NEB Grade: 11 (English) 4.1 Trifles- by Susan Glaspell ( One Act Play) Part-2

 NEB Grade: 11 (English) 4.1 Trifles- by Susan Glaspell ( One Act Play) Part-2

Trifles: About the Play

ž Susan’s play ‘Trifles’ revolves around murder investigation providing a perspective about the status of women in contemporary American society reflecting the male mentality as the dominant gender which she had covered as a young reporter in Des Moines.

ž ‘Trifles’ tells the story of two investigations into the murder of John Wright. The male characters carry on the official investigation while the female characters carry on their own unofficial investigation.

ž The story is based on the murder of a 60 year old John Hossack when Susan Gaspell was a journalist in Des Monies Daily News. His wife was arrested for the murdering her husband by an axe. Glaspell visited to Hossack’s farmhouse which became the basis of her play ‘Trifles’. Later she turned this play into a short story retitling it “A Jury of Her Peers”.

Setting: Trifles

ž “Trifles” takes place in John Wright’s an abandoned rural farmhouse, a gloomy place down in the hollow   located in the Midwest in 1916 during the winter months where the road can not be seen. Furthermore, it is set in a bleak, untidy kitchen  where there is a  rustic dinning table and chairs, a hand pump at the sink for water, and a wood-burning stove for warmth and for cooking.

ž The room has not been cleaned up ad looks as if someone was interrupted in the midst of cooking a meal. Dirty pans are staked under the sink and a loaf of bread is sitting outside the breadbox.

ž Three doors: one to the parlor, another to upstairs and the last one to the outside.

ž This setting has close connection to the theme of the play. The play opens in an abandoned rural farmhouse, a gloomy place which reflect how gloomy life of a married woman is inside a house as her all sorts of freedom are snatched from her.

Characters

ž John Wright- the farm owner and an egoist man

ž  Minnie Wright- a young and pretty woman who has a loveless marriage life and full of depression – also known  a caged songbird, accused of killing her husband John Wright

ž George Henderson - County Attorney who prosecute Minnie for the murder

ž Henry Peters- a person leading the investigation into John’s murder known as Sheriff

ž  Mrs. Peters- his wife

ž Lewis Hale - a neighboring farmer of Wright family who first to discover John’s murder

ž Mrs Hale- the wife of Lewis who gather items for imprisoned Minnie and hide the evidence

 

The Title:  Trifles/ triviality –तुच्छ

ž The title of the play ‘Trifles’ refers to the concerns of the women in the play, which the men consider to be only “trifles.” It includes such things as the canning jars of fruit that Minnie Wright is concerned about despite being held for murder, as well as the quilt and other items that Minnie asks to have brought to her at  the jail. Trifles symbolizes concerns of the women and the motive of Minnie’s crime. It also reflects the male prejudice that women are interested only in silly, superficial things/matters - "trifles".

ž The title of the play ‘trifles’ is ironic, because it embodies the most important answers to the question asked in the play; answers to the mystery of John Wright’s death. A trifle is something of little importance. The County Attorney calls the conversation between Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters trifles, which is ironic because those conversations lead to the two women discovering the possible motive for the murder of John Wright. The conversations being called trifles is one of the ironies in the play. The conversations of  Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are considered as trifles.

ž "Trifles" in the play are the quilt and the way she was "piecing it together" - by quilting or knotting. But in the play, the audience knows that only the women can understand the reason behind the murder through their analysis of "trifles" such as the quilt, birdcage and the dead bird.

 

Themes: Trifles

ž Susan’s Play ‘Trifles’ is a murder mystery. It carries the themes of  Female identity, Gender relationship, power between the sexes and the nature of truth. It also moves around the isolation, sufferings, revenge and violence,justice, male domination, and feminism.

