: How Justice Prevailed over Murder.
Part One
In the play, Trifles, the author Susan Glaspell uses five actively involved characters plus the mention of a few more t convey her ideas. Generally, through her work of literature, she examines the relationship between husbands and their wives in a typical and local setting. To convey the ideas for her examination in the best way, she particularly considers a marriage that ended with murder. Additionally, Glaspell bases her place at a single venue- a home where the investigations are being done about the murder of a husband in a marriage relationship. Glaspell writes the whole book from a feminist perspective integrates with several literary devices to develop her many themes. Through her feminist perspective, she teaches her audience how women were treated and viewed at the beginning of the twentieth century. The subject of this essay is to examine the literary devices and themes developed by Susan Glaspell from a feminist perspective as well as focus on the reaction of the women towards male domination.
Throughout the whole play Glaspell, utilizes literary devices to bring flavor to her work of art. Imagery, symbolism, irony, diction, figurative language, a unique tone, and several themes have been used in Trifles. To begin with, irony comes out outrightly in the title of the play-Trifles. A trifle refers that something of minimal importance and Glaspell’s play seem to have several. The irony comes in where we find the so-called ‘trifles’ end up carrying and having more significance than perceived. For instance, the county attorney and Mr. Hales associates trifles with the kitchen- a less important place, therefore not valid to consider for investigations. However, the kitchen-a place of trifles ends up being a well that springs the water of evidence. Additionally, Glaspell uses symbolism in the play. The whole point of Mrs. Wright buying singing canaries symbolizes her loneliness (Angel 779). Similarly in the beginning of the play, the author begins with a description of a messy kitchen and unfinished tasks which symbolizes the many responsibilities of women in a marriage setting
Moreover, the author uses figurative language in the play. For instance, she uses the terms ‘to quilt’ and to ‘knot it’ to describe being found guilty and not being found guilty respectively. Besides, the piece of work is full as diction-Glaspell uses this literary device to select unique words in the conveyance of her message. Furthermore, words and sentences have been selectively put together to develop a rhythm, a sense of being rhetoric and questioning. According to Angel, Glaspell uses dialogue in the play to break the sense of monotony as well as to increase the tools for message conveyance (555). Although indirectly, the author, with her feminist perspective, seems to be majoring in the males in the society as her main audience. She particularly seems upset by the way the world has been embraced as a male-dominated one. Through the plot of the play and its ending, she shows the positive side of women through Mrs. Hales and Mrs. Peters, who end up finding the actual cause of murder- something that men could not do. Additionally, she uses whatever men despise to be the one that brings the final solution- the kitchen, a rejected place considered for women. The play Trifles has been written and based on a purpose. The purpose is to expose the sufferings that females are subjected to by their husbands. Glaspell uses an unexpected way to bring out the purpose- who would have thought justification for murder could be accepted to teach the society. It is even a sin in a biblical perspective.
Likewise, Glaspell has brought together different characters with different traits to develop the plot. First, George Henderson is the county attorney, a young man with a self-assured attitude. He is unsympathetic and assumes Minnie wright to be guilty even before the evidence is found. He also despises the role of women in society. In the Trifles, he accuses Minnie Wright of being a bad housekeeper (Glaspell). Secondly is Mr. Peters, who is a sheriff. Like the Attorney, he denigrates women. In Trifles, he refuses the idea of searching in the kitchen, saying “Nothing here but kitchen things” (Glaspell). As a matter of fact, he is bombastic and is both cprejudiced and judgmental against women. Also, he makes demeaning comments about women. Notably, both Peters and the County Attorney are unsympathetic characters. On the other hand, was Lewis Hale who was a neighboring farmer who discovered John Wright’s dead body. Furthermore, he represents the responsible and clever men in society: He says, “Women are used to worrying over trifles,” which is right (Glaspell). Another character is Mrs. Hale. He heavily dislikes the patronization by male characters. Also, she lives with the guilt of not visiting Minnie wrights more frequently to support her in her hard moments. She is both sentimental and secretive; she leads Mrs. Peters in concealing the evidence. Another character in the play is Mrs. Peters, the wife of the sheriff. Being married to the sheriff, she is more aware of the responsibilities of women toward submitting to their husbands and the law. In the trifle, the Attorney describes her as one who is married to the law. Moreover, unlike Mrs. Hale, she is more aware of the duties of men and that they need to tbe understood in their roles. However, she is secretive in that she teams up with Mrs. Hale to conceal evidence against Minnie wright. Notably, the two women are sympathetic in character. Additionally, in the Trifles, Minnie wright has been used as a character. She is the wife and the murderer of John wright-her husband. She is a timid, unhappy and isolated girl whose life changed drastically upon getting married. According to Manuel Cuenca, the main themes in the play are feminism, the social oppression of women, the blindness of men, and Justice (59).
