, with a rope knotted around his neck.
Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters actually discover more than the County Attorney or Sheriff while in Mrs. WrightÆs house, primarily because they understand a woman better than do the men. They notice from MinnieÆs poor stitching she must have been nervous about something. They find a bird cage and notice its door is broke. While searching for sewing things, Mrs. Hale discovers a fa
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1306
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)
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