ž Female identity

ž When speaking to the female characters in Trifles, Henderson and the other men make a key mistake in their assumption that the women derive their identity solely from their relationship to men, the dominant gender. For example, Henderson tells Mrs. Peters that because she is married to the sheriff, she is married to the law and therefore is a reliable follower of the law. Mrs. Peters' response is "Not--just that way.” As Mrs. Hale concludes, women "all go through the same things--it's all just a different kind of the same thing." For Mrs. Hale, Minnie Wright's murder of her husband is the ultimate rejection of her husband's imposed identity. The  male characters only want to gather evidence of Minnie's crime, whereas the women come to understand the emotional pain that drove Minnie to murder her husband which  reflects females seeking their identity.

ž Justice

ž Justice is another major theme of Trifles, especially as it pertains to women. The title of Glaspell's short story based on Trifles is "A Jury of Her Peers," which refers to the fact that women were not allowed to serve on a jury at this time. The men and women have different conceptions of justice. The men want Minnie to be convicted of murder, whereas the women hide the evidence that would have convicted Minnie out of respect for the years which project the concerns of women towards justice.

Trifles: Summary

ž Susan Glaspell’s  play   “Trifles” is a one act play about the story of a murder mystery of John Wright, the farm owner, an egoist man, his wife, Minnie Wright.

ž The play opens when its five characters enter the kitchen of the Wright farmhouse. The county attorney takes charge of the investigation, guiding the sheriff and Mr. Hale in recounting their roles in the discovery of the crime. They are followed by Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters.

ž  Mr. Hale tells how he came to the house to ask John Wright about sharing the cost of a phone line, only to find Mrs. Wright sitting in a rocking chair. She had an apron in her hand and was nervously pleating it.  When he asks to speak with her husband, Mrs. Wright says that he cannot speak with Mr. Hale because he is dead upstairs with a rope around his neck. She confesses that someone strangled her husband as she was fast asleep.  Mr. Hale brings the Sheirff, Henry Peter, investigates and finds that Wright has been hanged. When Henry goes out to bring the attorney, Mr. Hale tells her about the telephone, and she laughs and then she looks scared. It is because Mr. Wright does not prefer telephone as people chatter a lot.

ž Mr. George Henderson begins his investigation and finds the glass jar of fruit preservative broken because of cold which has made the cupboard messy. Mrs. Peter interrupts him saying that Mrs. Wright is worried about it.  Mr. Hale says that the women worry about the trifles. Mr. Henderson criticizes Mrs. Wright for the dirty towels in the kitchen and her poor housekeeping. She replies that the towels get dirty quickly. Mrs. Hale  regrets Mrs. Wright and feels sorry for not visiting her for a more than a year as she was always busy in her farm with her farmer husband. Then, the men go upstairs in search of evidences.

ž The women are left alone.  Mr.  Henderson allows Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters to gather few belongings for Mrs. Wright. While gathering some household goods to make Mrs. Wright feel more at ease in jail, they discuss Minnie Wright, her childhood as Minnie Foster before 30 years when she was very happy and sang beautifully, her worrying life with John Wright, and the quilt that she was making when she was taken to jail.  Mrs. Henderson suspects how a wife a could not wake at the time of her husband’s murder.

ž Mrs. Hale mentions that her husband found a gun in the house and it is suspicious to use a rope to murder instead of a gun. Mrs. Peters finds a large sewing basket as well.

ž The men reenter briefly, then leave.  They laugh  listening to the women’s discussion about the blanket to be quilted or knotted and associate it to trifles. Mrs. Hale observes some strange things such as  half of the dish- towel clean, loaf of bread outside the bread box, unfinished quilt etc. 

ž Mrs. Peters discovers Mrs. Wright’s  s bird cage in a cup board but not a bird and remembers a canary sold by a man. She thinks that may be a cat has got it but as Mrs. Wright has no cat, no chance of it. She also remembers how Mrs. Peters’ cat unsettled her as it entered her room She remembers How  hard Mr. Wright was and they had no children. He preferred quiet in the house. As he went out for work all the day Mrs. Wright needed a good company as she was alone at home and the canary was so for her. Mrs. Hale finds the dead bird wrapped in a silk cloth in a pretty red box in the sewing basket whose neck is wrung and  they get horrified. Mrs. Hale hides the dead bird as she hears men coming.

