Written
in 1916, Susan Glaspell’s one-act play Trifles is loosely based on true
events. As a young reporter, Glaspell covered a murder case in a small town in
Iowa. Years later, she crafted a short play inspired by her experiences and
observations.
The Sheriff and the County attorney investigate
the house of Mr. Wright after his murder. The men are convinced that Mrs.
Wright killed her husband, but haven't found no evidence.
As the two question the man who discovers the
dead body, Mr. Hale, they make fun at the women and their "trifles".
When the men search all the house to look for evidence, their wives examine the
kitchen where they find clues pointing to Mrs. Wright's guilt. In other areas
of the house, the women discover more clues, clues that the men overlook as
mere "trifles". The condescending attitude of the investigators
toward their wives make them feel unimportant and causes them to withhold the
evidence.
The central theme of the play is that men don't
appreciate women, this is why the wives hide the dead bird, as an act of
loyalty to their gender and compassion to Mrs. Wright.
The men within this play betray a sense of self-importance. They present
themselves as tough, serious-minded detectives, when in truth they are not
nearly as observant as the female characters. Their pompous attitude causes the
women to feel defensive and form ranks. Not only do Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters
bond, but they choose to hide evidence as an act of compassion for Mrs. Wright.
Stealing the box with the dead bird is an act of loyalty to their gender and an
act of defiance against a callous patriarchal society.
Domestic Abuse is reflected, at the heart of Mrs.
Wright's loneliness lay the abusive Mr. Wright, whose tyrannical behavior
causes his wife to murder him.
It was a good play, it really makes you think
what women are capable of doing and how men don't realize it nor appreciates
them.
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