Part Two
Through her play, Glaspell feminist approach has been well brought out by the blending of men and male characters who dominate and denigrate women. The Trifles presents the strictness of gender roles where men are seen to occupy major tasks while women remain at home. The Trifles portrays the society as a male-dominated one with both social restrictions and restrictions confining women to homes. Also, the women have ended up becoming bound to their husbands; the situation has left them in a situation of no say. One perfect instance of male domination is revealed through the emphasis made by the Attorney on Mrs. Wright’s role as a housekeeper. Additionally, after referring to her as a housekeeper, he begins to speak negative things about her. For instance, he says “Dirty towels! Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies?”(Glaspell). Additionally, considering the majority of the female characters in the play, that is Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, we see that they are identified with the names of their husband, only Minnie is left out, but still, she is at times referred to as Mrs. Wright. Furthermore, male domination is not only seen in the men’s treatment for women but also their ignorance to recognize their participation in oppressing women. In the Trifles, the men occasionally laugh at the women as they talk of trifles. For instance, Mr. hale says, “Well, women are used to worrying over trifles.”(Glaspell) Likewise, John wright has fully dominated Minnie, making her dress shabbily, unlike her youthful days.
However, as the men continue to dominate over the women, the women in the play are seen to team up and struggle against the mistreatment. For instance, while in the house during the investigations, there are several mentions of the women getting closer after the hysterical laughs by the men. The two women, Mrs. Peter and Mrs. Hale keep a strong bond from the kitchen to the bedroom where they take clothes for Minnie. According to Alkalay, the women comfort one another all through. In Trifles, at one time, Mrs. Peter says, “ But am Glad you came with me”(74). Moreover, through the teaming up, Mrs. Hale seems to be the more confident one to hide the evidence from the investigating team of men. Also, team up giving deaf ears to the criticism of the men concerning the idea of taking with them an apron to the prison for Minnie. The play finally ends showing victory to the women’s side since they were able to successfully team up against men and conceal the evidence that would prove Minnie guilty.
To wrap up everything, Susan Glaspell’s work is in writing the play is one of the most amazing, especially in the fight against male dominance. Though the play incorporates lesser characters, it brings out the main theme of feminism and purpose vividly. The play ends positively with the battle of women against men having been won.
Works Cited
Alkalay-Gut, Karen. “Murder and marriage: Another look at Trifles.” Susan Glaspell: Essays on her theater and fiction (1995): 71-81.
Angel, Marina. “Susan Glaspell’s Trifles and A Jury of Her Peers: Woman abuse in a literary and legal context.” Buff. L. Rev. 45 (1997): 779.
Angel, Marina. “Teaching Susan Glaspell’s A Jury of Her Peers and Trifles.” Journal of Legal Education 53.4 (2003): 548-563.
Glaspell, Susan. Trifles. Baker’s Plays, 2010.
Manuel Cuenca, Carme. “Susan Glaspell’s” Trifles”(1916): women’s conspiracy of silence beyond the melodrama of beset womanhood.” Revista de Estudios Norteamericanos, 7, 55-65 (2000).