ž As the men get nothing in the barn, they again go to upstairs and analyze the rope inch by inch to get some clues.

Symbolism: Trifles

ž “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell portrays a gloomy, dark, and lonely setting where Glaspell uses symbolic objects  such as a canary, quilt, birdcage, rocking chair, the jars of preserves, the rope, the quilt, the birdcage, and the bird itself to help the audience get a better understanding for the characters.

1.     Rocking Chair

            The rocking chair represents Mrs. Wrights nervousness and impatience. When she is in the chair, Mr. Hale asks to see her husband and she calmly responds with he can't as he's dead.

2.     The Rope

            The rope is a symbol of her revenge and rebellion against her husband. It is the rope used to strangle Mr. Wright. He had strangled her beloved pet which was the only thing keeping her company when he was always gone. So out of revenge she took the rope and choked the life out of him.

3.     Jars of Preserves

            The jars represent her sanity as a whole.  Whenever the fire would go out, the temperature would go down in the house, and the jars would crack and break. When they break, they symbolize she reached her breaking point and that's when she snaps and chokes him.

4.     The Quilt

            The quilt represents her mental instability.  Since she was always home alone she spent most her time making quilts.  She started knotting it instead of sewing it and that showed her ability to knot things like a rope.

5.     The birdcage

            The birdcage  represents how Mrs. Wright was trapped in her marriage, and could not escape it. The birdcage door is broken which represents her broken marriage to Mr. Wright. It also represents Mrs. Wright escaping her marriage from Mr. Wright.

6.     The Bird

            The bird represents Mrs. Wright, lovely yet shy. Mrs. Hale even explained to Mrs. Peters that Mrs. Wright was kind of like a bird herself real sweet, and pretty, but kind of timid and fluttery. When Mrs. Wright was Minnie Foster she sang in one of the town girls singing choir which represent the bird, since the bird use to sing beautifully like Minnie.

7.     The Rope

            The rope symbolizes death and destruction. When Mr. Wright was killed, he was chocked to death with a rope. The death of Mr. Wright was Mrs. Wright's way of starting a new life. The bird's death symbolizes Mrs. Wright's dying as well.

            Thus, Glaspell uses these symbols  in the play, ‘Trifles” to prop dual meanings to the audiences.

ž Glossary

ž abashed (adj.): embarrassed or ashamed

ž canary (n.): a small, yellow bird that is well known for its singing, sometimes kept as a pet

ž coroner (n.): the public employee responsible for investigating deaths that are not thought to be from natural causes

ž facetiously (adv.): in a manner not meant to be taken seriously fidgety (adj.): restless or uneasy

ž homestead (v.): (as provided by the federal Homestead Act of 1862) live in an area of public land granted to any US citizen willing to settle on and farm the land for at least five years

ž pleat (v.): fold cloth

ž queer (adj.): strange; odd

ž quilt (v.): join together (layers of fabric) with lines of stitching to form a warm bed covering

ž resentfully (adv.): angrily, unhappily

ž scoffingly (adv.): scornfully

ž sheriff (n.): (in the US) an elected officer in a county who is responsible for keeping the peace

ž tippet (n.): a shawl or scarf

Understanding the text

ž Answer the following questions.

a.     Do you believe that Mrs. Wright killed her husband? Explain.

Yes, I believe that Mrs. Wright killed her husband because her husband, Mr. Wright might have killed her canary,  her only companion, and made her life isolated which resulted her to revolt against husband or male domination and consequently,  she killed him by hanging.

The motive for the crime lies in Minnie Wright's sad and isolated life by her husband.

b.     Do you think Mr. Wright's death would have been uncovered if Mr. Hale hadn‘t stopped by the Wrights' home?

