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While men ignore the kitchen as containing "nothing but kitchen things," women look for evidence precisely there because it is the only place where women are in control. As Holstein (2003) argues, women do not enter the house of Mr. Wright as a place of investigation but as a home of two human beings who have feelings. For men, what matters is the evidence and if they find one, they will charge Minnie with murder, no questions asked. They need facts, evidences, and just follow the procedure. But women want to understand the motives and why a woman would want to avenge her own husband.
Although women discover the truth, they see Minnie as a victim rather than a perpetrator. A conversation between Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, discussing the character of Mr. Wright, is of particular interest here. Mrs. Peters says, "They say he was a good man." Note that she does not confidently say "he was a good man" but says that "they say he was a good man." She has doubts over the words of men and suggests that she knows what it is to be like in a condition Minnie was. Mrs. Hale responds: "Yes -- good: he didn't drink, and kept his word as well as most, I guess, and paid his debts. But he was a hard man, Mrs. Peters. Just to pass the time of day with him. (Shivers.) Like a raw wind that gets to the bone" (Glaspell, 2003, p. 1900). In other words, both women can sympathize with Minnie. And they approach the issue with a capacity to look at the
Although there are many themes explored in the story, the main theme is related to gender. Glaspell critiques male chauvinism and suggests that their arrogance has blinded them to the realities of life. Women may be considered to have an "inferior" intelligence but in real life they have a capacity to see what men cannot.
References:
Glaspell, S. (2003) Trifles. In Baym, N. The Norton anthology of American literature (pp. 1893-1903). New York: W.W. Norton.
Holstein, S. (2003). Silent Justice in a Different Key: Glaspell's 'Trifles.'. Midwest Quarterly, 44(3), 282.
Kolodny, a. (1980). A map for rereading: or, gender and the interpretation of literary texts. New Literary History, 11, 451-467.
In reality, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are even more invested in the investigation than the men, because they demonstrate an attention to detail that the men lack. By the time the men return from their fruitless investigations, the women have determined both why and how Mrs. Wright murdered her husband, and they even come to the decision not to supply the evidence without ever alerting the men. Furthermore,
Trifles Susan Glaspell's one-act play Trifles is frequently anthologized, and for good reason (Makowsky 59; Cerf 103). The play differs from a traditional drama in a number of ways, including its structure and narrative content, but arguably its most important feature is it reveals who its protagonists are and the effect this character choice has on the play as a whole. Although the actions of Minnie Wright constitute the narrative focus
TRIFLES by Susan Glaspell In "Trifles" by Susan Glaspell, the characteristics of the women and the attitudes to their men and their own roles in life are gradually illuminated. The intensity of the situation, in effect two women judging the life of the third, absent party, provides a context in which Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peter grow significantly, in character, strength and importance. The principle characters in the play are effectively the
Trifles by Susan Glaspell depicts a world in which women are ignored in society. The play takes place in the Wright home after Mr. Wright has been murdered. Mr. Peters and Mr. Hale come to the scene to investigate the crime that has taken place. The investigators believed that Mrs. Wright is to blame for her husband's death, but they have no idea why should would do that. As the
How -- she -- did -- change."(Glaspell) the second sense of the play's title becomes obvious: there is no place in the male world of overt action for women's fragility and sensibility, symbolized by the singing bird. The two wives intuitively understand that Mrs. Wright's husband could not understand or like "a thing that sang": "No, Wright wouldn't like the bird -- a thing that sang. She used to
Trifles In Susan Glaspell's play, "Trifles," a main theme is that of gender's roles in society. The women had to take care of the household, while the men's role was as public figure. The canary is one of the most important symbols in the play, because it represents the freedom of Mrs. Minnie Wright, before and after the marriage. The author describes her as being full of life "She used to wear