Analysis of Trifles Susan Glaspell

Style of Drama

Trifles is like one of those detective dramas. Trifles is a murder mystery that explores gender relationships, power between the sexes, and the nature of truth. In the play, the farmer and his wife never actually appear. Instead, the story focuses on the prosecutor, George Henderson, who has been called in to investigate the murder, the local sheriff who is Henry Peters, a neighboring farmer who discovered Wright’s body who is Lewis Hale, and Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, the wives to the two local men. Thus, Trifles is a mystery, murder mystery because there are many mysteries is contained in the play. Even the mystery in the play starts from the beginning of the drama. Then, in the Trifles is a one-act play centering on two women who discover murder clues that county officials regard as trivial.

But, Trifles might also qualify as a parable since it is a pretty simple story with a strong message. Throughout, Glaspell whacks us in the face with just how disrespectful and condescending men can be towards women. We learn that Mrs. Wright snapped after her husband snapped the neck of her canary and this was after years of neglect.

Literary Devices

Irony

Sheriff Peters and County Attorney, George Henderson, pride themselves on their powers of detection and logical reasoning. But it is the two women, Mrs.Peters and Mrs.Hale, who discover the clues and establish a motive amid seemingly harmless items in the Wright home. The story ends with an ironic between Henderson and Mrs.Hale :

County Attorney (facetiously): “Well, Henry, at least we found out that she was not going to - what is it you call it, ladies?”

Mrs. Hale (her hand against her pocket): “We call it - knot it, Mr.Henderson.”

Symbolism

1.      Bird : Mr. Wright's spirit

2.      Cage : John Wright's oppression of his wife and her spirit

3.      Stove, Cold House and Broken Jars : When the stove fire goes out, the house temperature drops below freezing point and all but one of the preserve jars break. The stove fire appears to represent John and Minnie Wright's marriage. The fire probably goes out just before or immediately after the murder. The resulting temperatures crack the jars of preserves, apparently representing Minnie's mental being. That jar that remains intact seems to symbolize the modicum of sanity left to her and the hope for a brighter future that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters envision for her.

4.      Unevenly Sewn Quilt Block : Mrs. Wright's disturbed mental condition.

5.      Rope: Minnie Wright's unsurpation of male power. Strangulation is a man's method of killing . In her rebellion against her domineering husband, Minnie musters the strength to murder like a man, thus perversely asserting her quality.

Mode of Expression

A mood is an emotional state, feelings. Mood is the way you are feeling at any particular time. In literature, the mood is expressed with descriptive words.

The mode of expression of Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters shows that they are grappling with the new concepts, with as yet inchoate ways of seeing their lives, indicated by the dashes Glaspell inserts between words, for example in Mrs. Hale’s paintful articulation of her sense of guilt at having abandoned Minnie: “ I stayed away because it weren’t cheerful – and that’s why I ought to have come. I – I’ve never liked this place”