In Trifles, it is possible that if Mr. Hale had not stopped by the farmhouse, the death of Mr. Wright would not have been uncovered for a long time. Few people visited the farmhouse, and Mrs. Wright might have been able to hide the body and somehow keep others from discovering her husband's death.

Ø If Mr. Hale had not stopped by the farmhouse, we assume that he would have had no interest in installing a party line telephone with Mr. Wright. If this is true, then Hale would have had no reason to visit the farmhouse at any time in the near future.

Ø Mrs. Hale confesses that she had stopped visiting Mrs. Wright, so it's possible nobody would have come by the farmhouse after Mrs. Wright killed her husband. This means that nobody would have found out about the murder unless Mrs. Wright would have left the farmhouse and gone to tell someone.

Ø It is possible that the murder would still eventually have been discovered, but it might have taken months or even years, considering how few visitors the Wrights ever got.

c.      Why does Mrs. Hale think that Mrs. Wright's worries about her preserves indicate her innocence?

ž As Mrs. Wright tries to feel at home through her different things even if she is trapped in jail accused of a mayor crime. Mrs. Hale thinks that Mrs. Wright’s worries about her preserves indicate her innocence.  She contrasts Mrs. Hale saying that only an innocent woman would ask for an apron and a shawl while worrying about fruit. The shawl, apron, and fruit are symbols that Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale would be familiar with and, therefore, they would sincerely appreciate the horror that leads Mrs. Wright to commit this ultimate act of desperation.

d.     d.   How does Mrs. Peters' homesteading experience connect her to Mrs. Wright?

ž Mrs. Peters is the sheriff’s wife and  is “married to law.”  but she is a rather a timid woman who is afraid to express her opinion in front of her husband’s justifications and the attorney’s jokes.  Thus, she comes to the same conclusion as Mrs. Wright and ultimately acting on her behalf to defend  her even if she sees her as a victim as well remembering her own marriage and life.

e.     e.   How do the women's perspectives on men differ?

ž In the play “Trifles”, two sorts of perspectives are found while examine the murder trail of Mr. Wright. Women’s attitudes on men differ in the sense males and females hold relatively stereotypical views of their own communication behavior.

ž Males perceived themselves as more controlling and detached, while females saw themselves as more nurturant and more dependent. In an opposite-sex relationship, however, the discriminating communication behaviors for males and females were nurturance and dependency. For instance, the attorney associates Mrs. Peters as a “woman married to law” which women’s identity is depended on men. Therefore, female show their radical or feminist perspectives in the play to save Mrs. Wright at the end.

ž Reference to the context…

ž Read the extracts from the play given below and answer the questions that follow.

a.     "MRS. PETERS:(glancing around). Seems funny to think of a bird here. But she must have had one, or why would she have a cage? I wonder what happened to it?

            MRS. HALE: I s'pose maybe the cat got it."

        i.            Who does 'she' refer to?

            She refers to ‘Mrs. Wright.’

      ii.            What does the word 'one' stand for?

            The word ‘one’ refers to ‘Canary/bird.’

    iii.            What is the full form of "s'pose”?

            The full form of "s'pose” is  ‘Suppose.’

   iv.            What do you mean when Mrs. Hale says, "the cat got it"?

            When Mrs. Hale says, "the cat got it”  I mean ‘The cat killed the bird.’

b.     "MRS. HALE: Wright was close...... she used to wear pretty clothes and be lively, when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls singing in the choir. But that, oh, that was thirty years ago.”

        i.            Why does Mrs. Hale refer to Mrs. Wright as "Minnie Foster"?

            Mrs. Hale refers to Mrs. Wright as “Minnie Foster” to indicate her as a young, pretty, beautiful, unmarried  and a free girl.

      ii.            What does her description tell you about Mrs. Wright?

            Her description tells that Mrs. Wright was a very charming  girl who wore pretty clothes and sang beautifully at the time.

    iii.            What does Mrs. Hale mean by "that was thirty years ago"?

