Friday, February 25, 2011

Susan Glaspell / Trifles

Photography by Chema Madoz

TRIFLES
By Susan Glaspell
Characters
George Henderson, country attorney
Henry Peters, sheriff
Lewis Hale, a neighboring farmer
Mrs. Peters
Mrs. Hale

Scene: The kitchen in the now abandoned farmhouse of John Wright, a gloomy kitchen, and left without having been put in order -unwashed pans under the sink, a loaf of bread outside the breadbox, a dish towel on the table -other signs of incompleted work. At the rear the outer door opens, and the Sheriff comes in, followed by the county Attorney and Hale. The Sheriff and Hale are men in middle life, the county Attorney is a young man; all are much bundled up and go at once to the stove. They are followed by the two women -the Sheriff's wife first; she is a slight wiry woman, a thin nervous face. Mrs. Hale is larger and would ordinarily be called more comfortable looking, but she is disturbed now and looks fearfully about as she enters. The women have come in slowly and stand close together near the door.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: (Rubbing his hands). This feels good. Come up to the fire, ladies.
MRS. PETERS: (After taking a step forward). I'm not -cold.
SHERIFF: (Unbuttoning his overcoat and stepping away from the stove as if to the beginning of official business). Now, Mr. Hale, before we move things about, you explain to Mr. Henderson just what you saw when you came here yesterday morning.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: By the way, has anything been moved? Are things just as you left them yesterday?
SHERIFF: (Looking about). It's just the same. When it dropped below zero last night, I thought I'd better send Frank out this morning to make a fire for us -no use getting pneumonia with a big case on; but I told him not to touch anything except the stove- and you know Frank.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: Somebody should have been left here yesterday.
SHERIFF: Oh -yesterday. When I had to send Frank to Morris Center for that man who went crazy-I want you to know I had my hands full yesterday. I knew you could get back from Omaha by today, and as long as I went over everything here myself-
COUNTY ATTORNEY: Well, Mr. Hale, tell just what happened when you came here yesterday morning.
HALE: Harry and I had started to town with a load of potatoes. We came along the road from my place; and as I got here, I said, "I'm going to see if I can't get John Wright to go in with me on a party telephone." I spoke to Wright about it once before, and he put me off, saying folks talked too much anyway, and all he asked was peace and quiet -I guess you know about how much he talked himself; but I thought maybe if I went to the house and talked about it before his wife, though I said to Harry that I didn't know as what his wife wanted made much difference to John-
COUNTY ATTORNEY: Let's talk about that later, Mr. Hale. I do want to talk about that, but tell now just what happened when you got to the house.
HALE: I didn't hear or see anything; I knocked at the door, and still it was all quiet inside. I knew they must be up, it was past eight o'clock. So I knocked again, and I thought I heard somebody say, "Come in." I wasn't sure, I'm not sure yet, but I opened the door -this door (Indicating the door by which the two women are still standing), and there in that rocker- (Pointing to it) sat Mrs. Wright. (They all look at the rocker.)
COUNTY ATTORNEY: What -was she doing?
HALE: She was rockin' back and forth. She had her apron in her hand and was kind of -pleating it.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: And how did she -look?
HALE: Well, she looked queer.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: How do you mean -queer?
HALE: Well, as if she didn't know what she was going to do next. And kind of done up.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: How did she seem to feel about your coming?
HALE: Why, I don't think she minded -one way or other. She didn't pay much attention. I said, "How do, Mrs. Wright, it's cold, ain't it?" And she said, "Is it?"-and went on kind of pleating at her apron. Well, I was surprised; she didn't ask me to come up to the stove, or to set down, but just sat there, not even looking at me, so I said, "I want to see John." And then she -laughed. I guess you would call it a laugh. I thought of Harry and the team outside, so I said a little sharp:"Can't I see John?" "No," she says, kind o' dull like. "Ain't he home?" says I. "Yes," says she, "he's home." "Then why can't I see him?" I asked her, out of patience. "'Cause he's dead," says she. "Dead?" says I. She just nodded her head, not getting a bit excited, but rockin' back and forth. "Why -where is he?" says I, not knowing what to say. She just pointed upstairs -like that (himself pointing to the room above). I got up, with the idea of going up there. I talked from there to here -then I says, "Why, what did he die of?" "He died of a rope around his neck," says she, and just went on pleatin' at her apron. Well, I went out and called Harry. I thought I might -need help. We went upstairs, and there he was lying'-
COUNTY ATTORNEY: I think I'd rather have you go into that upstairs, where you can point in all out. Just go on now with the rest of the story.
HALE: Well, my first thought was to get that rope off. I looked... (Stops, his face twitches.)...but Harry, he went up to him, and he said, "No, he's dead all right, and we'd better not touch anything." So we went back downstairs. She was still sitting that same way. "Has anybody been notified?" I asked." "No," says she, unconcerned. "Who did this, Mrs. Wright?" said Harry. He said it business-like -and she stopped pleatin' of her apron. "I don't know," she says. "You don't know?" says Harry. "No," says she, "Weren't you sleepin' in the bed with him?" says Harry. "Yes," says she, "but I was on the inside." "Somebody slipped a rope round his neck and strangled him, and you didn't wake up?" says Harry. "I didn't wake up," she said after him. We must 'a looked as if we didn't see how that could be, for after a minute she said, "I sleep sound." Harry was going to ask her more questions, but I said maybe we ought to let her tell her story first to the coroner, or the sheriff, so Harry went fast as he could to Rivers' place, where there's a telephone.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: And what did Mrs. Wright do when she knew that you had gone for the coroner?
HALE: She moved from that chair to this over here (Pointing to a small chair in the corner) and just sat there with her hand held together and looking down. I got a feeling that I ought to make some conversation, so I said I had come in to see if John wanted to put in a telephone, and at that she started to laugh, and then she stopped and looked at me -scared. (The County Attorney, who has had his notebook out, makes a note.) I dunno, maybe it wasn't scared. I wouldn't like to say it was. Soon Harry got back, and then Dr. Lloyd came, and you, Mr. Peters, and so I guess that's all I know that you don't.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: (Looking around). I guess we'll go upstairs first -and then out to the barn and around there. (To the Sheriff). You're convinced that there was nothing important here -nothing that would point to any motive?
SHERIFF: Nothing here but kitchen things.
(The County Attorney, after again looking around the kitchen, opens the door of a cupboard closet. He gets up on a chair and looks on a shelf. Pulls his hand away, sticky.)
COUNTY ATTORNEY: Here's a nice mess.

