Trifles Essay, Research Paper
Little Trifles Add Up to a Big Case
Detectives are always looking for little pieces of evidence when investigating a crime. After all, it is this evidence that can turn a trial around, whether be it for the good or bad. This is especially the case in Susan Glaspell’s Trifles. When Mrs. Hale comes across little pieces of evidence, she passes them off as being “trifles”, hiding them from the detective. She is the sole reason that very little evidence is collected that would convict Mrs. Wright, and can be believed to have some sort of involvement in the murder of John Wright.
Mrs. Hale, being estranged from Mrs. Wright for over a year, had something to prove when she went into the house that day. Whether it is out of guilt from not seeing Mrs. Wright, or because she was actually an accomplice in helping Mrs. Wright get away with the act, we’ll never know. However, Mrs. Hale knew what she was doing when she started to dismiss evidence before the detective’s eyes had seen it. She was also very committed to showing that Mrs. Wright wasn’t a bad homemaker, dismissing most of that evidence also.
Mrs. Hale first shows signs of her guilt when she defends some bad housekeeping evidence, blaming it on things that men do. When attention it brought to a dirty towel, Mrs. Hale dismisses it because ” Men’s hands aren’t always as clean as they might be”(1121). Her actions are then seen as loyalty to her own sex, and are never seen as loyalty to Mrs. Wright only. The group sees her as having sympathy for a fellow homemaker, which is exactly what she wants them to think.
Chronologically, the next piece of evidence introduced is a quilt. Mrs. Wright had been stitching it, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except for one square that had some awful stitching in it. Mrs. Hale then decides to ” . . . finish up this end ” just to keep things nice and tidy for Mrs. Wright (1125). How convenient, don’t you think? Evidence that would show Mrs. Wright as not being extremely stable is just erased for neatness purposes.
Next, Mrs. Peters finds a birdcage, and shortly after, Mrs. Hale finds the bird. There are many peculiar things about both of these items. First, the cage has a damaged door, which shows signs of forced entry. Now, Mrs. Wright is said to have loved the bird, and actually was heard to sing to herself more, after she bought the bird. So that leaves only John Wright to be the one who broke the cage. And, after the bird is found, we know why the cage was damaged. The bird, dead in the sewing box, is found strangled to death. Exactly the way that Mr. Wright died in his sleep. This is the single most important piece of evidence, yet both ladies decide to hide it from the detective.
You may begin to think, “Why doesn’t Mrs. Peters do something, or say something to stop Mrs. Hale?” Well the answer is that Mrs. Hale convinces her that Mrs. Wright is a simple homemaker just like both of them, and due to that, they both need to defend her, no matter what evidence may point to. This culminates to one quick part where Mrs. Peters says,” The law has got to punish crime, Mrs. Hale”. And Mrs. Hale continues on, showing Mrs. Peters that Mrs. Wright is a good human being (1127). And the final deception comes at the very end, when Mrs. Peters deceives her husband and shows loyalty to Mrs. Hale, and Mrs. Wright. When asked if she is married to the law, Mrs. Peters says “Not – just in that way.”(1128).
This brings us to the final topic, what was Mrs. Hale’s motive? Well, the reader can see her motive in two different ways. One motive is that she used to be friends with Mrs. Wright, but has stopped talking to her because the Wright house isn’t “cheerful”. Mrs. Hale feels guilty about losing her friend, and now that Mrs. Wright has no one, she wants to show her loyalty to her old friend. She does this by making sure that no evidence can be found to show that Mrs. Wright actually killed her husband.
And the other motive is one of self-defense. Mrs. Wright, being an old friend, has been struggling in her relationship. The loud fights could be considered as having some physical aspects to them, and Mrs. Hale does not like that. So, secretly, they could have gotten together and planned out this whole murder. Whether it was Mrs. Hale only covering up what Mrs. Hale did, or whether Mrs. Hale actually killed Mr. Wright for her, we will never know.
So the play of friendly deception and murder ends with a feeling of doubt. The audience does not know what really happened, or even what is going to happen. We are left to think our own thoughts, and figure out what was really going on. Whether or not Mrs. Hale killed John Wright for Mrs. Wright, we will never know. But the fact remains that Mrs. Hale severely deceives everyone in the play, but she is seen as a harmless homemaker, which is precisely why her plan works.
Works Cited
DiYanni, Robert, ed. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. 4th ed. New York: McGraw – Hill, 1998.
Glaspell, Susan. Trifles: (1119 – 1128).
Другие работы по теме:
Trifles Essay Research Paper Susan Glaspells
Trifles Essay, Research Paper Susan Glaspells’s Trifles is a little gem of a play. In one short act, the playwright presents the audience with a complex human drama leaving us with a haunting question. Did an abused Nebraska
Rae We Pray For You Essay Research
Paper Rae, We Pray for you ?Murder in the murderer is no such ruinous thought as poets and romancers will have it; it does not unsettle him, or fright him from his ordinary notice of trifles; it is an act quite easy to be contemplated.?