            Mrs. Hale  by “ That was thirty years ago”  means before long time ago as she was beautiful, popular and completely free.

c.      What is the main theme of the play?

d.     Discuss the symbolism used in the play.

e.     Discuss the setting of the play. Does it have an impact on the theme of the play?

           

             (For answer of these questions, see above..)

 

 

 

Reference beyond the text

a.     a. Credibility of a character is determined not only by the character's thoughts and actions but also by what other characters say and think about him or her. Discuss in relation to the characters of ‘Trifles.’

ž Susan Glaspell's play ‘Trifles’ explores male-female relationships and the credibility of a character by the other characters’ thoughts and actions   and what other characters say and think about him or her. It also talks about the stereotypes that women faced.

ž The attorney, with the intensions of proving that Mrs. Wright choked the husband to death, was interviewing Mr. Hale on what he saw when he came in to the house.

ž The women, on the other hand, were just there to get some clothing for the wife who was in jail for suspected murder of her husband. However, the clues which would lead them to find the facts were with women, however, the men laugh at the women's wonderings about the quilt and many more considering them as of little importance.

ž In fact, the men just as easily believe a lie about this bird and cage. When the cage is noticed, its broken door overlooked, the county attorney asks, "Has the bird flown?'" Mrs. Peters replies that the "'cat got it. 

ž In addition, the female characters notice not only the bird, the cage, and the quilt but other things that the men call "trifles," like Minnie's frozen preserves and her request for her apron and shawl.  At the end, male characters like  the attorney underestimates Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters while they support and understand the plights of Mrs. Wright even if they notice several proofs about her as guilty.

b.     Dramatic irony occurs when the reader or audience has information that is unknown to the characters in a play; it creates tension and suspense. Analyse the play discussing the author's use of dramatic irony based on these questions:

i.            What information is crucial to the play Trifles?

Ø The crucial information in the play ‘Trifles’ is that the two female characters discovers a dead bird, a clue to a the murder that remains unknown to other key characters.

ii.                 How does the playwright use this information to create dramatic irony?

Ø The playwright uses the information of discovering the dead bird as  a clue for the murder that is unknown key characters as the dramatic irony in "Trifles.” It builds as the women, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, find the clues like the dead canary and note that someone appears to have broken its neck. But the attorney jokingly says women like Mrs. Peters are as the married to law. It creates dramatic irony in the play.

iii.              What effect does the dramatic irony have on the audience and on the play?

Ø Dramatic Irony has great effects on the audience and on the play.  County Attorney George Henderson, Sheriff Henry Peters and local farmer Lewis Hale are blinded by their assumption that women concern themselves with only trifling things and are not intelligent. In reality, it is they who trifle about Minnie Wright's housekeeping, while Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale solve the mystery of why Minnie Wright killed her husband. As a final twist, the two women end up identifying with Minnie Wright’s abuse at the hands of her husband and feel the murder was justified. They then conspire to conceal the truth from their ignorant husbands and the county attorney. This situation represents dramatic irony because the audience knows more than these investigators who investigate about the crime.

Ø Minnie Wright : Character Analysis

Ø Minnie Wright, also known  Mrs. Wright after marriage, is the  female protagonist of the play “Trifles.”  She is the wife of  the murdered John Wright, and his killer.

Ø Mrs. Hale remembers Minnie for her youthful innocence and happiness before she was married (when she was Minnie Foster). Back then, she sang joyfully in the local choir.  But after marriage,  Minnie became timid, sad, and isolated. Minnie killed her husband, a vengeful man by strangling him in retribution for his final cruelness of killing her pet bird, the only being that provided happiness and company for her in the loneliness of her home and the patriarchal society that isolated her and all women.

Ø Perhaps the most telling character analysis within the play is when Mrs. Hale compares Minnie to a bird.  These three characteristics trace three phases in her life: outgoing, isolated/melancholy, and vengeful. 

                    

(All Images Credit: Google Images)

Any queries....?