(The women draw nearer.)
MRS. PETERS: (To the other woman). Oh, her fruit; it did freeze. (To the County Attorney). She worried about that when it turned so cold. She said the fire'd go out and her jars would break.
SHERIFF: Well, can you beat the women! Held for murder and worryin' about her preserves.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: I guess before we're through she may have something more serious than preserves to worry about.
HALE: Well, women are used to worrying over trifles.
(The two women move a little closer together.)
COUNTY ATTORNEY: (With the gallantry of a young politician). And yet, for all their worries, what would we do without the ladies? (The women do not unbend. He goes to the sink, takes dipperful of water from the pail and, pouring it into a basin, washes his hands. Starts to wipe them on the roller towel, turns it for a cleaner place.) Dirty towels! (Kicks his foot against the pans under the sink.) Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies?
MRS. HALE: (Stiffly). There's a great deal of work to be done on a farm.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: To be sure. And yet. (With a little bow to her.) I know there are some Dickson county farmhouses which do not have such roller towels.
(He gives it a pull to expose its full length again.)
MRS. HALE: Those towels get dirty awful quick. Men's hands aren't always as clean as they might be.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: Ah, loyal to your sex, I see. But you and Mrs. Wright were neighbors. I suppose you were friends, too.
MRS. HALE: (Shaking her head.) I've not seen much of her of late years. I've not been in this house -it's more than a year.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: And why was that? You didn't like her?
MRS. HALE: I liked her all well enough. Farmers' wives have their hands full, Mr. Henderson. And then-
COUNTY ATTORNEY: Yes-?
MRS. HALE: (Looking about.) It never seemed a very cheerful place.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: No -it's not cheerful. I shouldn't say she had the homemaking instinct.
MRS. HALE: Well, I don't know as Wright had, either.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: You mean that they didn't get on very well?
MRS. HALE: No, I don't mean anything. But I don't think a place'd be any cheerfuller for John Wright's being in it.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: I'd like to talk more of that a little later. I want to get the lay of things upstairs now.
(He goes to the left, where three steps lead to a stair door.)
SHERIFF: I suppose anything Mrs. Peters does'll be all right. She was to take in some clothes for her, you know, and a few little things. We left in such a hurry yesterday.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: Yes, but I would like to see what you take, Mrs. Peters, and keep an eye out for anything that might be of use to us.
MRS. PETERS: Yes, Mr. Henderson.
(The women listen to the men's steps on the stairs, then look about the kitchen.)
MRS. HALE: I'd hate to have men coming into my kitchen, snooping around and criticizing.
(She arranges the pans under sink which the Lawyer had shoved out of place.)
MRS. PETERS: Of course it's no more than their duty.
MRS. HALE: Duty's all right, but I guess that deputy sheriff that came out to make the fire might have got a little of this on. (Gives the roller towel a pull.) Wish I'd thought of that sooner. Seems mean to talk about her for not having things slicked up when she had to come away in such a hurry.
MRS. PETERS: (Who has gone to a small table in the left rear corner of the room, and lifted on end of a towel that covers a pan). She had bread set.
(Stands still)
MRS. HALE: (Eyes fixed on a loaf of bread beside the breadbox, which is on a low shelf at the other side of the room. Moves slowly toward it) She was going to put this in there. (Picks up loaf, then abruptly drops it. In a manner of returning to familiar things) It's a shame about her fruit. I wonder if it's all gone. (Gets up on the chair and looks.) I think there's some here that's all right, Mrs. Peters. Yes -here; (Holding it toward the window.) This is cherries, too. (Looking again) I declare I believe that's the only one. (Gets down, bottle in her hand. Goes to the sink and wipes it off on the outside.) She'll feel awful bad after all her hard work in the hot weather. I remember the afternoon I put up my cherries last summer.