Why Benjamin Franklin Embodies The American Enlightenment
. Essay, Research Paper Why Benjamin Franklin Embodies The American Enlightenment. During the sixteen and seventeen hundreds an enlightenment was taking place. An American enlightenment. During this enlightenment people began to view things differently. They began to ask questions like how and why.
Trifles Essay Research Paper Are we Living
Trifles Essay, Research Paper Are we Living in a Chauvinist Male Society? Gender roles are attitudes that a society links to each sex. They are basically prejudicial descriptions of who men and women are. In today?s society, men and women are divided into two stereotypical gender-roles; the feminine code and the masculine code.
All About Triffles Essay Research Paper Triffes
All About Triffles Essay, Research Paper Triffes of fate On the surface, Susan Glaspell’s play Trifles focuses on a wife murdering her oppressive husband. The husband is abusing his wife emotionally out on a lonely secluded farm isolated from society in the Midwest. Under the surface, the behaviors of Mrs.
A Battle Against Sexism With Feminist Drama
Essay, Research Paper Susan Glaspell wrote in a time when women were supposed to be submissive to the men of the society, especially their husbands. She bucked the system and fought traditional gender roles with her plays, short stories and essays.
Mis Essay Research Paper Trifles was written
Mis Essay, Research Paper Trifles was written in the early 1900 s by Susan Glaspell. This occurred far before the women s movement. Women were generally looked upon as possessions to their husbands. Their children, all wages, and belongings were property of their husbands. In Glaspell s story it is easily depicted as to what role the men and women portrayed in society at this time.
The Use Of Symbolism In Susan Glaspell
’s, ‘A Jury Of Her Peer Essay, Research Paper The use of Symbolism in “A Jury of Her Peers.” Susan Glaspell’s short story, A Jury of Her Peers, was written long before the
Minne Wright Is Guilty Essay Research Paper
The opening setting in Trifles is described thus: The kitchen in the now abandoned farmhouse of John Wright, a gloomy kitchen, and left without having been put in order… Minnie Wright, the housewife, was married to John and is presently accused of his murder. Present in the room are the County Attorney (Sheriff) and Hale.
Trifles Essay Research Paper James Joyce
Trifles Essay, Research Paper James Joyce’s story “The Dead” has a tremendous impact on the readers, especially those who are familiar with the political situation in
Marlowe And Raleigh Essay Research Paper LoveThe
Marlowe And Raleigh Essay, Research Paper Love The two poems written by Raleigh and Marlowe are interesting. Marlowe s poem, The Passionate Shepherd to His Love, basically propositions a woman to sleep with a man, where Raleigh s, The Nymph s Reply to the Shepherd, responds negatively. Marlowe s poem is a Shepherd asking a nymph for favors.
Thoreau Henry David Essay Research Paper Thoreau
Thoreau, Henry David Essay, Research Paper Thoreau, Henry David The battle was raging. The two races were pitted against each other in a fight to the death. The ground was already littered with the wounded and
Apparent Feminisms In The Play Trifles Essay
, Research Paper Apparent Feminisms in the Play Trifles Male domination in 1916, when Susan Glaspell’s play Trifles was written, was the way of life. Men controlled most women and women were not very outspoken during that time period. Mr. Wright in her play was no different from the rest, but she made him a symbol of all the men in the community.
Trifles Essay Research Paper Trifles written in
Trifles Essay, Research Paper Trifles, written in the early 1900’s by Susan Glaspell, is a one-act play illustrating how women can overreact to their own emotions, allowing these emotions to cloud their judgment. This is shown by describing the feelings of two women who are willing to defend a suspect, blame the victim, and go so far as to hide evidence, to protect another woman from being charged with murdering her husband.
Trifles By Susan Glaspell Essay Research Paper
Steven FiorilloThe thesis of this paper is to prove that the title of Susan Glaspell’s play “Trifles” represents how men considered women’s duties and their opinions to be of little importance compared to a man’s role in society. The dictionary defines the word trifle as something of little importance or value, or to deal with something as if it were of little significance or value (The American Heritage Dictionary).The play opens in Minnie Wright’s kitchen.
Susan Glaspell
’s Trifles Essay, Research Paper Femininity vs. Masculinity Trifles, a one-act play, written by Susan Glaspell, has an interesting plot about an abusive husband’s murder at the hands of his abused wife on a secluded farm in the Midwest (Russell, pg. 1). The opening scene of the play gives us a great deal of information about the people of the play and their opinions.
Discovering Mrs Wright Essay Research Paper Discovering
Discovering Mrs. Wright Essay, Research Paper Discovering Mrs. Wright The play “Trifles”, by Susan Glaspell , is an examination of the different levels of early 1900’s mid-western farming society’s attitudes towards women and equality. The obvious theme in this story is men discounting women’s intelligence and their ability to play a man’s role, as detectives, in the story.
