Susan Glaspell's Drama Trifles

Susan Glaspell's drama "Trifles" was written in 1916 at a time when gender roles in U.S. society were more rigidly defined. Women's roles during the era were largely relegated to that of wife, mother, and housekeeper. In "Trifles," 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 Minnie's seemingly typical life was anything but typical. Subjected to an insensitive husband, Minnie's existence in her isolated, male-dominated household results in John's 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 Minnie's 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 Minnie's kitchen, the men's disparaging remarks alienate Mrs. Hale and show that men imposed rigid roles on women. The County Attorney complains "Here's a fine mess" over Minnie's frozen fruit preserves that have exploded from the cold (Glaspell 3). He also criti

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we will learn Minnie's 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 "if she was goin' to quilt or just knot it" (Glaspell 6). The men overhear this and the Sheriff sarcastically replies, "They wonder if she was going to quilt or just knot it" 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 "trifles," 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. Wright's house, primarily because they understand a woman better than do the men. They notice from Minnie's 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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