(She puts the bottle on the big kitchen table, center of the room. With a sigh, is about to sit down in the rocking chair. Before she is seated realizes what chair it is; with a slow look at it, steps back. The chair, which she has touched, rocks back and forth.)
MRS. PETERS. Well, I must get those things from the front room closet. (She goes to the door at the right, but after looking into the other room, steps back.) You coming with me, Mrs. Hale? You could help me carry them.
 (They go into the other room; reappear, Mrs. Peters carrying a dress and skirt, Mrs. Hale following with a pair of shoes.)
MRS. PETERS: My, it's cold in there.
(She puts the clothes on the big table, and hurries to the stove.)
MRS HALE: (Examining the skirt). Wright was close. I think maybe that's why she kept so much to herself. She didn't even belong to the Ladies Aid. I suppose she felt she couldn't do her part, and then you don't enjoy things when you feel shabby. She used to wear pretty clothes and be lively, when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls singing in the choir. But that -oh, that was thirty years ago. This all you was to take in?
MRS. PETERS: She said she wanted an apron. Funny thing to want, for there isn't much to get you dirty in jail, goodness knows. But I suppose just to make her feel more natural. She said they was in the top drawer in this cupboard. Yes, here. And then her little shawl that always hung behind the door. (Opens stair door and looks.) Yes, here it is.
(Quickly shuts door leading upstairs.)
MRS. HALE: (Abruptly moving toward her.) Mrs. Peters?
MRS. PETERS: Yes, Mrs. Hale?
MRS. HALE: Do you think she did it?
MRS. PETERS: (In a frightened voice.) Oh, I don't know.
MRS. HALE: Well, I don't think she did. Asking for an apron and her little shawl. Worrying about her fruit.
MRS. PETERS: (Starts to speak, glances up, where footsteps are heard in the room above. In a low voice.) Mrs. Peters says it looks bad for her. Mr. Henderson is awful sarcastic in speech, and he'll make fun of her sayin' she didn't wake up.
MRS. HALE: Well, I guess John Wright didn't wake when they was slipping that rope under his neck.
MRS. PETERS: No, it's strange. It must have been done awful crafty and still. They say it was such a -funny way to kill a man, rigging it all up like that.
MRS. HALE: That's just what Mr. Hale said. There was a gun in the house. He says that's what he can't understand.
MRS. PETERS: Mr. Henderson said coming out that what was needed for the case was a motive; something to show anger or -sudden feeling.
MRS. HALE: (Who is standing by the table.) Well, I don't see any signs of anger around here. (She puts her hand on the dish towel which lies on the table, stands looking down at the table, one half of which is clean, the other half messy.) It's wiped here. (Makes a move as if to finish work, then turns and looks at loaf of bread outside the breadbox. Drops towel. In that voice of coming back to familiar things.) Wonder how they are finding things upstairs? I hope she had it a little more there. You know, it seems kind of sneaking. Locking her up in town and then coming out here and trying to get her own house to turn against her!
MRS. PETERS: But, Mrs. Hale, the law is the law.
MRS. HALE: I s'pose 'tis. (Unbuttoning her coat.) Better loosen up your things, Mrs. Peters. You won't feel them when you go out.
(Mrs. Peters takes off her fur tippet, goes to hang it on hook at the back of room, stands looking at the under part of the small corner table.)
MRS. PETERS: She was piecing a quilt.
(She brings the large sewing basket, and they look at the bright pieces.)
MRS. HALE: It's log cabin pattern. Pretty, isn't it? I wonder if she was goin' to quilt or just knot it?
(Footsteps have been heard coming down the stairs. The Sheriff enters, followed by Hale and the County Attorney.)
SHERIFF: They wonder if she was going to quilt it or just knot it.
 (The men laugh, the women look abashed.)
COUNTY ATTORNEY: (Rubbing his hands over the stove). Frank's fire didn't do much up there, did it? Well, let's go out to the barn and get that cleared up.
(The men go outside.)
MRS. HALE: (Resentfully). I don't know as there's anything so strange, our takin' up our time with little things while we're waiting for them to get the evidence. (She sits down at the big table, smoothing out a block with decision.) I don't see as it's anything to laugh about.
MRS. PETERS: (Apologetically). Of course they've got awful important things on their minds.
(Pulls up a chair and joins Mrs. Hale at the table.)
MRS. HALE:  (Examining another block.) Mrs. Peters, look at this one. Here, this is the one she was working on, and look at the sewing! All the rest of it has been so nice and even. And look at this! It's all over the place! Why, it looks as if she didn't know what she was about!
(After she has said this, they look at each other, then start to glance back at the door. After an instant Mrs. Hale has pulled at a knot and ripped the sewing.)
MRS. PETERS: Oh, what are you doing, Mrs. Hale?
MRS. HALE: (Mildly). Just pulling out a stitch or two that's not sewed very good. (Threading a needle). Bad sewing always made me fidgety.
MRS. PETERS: (Nervously). I don't think we ought to touch things.
MRS. HALE: I'll just finish up this end. (Suddenly stopping and leaning forward.) Mrs. Peters?
MRS. PETERS: Yes, Mrs. Hale?
MRS. HALE: What do you suppose she was so nervous about?
MRS. PETERS: Oh -I don't know. I don't know as she was nervous. I sometimes sew awful queer when I'm just tired. (Mrs. Hale starts to say something looks at Mrs. Peters, then goes on sewing.) Well, I must get these things wrapped up. They may be through sooner than we think. (Putting apron and other things together.) I wonder where I can find a piece of paper, and string.
MRS. HALE: In that cupboard, maybe.
MRS. PETER: (Looking in cupboard). Why, here's a birdcage. (Holds it up.) Did she have a bird, Mrs. Hale?
MRS. HALE: Why, I don't know whether she did or not -I've not been here for so long. There was a man around last year selling canaries cheap, but I don't know as she took one; maybe she did. She used to sing real pretty herself.
MRS. PETERS: (Glancing around). Seems funny to think of a bird here. But she must have had one, or why should she have a cage? I wonder what happened to it?
MRS. HALE: I s'pose maybe the cat got it.
MRS. PETERS: No, she didn't have a cat. She's got that feeling some people have about cats -being afraid of them. My cat got in her room, and she was real upset and asked me to take it out.
MRS. HALE: My sister Bessie was like that. Queer, ain't it?
MRS. PETERS: (Examining the cage). Why, look at this door. It's broke. One hinge is pulled apart.
MRS. HALE: (Looking, too.) Looks as if someone must have been rough with it.
MRS. PETERS: Why, yes.
(She brings the cage forward and puts it on the table.)
MRS. HALE: I wish if they're going to find any evidence they'd be about it. I don't like this place.
MRS. PETERS: But I'm awful glad you came with me, Mrs. Hale. It would be lonesome of me sitting here alone.
MRS. HALE: It would, wouldn't it? (Dropping her sewing). But I tell you what I do wish, Mrs. Peters. I wish I had come over sometimes she was here. I -(Looking around the room.)- wish I had.
MRS. PETERS: But of course you were awful busy, Mrs. Hale -your house and your children.
MRS. HALE: I could've come. I stayed away because it weren't cheerful -and that's why I ought to have come. I -I've never liked this place. Maybe because it's down in a hollow, and you don't see the road. I dunno what it is, but it's a lonesome place and always was. I wish I had come over to see Minnie Foster sometimes. I can see now –
(Shakes her head.)
MRS. PETERS: Well, you mustn't reproach yourself, Mrs. Hale. Somehow we just don't see how it is with other folks until -something comes up.
MRS. HALE: Not having children makes less work -but it makes a quiet house, and Wright out to work all day, and no company when he did come in. Did you know John Wright, Mrs. Peters?
MRS. PETERS: Not to know him; I've seen him in town. They say he was a good man.
MRS. HALE: 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. (Pauses, her eye falling on the cage.) I should think she would 'a wanted a bird. But what do you suppose went with it?
MRS. PETERS: I don't know, unless it got sick and died.
She reaches over and swings the broken door, swings it again; both women watch it.)
MRS. HALE: You weren´t raised round here, were you? (Mrs. Peters shakes her head.) You didn´t know –her?
MRS. PETERS: Not till they brought her yesterday.
MRS. HALE: She -come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself-real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and -fluttery. How –she –did -change. (Silence; then as if struck by a happy thought and relieved to get back to everyday things.) Tell you what, Mrs. Peters, why don't you take the quilt in with you? It might take up her mind.
MRS. PETERS: Why, I think that's a real nice idea, Mrs. Hale. There couldn't possible be any objection to it, could there? Now, just what would I take? I wonder if her patches are in here -and her things.
(They look in the sewing basket.)
MRS. HALE: Here's some red. I expect this has got sewing things in it (Brings out a fancy box.) What a pretty box. Looks like something somebody would give you. Maybe her scissors are in here. (Opens box. Suddenly puts her hand to her nose.) Why -(Mrs. Peters bend nearer, then turns her face away.) There's something wrapped up in this piece of silk.
MRS. PETERS: Why, this isn't her scissors.
MRS. HALE: (Lifting the silk.) Oh, Mrs. Peters -it's-
(Mrs. Peters bend closer.)
MRS. PETERS: It's the bird.
MRS. HALE: (Jumping up.) But, Mrs. Peters -look at it. Its neck! Look at its neck! It's all -other side too.
MRS. PETERS: Somebody -wrung- its neck.
(Their eyes meet. A look of growing comprehension of horror. Steps are heard outside. Mrs. Hale slips box under quilt pieces, and sinks into her chair. Enter Sheriff and County Attorney. Mrs. Peters rises.)
COUNTY ATTORNEY: (As one turning from serious thing to little pleasantries). Well, ladies, have you decided whether she was going to quilt it or knot it?
MRS. PETERS: We think she was going to -knot it.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: Well, that's interesting, I'm sure. (Seeing the birdcage.) Has the bird flown?
MRS. HALE: (Putting more quilt pieces over the box.) We think the -cat got it.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: (Preoccupied.) Is there a cat?