Trifles Essay Research Paper TriflesMention the word
Trifles Essay, Research Paper Trifles Mention the word feminist and most people think of the modern women’s movement. Long before the bra burning of the 60?s, however, writers were writing about the lives and concerns of women living in a male dominated society. Susan Glaspell’s play, Trifles, was written in 1916, long before the modern women’s movement began.
Todays Women Vs Yesterday
’s Essay, Research Paper Today’s Woman Vs. Yesterday’s Women of today have come a long way since the periods portrayed in the dramas “Trifles,” written by Susan Glaspell, and “Doll House,” written by Henrik Ibsen. In both dramas, the characters
Trifles
& The Glass Menagerie Essay, Research Paper Short Answer #1- In Susan Glaspell?s Trifles, the dialog between characters creates the deep meaning of the story. The attitudes of the men is much different than that of the women, thus adding to one of the major themes. The speech of the women when they are alone conveys a completely separate attribute of the play.
The Treatment Of Women In Trifles Essay
, Research Paper The Treatment of Women in Trifles “Trifles,” a one-act play written by Susan Glaspell, is a cleverly written story about a murder and more importantly, it effectively describes the treatment of women during the early 1900s. In the opening scene, we learn a great deal of information about the people of the play and of their opinions.
Symbolism In Trifles Essay Research Paper Susan
Symbolism In Trifles Essay, Research Paper Susan Glaspell wrote Trifles in the early 1900 s long before the modern women s movement began. Symbolism is used in the play so that the audience is able to see through the eyes of Minnie Wright, and determine why she killed her husband. Character s names, the bird, and a quilt are three key symbols Glaspell uses in the play to provide the audience with the insight on the never heard, or seen characters, Minnie and John Wright.
Emily Dickinson Essay Research Paper Upon a
Emily Dickinson Essay, Research Paper Upon a first reading of Emily Dickinson’s poem’s I found them very difficult to understand due to her unique style of writing. Once I was able to comprehend the
Desirees Baby And Trifles Essay Research Paper
The authors Kate Chopin of ?Desiree?s Baby? and Susan Glaspell of Trifles present a caste system of the 19th century. They both focus upon the theme of the inferiority of women with respect to marriage, gender, and prospective
John Minnie And Petie A Love Triangle
Essay, Research Paper Karen Rayne Mrs. Wolf English 102.004 2 March 2001 John, Minnie, and Petie, A Love Triangle: Comedy and Tragedy in Susan Glaspell’s Trifles
Woman S Justice Essay Research Paper Woman
Woman S Justice Essay, Research Paper Woman s Justice Susan Glaspell s Trifles misleads its readers into the impression that its focus it the investigation the murder of Mr. Wright. Glaspel goes much deeper then the Murder-she-wrote version of a mid-western game of clue; instead, readers are drawn into a good old day s version of Men are from Mars and Woman are from Venus .
Trifles And Suppressed Desires Essay Research Paper
The play’s Trifles and Suppressed Desires wrap around a central theme of sexual tension between women and men. The characters are in search of life’s meaning and seeking self-definition. In Trifles, ignorance of sexism is exposed as a major theme. The play Suppressed Desires explores new feminist theories between a married couple.
The Motive Of Two Murders Essay Research
Paper The Motive of Two Murders Victor Guadalupe Caban M,W,F 8:30 am 02/3/2000 In the play “Trifles” the main character Mrs. Wright was accused of killing her husband while he was sleeping. As the play goes along we learned that she was motivated by certain situations that happened when she lived with her husband.
Trifles Essay Research Paper Trifles was a
Trifles Essay, Research Paper Trifles was a play based on a real life tragedy. A tragedy in which a man was found strangled in his bed while the wife unknowingly sleeps. The author, Susan Glaspell, was on staff at the Des Moines Daily News when the murdered occurred. The play is said to draw upon a detective s story.
Trifles Essay Research Paper Susan Glaspell was
Trifles Essay, Research Paper Susan Glaspell was born in 1882 in Davenport, Iowa. She graduated from Drake University and worked as a journalist on the staff of the Des Moines Daily News. When her stories began appearing in magazines such as Harper’s and The Ladies’ Home Journal, she gave up the newspaper business.
A Doll House Essay Research Paper In
A Doll House Essay, Research Paper In Isben’s A Doll House as in Glaspell’s Trifles, the women in the play are seen as subordinates to their male counterparts. The men believe that the women are not capable
Oleanna And Trifles Essay Research Paper Engl
Oleanna And Trifles Essay, Research Paper Engl. 105 3/14/2000 Gender Roles and Stereotypes in Trifles and Oleanna Individuals commonly address the issues of gender roles, gender stereotypes, feminism, and political correctness in everyday conversation as well as in modern literature and modern drama.
Realism In Drama Essay Research Paper Realism
Realism In Drama Essay, Research Paper Realism in Drama Realism in drama is a kind of writing in which fictional events and people are presented in language that resembles everyday external reality and human experience. Realistic plays such as the drama, Trifles by Susan Glaspell reflect reality and are faithful to lived experiences.