(Mrs. Hale glances in a quick covert way at Mrs. Peters)
 MRS. PETERS: Well, not now. They're superstitious, you know. They leave.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: (To Sheriff Peters, continuing an interrupted conversation.) No sign at all of anyone having come from the outside. Their own rope. Now let's go up again and go over it piece by piece. (They start upstairs.) It would have to have been someone who knew just the-

(Mrs. Peters sits down. The two women sit there not looking at one another, but as if peering into something and at the same time holding back. When they talk now, it is the manner of feeling their way over strange ground, as if afraid of what they are saying, but as if they cannot help saying it.)
MRS. HALE: She liked the bird. She was going to bury it in that pretty box.
MRS. PETERS: (In a whisper). When I was a girl -my kitten- there was a boy took a hatchet, and before my eyes -and before I could get there- (Covers her face an instant.) If they hadn't held me back, I would have- (Catches herself, looks upstairs, where steps are heard, falters weakly.) -hurt him.
MRS. HALE: (With a slow look around her.) I wonder how it would seem never to have had any children around. (Pause.) No, Wright wouldn't like the bird -a thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that, too.
MRS. PETERS: (Moving uneasily). We don't know who killed the bird.
MRS. HALE: I knew John Wright.
MRS. PETERS: It was an awful thing was done in this house that night, Mrs. Hale. Killing a man while he slept, slipping a rope around his neck that choked the life out of him.
MRS. HALE: His neck, Choked the life out of him.
(Her hand goes out and rests on the birdcage.)
MRS. PETERS: (With a rising voice). We don't know who killed him. We don't know.
MRS. HALE: (Her own feeling not interrupted.) If there'd been years and years of nothing, then a bird to sing to you, it would be awful -still, after the bird was still.
MRS. PETERS: (Something within her speaking). I know what stillness is. When we homesteaded in Dakota, and my first baby died -after he was two years old, and me with no other then-
MRS. HALE: (Moving). How soon do you suppose they'll be through, looking for evidence?
MRS. PETERS: I know what stillness is. (Pulling herself back). The law has got to punish crime, Mrs. Hale.
MRS. HALE (Not as if answering that). I wish you'd seen MInnie Foster when she wore a white dress with blue ribbons and stood up there in the choir and sang. (A look around the room). Oh, I wish I'd come over here once in a while! That was a crime! That was a crime! Who's going to punish that?
MRS. PETERS: (Looking upstairs). We mustn't -take on.
MRS. HALE. I might have known she needed help! I know how things can be -for women. I tell you, it's queer, Mrs. Peters. We live close together and we live far apart. We all go through the same things -it's all just a different kind of the same thing. (Brushes her eyes, noticing the bottle of fruit, reaches out for it.) If I was you, I wouldn't tell her fruit was gone. Tell her it ain't. Tell her it's all right. Take this in to prove it to her. She -she may never know whether it was broke or not.
MRS. PETERS (Takes the bottle, looks about for something to wrap it in; takes petticoat from the clothes brought from the other room, very nervously begins winding this around the bottle. In a false voice.) My, it's a good thing the men couldn't hear us. Wouldn't they just laugh! Getting all stirred up over a little thing like a -dead canary. As if that could have anything to do with -with-wouldn't they laugh!
(The men are heard coming downstairs.)
MRS. HALE: (Under her breath). Maybe they would -maybe they wouldn't.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: No, Peters, it's all perfectly clear except a reason for doing it. But you know juries when it comes to women. If there was some definite thing. Something to show-something to make a story about -a thing that would connect up with this strange way of doing it-
(The women's eyes meet for an instant. Enter Hale from outer door.)
HALE: Well, I've got the team around. Pretty cold out there.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: I'm going to stay here awhile by myself (To the Sheriff). You can send Frank out for me, can't you? I want to go over everything. I'm not satisfied that we can't do better.
SHERIFF: Do you want to see what Mrs. Peters is going to take in?

(The Lawyer goes to the table, picks up the apron, laughs.)
COUNTY ATTORNEY: Oh I guess they're not very dangerous things the ladies have picked up. (Moves a few things about, disturbing the quilt pieces which cover the box. Steps back.) No, Mrs. Peters doesn't need supervising. For that matter, a sheriff's wife is married to the law. Ever think of it that way, Mrs. Peters?
MRS. PETERS: Not -just that way.
SHERIFF: (Chuckling). Married to the law. (Moves toward the other room.) I just want you to come in here a minute, George. We ought to take a look at these windows.
COUNTY ATTORNEY: (Scoffingly). Oh, windows!
SHERIFF: We'll be right out, Mr. Hale.
(Hale goes outside. The Sheriff follows the County Attorney into the other room. Then Mrs. Hale rises, hands tight together, looking intensely at Mrs. Peters, whose eyes take a slow turn, finally meeting Mrs. Hale's. A moment Mrs. Hale holds her, then her own eyes point the way to where the box is concealed. Suddenly Mrs. Peters throws back quilt pieces and tries to put the box in the bag she is wearing. It is too big. She opens box, starts to take the bird out, cannot touch it, goes to pieces, stands there helpless. Sound of a knob turning in the other room. Mrs. Hale snatches the box and puts it in the pocket of her big coat. Enter County Attorney and Sheriff.)
COUNTY ATTORNEY: (Facetiously). Well, Henry, at least we found out that she was not going to quilt it. She was going to -what is it you call it, ladies!
MRS. HALE (Her hand against her pocket). We call it -knot it, Mr. Henderson.

66 comments:

  1. “Trifles” is not, as the name suggests, a play made up of little and insignificant pieces of vagueness. On the contrary, this play is completely based on a transcendental and controversial topic: Sexism. For me, this short but deep play is a satire for the male chauvinism present in the American society of the XXth century. In this drama Glaspell splendidly described the language, the roles and the thoughts of men and women of that epoch. I liked the way she immersed us in the scene and made us feel the mess, the cold and even the smell of the death animal. I must say, she has a gift for describing settings, states, feelings, and for retelling past events by using suspense. “Trifles” is a master piece full of symbolism that left us lots of morals. To sum up I admit that I am against any type of violence and “superiority” thoughts, but I really like a Mexican proverb that contains a real fact seen in our culture and especially in this play. “The house does not rest upon the ground, but upon a woman.”

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  2. I found this story incredibly amazing. The way this writer plays with every single element in it is just genius, as you get completely involved into the story, so much, that you can even feel and experience people’s mood as if you were watching the play being performed. Also, I loved how events are described in the story as you as a reader have the chance to become aware of what is happening with the characters.

    Well, talking about the story’s theme, something that I find really nice is the way women’s special traits and skills are shown, the way those two women without any high education seemed to be able of inferring things that not even those men with experience would achieve. I like how subtle it is presented the lively irony of some real life aspects, an ordinary woman used to deal with a lonely and sad existence who one day just find a reason to finish her torture without any big complication, it makes me realize how volatile and unpredictable may be life’s course and people owning that life.

    I think that is probably the reason why women have extra qualities in their nature, being more sensitive and caring about little things is what gives us the ability to realize about things that maybe men can consider insignificant and obvious. The thing is women power has been sub estimated throughout the history until today but the truth is human beings, women and men have the same ability to do anything in life.

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  3. First of all, I want to say that when I read the title of the play and the first part, the title was obscure to me because, I did not know what trifles were; I did not have an idea about that. Well, it was very difficult to me to understand trifles in the first reading and I had to read the play three times.

    Second, in the play I could see how Susan wrote a play inspired by her experiences and observations; I found that “trifles” play is based on true events; as a reporter, Susan covered a murder case in a small town in her native Davenport, Iowa where a woman was accused of killing her husband, John, she hit him twice in the head with an hatchet while he slept. In the beginning it was supposed that burglars had murdered the farmer, but the evidence found by sheriff suggesting that the woman was unhappy in her marriage.

    In this play I found two themes which they are related among them; a main theme is how men do not appreciate women; some parts of the play show this sexism:

    - The men made some comments to minimize the importance of woman in society.

    - The men criticize Mrs. Wright’s housekeeping skills.

    - Men present themselves as a serious – minded detectives, when the truth is they are not nearly as perceptive as the female characters did and men attitude caused a hard feeling between the two parts.

    The other theme is the unhappy life that Mrs. Wright lived in her marriage and the main reason that Mrs. Wright had to kill her husband; I think that a woman as a wife is ready to put up with many things in her marriage, but in this case the murder of the bird in hands of her husband, it was the last straw for Mrs. Wright; like her there are a lot of women and there are a lot of reasons to kill her husband or someone, but I think that there are not reasons enough to kill someone, in this case is more easy to get divorced.

    By Veronica Mayorga N

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  4. TRIFFLES.
    This playwright have a great connotation talking about all those facts that happen in the story as well, because men always say that women are worryng about little things as they were the only ones with important things in their lifes. Actually, this play show us the way how women can treat men depending on the way they treat them; It does not matter if they are in love, then it is a real sign of intelligence were not always heart is first.
    What I felt when I was reading the story was a deep compassion about Jhon Wright`s wife, because is not easy to carry out with a murder but also I did not understand at the begginig her main reason to commit this crime with her own husband, however it is not the best solution, I thought because as human beings we are in the same condition where the only one that can dispose of our life is God.
    Sometimes, each woman reveal her feelings in a different way and I think it was the manner how that poor wife could somehow express what she was feeling about the husband`s treatment; of course she was supported by the other two womens who were the only ones that could understood her main reason kill her husband.

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  5. The word "trifles" means something small, unimportant, belittled, maybe even insignificant. “Trifles” is the perfect title due to the significance of the everyday items that the two women stumble upon in the home of Mrs. Wright. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are aiding Mrs. Wright by concealing everything that they believe could be used against her. The woman notice certain objects that the men completely overlook because they consider the domestic space of the woman house to be worthless in terms of offering clues about the crime, for example women notice an empty bird cage which the door was broken and the hinge has been pulled off. Men considered politics, money, and business as important. They acted as if the work women do is inconsequential. In the play, the women noticed the emotional aspects of the small items and their significance to Mrs. Wright, while the men where looking for the "smoking gun," the large obvious piece of evidence to prove the murder.

    In the early 1900's this was how men acted towards women. They were almost considered to be property. They should be seen and not heard. During that period men didn't think that women could act independently, and although in XXI century, things have changed, the men continued ignoring supposedly, insignificant things, something that women do not.

    The central issue of the play is the subservient role held by the female characters, a role that left at the heart of Mrs. Wright's loneliness no choice but to kill her husband.

    This theatrical production has lot of symbols and metaphors and the most I like is the fact that Mrs. Wright, was once like the bird, happy and carefree and the strangled bird symbolizes the miserable life her husband made she feel.

    If the aim of Susan Glaspell was to be feminist, she got it because in this play, the men are ignorant and the best is that she could express her own contempt for her husband.

    Marcela Meneses

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  6. I must confess I've never read a playwrigth before but also I have to say the first one I read has nothing to do with "Trifles", because we can see in this piece the real intention by the author wants to give the mess to the reader and make them enter into a knotted world of human though but at the same time widely disconneted from each other, bearing in mind the diferences between the both sexes or genres such as men and women completely unbalanced power relationship.
    All this set the author creates in order to describe maybe a real situation happened once ago which is attracting to be followed up just until the end.

    WILKY

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  7. From my point of view, the whole play TRIFLES is a metaphor; every single aspect has a deep meaning that is related to the theme of the play.
    Let's say for example, the empty house which was always quiet, reflects the woman's life; a sad person, a lonely woman without any hope. The birdcage is the way in which the author shows us how our freedom can be limited by the circumstances and by other people. The bird inside the cage represents the woman locked into her own house; the bird was the woman's prisoner while the woman was her husband's prisoner, and her husband was prisoner of his own chauvinism.

    On the other hand, let's analyze the mess in the house. For me, it represents the relationship between husband and wife. This marriage was a mess because of the absence of children, because of a man who didn't value her beautiful wife, because of a weak and powerless woman who never did anything for changing her way of living, and the most important aspect: a messy marriage because of the lack of love.

    Furthermore, the rocking chair let us see an undecided woman, who doesn't know what to do, she goes back and forth, what means maybe that she has two options: to go back that means to regret and recognize what she had done, or simply go forth that means to continue with her life without looking backwards as if everything was ok.

    However, there is fact that captivated my mind: Men are not as clever as they think. They are always looking for something that doesn't exist, and little things are just little things for them, because they always hope to find a huge clue in the path; while women focus on details, we understand that we can take big things from little ones, and this is our main quality, that we pay attention to every single thing, and in little things we find treasures.

    Finally, let’s see the way how Mr. Wright died, just in the same way he killed the canary.
    Let's remember what the Bible says: “that in the same way we measure, we will be measured”. God is fair, and He doesn't allow that someone remains without paying his debts.
    ...Everything we do has a consequence!

    By: Claudia Lorena Rincón

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  8. This playwright was written in 1916, when women were fighting their place in society, so this is a real proof of feminism. In this epoch women played a subordinate role in society. Trifle is the reflection of the most insignificant things people let go, like for example in this case the bread that have been left out, the quilt, an empty bird cage, things that can help in solving a case.
    In this play the reader can be immersed in the story, feel and imagine the mess created by a housewife and see how people criticize her housewife duties because in that time that was women's occupation. In this point, the evidence was clear for women while men for all their criticism did not notice it. Also women decided not incriminate Mrs Wright because they saw that she was controlled by her husband this is a sample of the feminism shown in the playwright.
    When women found the dead bird they thought that her husband wanted to destroy any source of company and happiness and due to this situation she decided to reclaim dignity by killing her husband. For me this play suggests that men and women are the same, they are equal in intelligence and that men domination should not be tolarated by anyone.

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  9. For many, it is simply interesting to read a play, but for me, I love to understand and appreciate the deeper meaning for which I need more time and concentration. I must admit that most of the plays are quite impressive to the general public as the plays are based on real life situations.

    In my opinion, Trifles. presents a scenario of a rising tension in which a woman builds up anger and helplessness toward her oppressor. One day, decides to take full revenge against her oppressor blurting out her built up anger.

    The play presents a probable situation of hatred and resentment that eventually found an outlet in the violent death of Mr Wright. Nevertheless, the story does not fully reveal if Mrs. Wright herself killed Mr. Wright or not. I think the answer depends upon one’s individual perspective reflecting one’s own interpretation.

    The play also further exposes the clear differences between the role of men and women, their behaviors, and their ways of thinking and acting.

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  10. Trifles

    In the early 20th century, society was branded by the fact that women played a secondary role in every single field, one example of this is that women could not have the same rights that men had at that time. Nonetheless, it’s during this century that the most significant changes would have place, an example of this is the end of polygamy and the restoration of women's right to vote and other equal rights.

    On the other hand, this uncomfortable women situation inspired a woman named Susan Glaspell to write an important one-act play that showed in gloomy circumstances the murder of a particular farmer who lived with his wife and apparently he was killed by her, although there were not ever real evidences that proved this alibi. However, when the three women were investigating this unusual crime, they supposed that Minnie Foster had evidently asphyxiated her husband with a rope because of the bird that was found in the same state and they saw theses trifles that men would not ever see in any situation.

    Finally, I do think Minnie Foster murdered her husband because she was sick and tired of bearing Mr. Wright’s insults, contempt and the way Mrs. Wright was treated by him because Minnie Foster never became the same person she was. I must say I do not support the concept that somebody has to be murdered by a reason. Never would I although there is injustice.

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  11. In 1916, there was a huge difference between men and women, it was a hard time for women and at that time, they were treated like valueless objects, machines of procreation, and used like maids by their husbands, something that is totally different nowadays because in 21st century, women have the very same rights that men have in each field. Thanks God, today is a very different world for women, they are no more treated like animals at least by the society in general. Although there are still some intolerable cases of male chauvinism and mistreatment to some heroines that have dedicated their entire life to the service of their families and as compensation, they have received this incomprehensible treatment.

    A sample of this statement is the curious case of Mrs. Wright who gave her youth to a man that did not value her humanity and instead she was treated as a servant who wanted to go back to her amazing youth where she used to be a radiant girl, full of life but unfortunately she married the wrong man who at the beginning (I suppose) promised her many wonderful things that never could accomplish.

    On the other hand, the symbolism that “trifles” uses is so clear when the bird is killed while (I imagine) it sang as Minnie Foster did when she was young and sang in a choir, hidden in a small cage as Mrs. Wright was oppressed in her house and finally mistreated because Mr. Wright did not like the manner this inoffensive bird sang. So this was what Mrs. Wright could not tolerate anymore.

    To sum up, it is painful to resist that intensive oppression that Mrs. Wright did resist for thirty years but the option she took, was not the correct one to solve a horrible situation like this one.

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  12. MARCO ANTONIO TORRESApril 12, 2011 at 12:44 PM

    When reading a play, I don't like reading the name of the people who are talking. This may be why I got lost sometimes. The fact tha the whole text is conversation-based sometimes is difficult to keep up with the speaking turns of the characters. Surprinsigly, in tales or novels, where conversations are not so often found and the names of the characters are not written before they speak, it's not so difficult to keep up with the conversation. In my case, in tales or novels unlike plays, I never get lost on the conversation.
    The story itself was kind of amusing. The fact that the most of the story focused on the dialogue between the two women made me think that something important was going to happend with them, that they were in fact the starrings of the play. At the end, my expectations were fullfilled, they did solve the crime making them the starrings of this play.
    I don't think this is sexist play, I just think that the author wanted to express that sometimes it is not necessary to be an expert to solve a problem, sometimes problems are simpler to solve that we might think, and that some people are just lucky.

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  13. A satirical story about the chauvinism in the society, that is what “Trifles” is all about.
    This brilliant playwright shows the ingenuity of people when thinking about the others as if they were less than one. Sometimes we try to diminish people for their particular features or just for some stereotypes that are in our heads, but we do not see all those aspects that can make a person shine, we prefer to attack and destroy, I guess that is the human nature.
    In this story Glaspel shows that all those things that were considered by the male character in this story as “vague or superficial”, were indeed the ones to help solve the crime, however, this crime was no punished, perhaps because if women have told what they thought, man would just laugh about that ridiculous idea.
    According to men (in this story) , women don’t have the same capacities as they do, but Glaspel completely breaks that paradigm and shows that women are as good as man, besides they have more capacities in some fields for example, when observing little things we may think about them as “ trifles” but women, they may see them from another perspective and they realize that those “trifles” are not vague at all, they are details that can help us better conceive the world from a different horizon.
    To conclude, I would like to quote a phrase by one of the greatest misogynist in the world history, although I do not support him, this phrase reflects how all the things we do can, or not, be appropriate according to our status or human nature, so basically they may or not be wrong according to the stereotypes.
    “Because of the diverse conditions of humans, it happens that some acts are virtuous to some people, as appropriate and suitable to them, while the same acts are immoral for others, as inappropriate to them.”
    Thomas Aquina

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  14. TRIFLES…
    According to the theme, the real sense of the play Trifles, for me it is a contrast that has a relationship with the whole play because in all of those scenes happen interesting things and there were different moments which caught my attention for instance when sheriff and Mrs. Wright found the dead birth and also when the woman was sewing the quilt but she was very nervous because of the murder she had committed against her husband.
    As another significant point I found from this play, is the symbolism used by the author and the details she gives in the description of the places. In my opinion it is a good way to involve lectors within the reading because when Glasspell was talking about the mess that it was in the kitchen, I really enjoyed this part of the play because it tried to confuse me a little and because it gave me some clues to discover some mysteries such us; the dead birth and Mr. Wright dead. Also this play left me a great moral in relation with how, since many years ago the men had treat women as an object of their own benefit avoiding that by the contrary women are their complement. Evidently it is a reflex of their chauvinism.
    To conclude, I must say that “It is important to be equal in both genres as woman as man because both of them play an important role in society. And I thought that women are very sensible and passive, but when they exploit, they would be more dangerous as men think.
    TATIANA GUZMAN BENAVIDES.

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  15. It is hard for me starting to write a comment about a story that I have not read, because I do not like reading plays. Indeed, I tried to wake up my interest with regard to this kind of lectures but I could not. I must confess that when something does not like me, I simply do not do it. Maybe that “rebellious attitude” is a disadvantage for my studies because I can get a bad great, but many times ago, I let to be worried about my greats, I do not want to be the best of my class… I just want to enjoy learning. However, last class I could not avoid to hear about one of the main theme of Trifles related to “Chauvinism”
    Chauvinism is a term used to describe the “wrong belief” that men are superior to women. Although, human history has showed us that women can have the same abilities, skills, to work and survive within a society where men have “an absolute control” Society itself has created those stereotypes that have margined women and make them inferior to men. But times have changed and nowadays a woman has the same chances that man.

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  16. This reading was pretty interesting, but personally, I didn’t like the ending.
    The whole setting was immersed under a mysterious female cover trying to hide a shocking truth done by Mrs. Wright, and as usual on women, they use to do everything undercover with tactfulness, for that reason the women discovered what really happen but still they didn’t know what where the facts and the reasons for Mrs. Wright to kill her husband. Obviously the sheriff and the attorney were walking on circles trying to find a possible clue to stop walking as fools. Anyway, the fact is this time girls had done everything right and nothing could accuse or indicate if Mrs. Wright was or not guilty.
    Based on the socio-cultural aspect and context, we’ve to take into account that women at that time belonged just to do every work at home and nothing out home; this fact was due to the machoism at that time, and look how good they did their performance when hiding the issues to the law. So I could say that they are Law Breakers… lol… as Judas Priest says: Breaking the law, breaking the law… roflcopter (Rolling on the floor laughing, can’t operate ‘till eyes refocused).
    Unfortunately, the setting was just bounded to the house… I just wanted another scene showing anything else. Personally, I wanted more, but well life is beautiful.
    Talking about the slang, well, most of the street language words over there can be founded nowadays. For further information: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=dunno

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  17. The playwright "Trifles" represents a piecemaster in the fact that it has embedded imageries, detective, realistic, sexism, and many other elements that can be infered throughout its reading. Besides; one must take one's hat off since at the start of Nineties' to write and question the male chauvinism position was a really hard task. Even so, Susan Glaspell put forward her thought with her ink before this prevailing paradigm at that time.
    The reader can see the submissiveness from the female characters to the mockery of the male ones towards womanhood representing this or shedding a light on what was lived in those days.

    On the other hand, I find the title as appropriate for it intends to create a contrary effect on the reader, to tell him that those things which we mostly consider as trivial in a determined time represent great details and even though society sells us the idea that it is not worth, that it is a "Triviality"; most of times, society is wrong.

    In 1916, women were considered inferior to men, this was an established thought and represented a paradigm that people accepted without hesitating, it was believed to be true as to the non-affected party (manhood) which played an oppressive role, as to the affected one (womanhood) which was extensively opressed. This shows us that what was considered as trifling details that men would not care about, constituted a great inequality and an affront towards women who lived in that patriarchal society.

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  18. Reading this interesting story, I realized the evolution of the human thought, besides, the respect and the importance that women have won today compared to the age that Susan refers.
    I consider that trifles are small things that are considered of little or no importance. I could tell early in the play that the male actors were portraying sexist characters. The men's continual disregard about Mrs. Wright's possessions is what really showed me how little they thought of her as a person. First, they are upset by her lack of housekeeping skills. Then, they make fun about her broken jars of fruit that she labored to make.
    In the early 1900's this was how men acted towards women. They were almost considered to be property. They should be seen and not heard. During that time period men didn't think that women could act independently.
    Mrs. Wright was put down and very depressed most of her life. She was isolated from other people who she could have turned to for comfort. She was denied everything that could have helped her stand living with her mean husband.
    I believe Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale were right to hide the dead bird. I think it is ironic that one of the little "trifles" that the men thought unimportant is the one thing that explained a great deal about the killing.
    Finally, it is very important to note with the publication of this story the whole world began to change their perspective on the tasks and roles of women in society, besides, women and girls have many more opportunities and face different challenges. Women who have achieved great stature in government, industry, sports, and the media have become a familiar sight, Women who have reached high level in government, industry, sport and the media have become a familiar sight, serving as an example of life and against the sexism still present today.
    Robinson Cavadia

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  19. Trifles comment
    Susan Glaspell was an author who wanted to express her dislike with the misbalance between men and women at her epoch and she decided to use their plays and books as a pretext, which had a significant effect. Although, “trifles” doesn't reflect the real name of the play because it is not made up of insignificant things but this play demand a deep attention and care in order to understand and follow the purpose of the story. Likewise, the author describes the scenes as a mess and that confuse the readers doing a disaster in their minds.

    Nevertheless, the story itself to me was new and ingenious thinking in the time it was written. The fact that women solve easily a murder case represents the intelligence of women and that the men never have to underrate the women skills.

    With this in mind, it is important to state up my position about the superiority of any sex, I declare that I am against chauvinism or feminism because I consider that all humans are equals, we are made of the same material by our creator God and the sex does not represent the real power of a person but the real power is what you have inside of you and this make the difference.

    BY : MADHAVENDRA PURI ACERO ALZATE

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  20. Juan Medina.

    Trifles was a pretty touching story and it made think of many situations like that in which the fact of being a man helps me to do things easily and not being criticize for my actions.

    Sometimes I do take advantage of that, I help women who are close to me or the one I like but I also understand that it is not fair to provide benefits to certain people and leave others behind.

    Trifles is a play that confirms, once again, the ability women have to see small details closely, besides they are highly sensitive people, even though that bothers us sometimes, women do better than men in many fields including those named men’s fields of work.

    Teacher Verónica, thank you very much for bringing that particular story to us.


    Juan Carlos Medina García

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  21. Initially, I would like to emphasize that this play is entirely based on a polemical and questionable topic: chauvinism. In this astonishing story, Glaspell defined, in a specific form, the functions and judgment of women and men of XXth century. Besides, it also presented men’s thoughts about women intellect and capacities. Unfortunately, men used to consider women’s perceptions as unimportant in human race.
    In our society, there are persons who have accepted chauvinism as a sort of lifestyle to guide their own personal actions. And for them, chauvinism is a way to become a better human being. Moreover, I believe there is still a segment of our male population that keeps this insensitive mentality alive.
    Such individuals should be taught that disrespect for women can only bring disrespect for us; men and women are both pillars of the family institution. We have to get rid of such damaging attitudes. This male “macho” mentality can only be detrimental to our society.
    Talking particularly about the play, I must say I liked the way in which the author involved us in the story and made us feel different emotions. I really felt that my senses perceived all the sensations described by the author. She is just brilliant.
    As a conclusion, it is vital to highlight that both men and women have been provided with the most beautiful and marvelous gifts from Heaven. Therefore, it is necessary to recognize each one’s faculties in order to value them considering that all of us have been created by a perfect being.
    Ivonne Sanchez

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  22. TRIFLES

    Eventhough “Trifles” is a short word used to refer to insignificant things , it points out many realities, in which the main issue is the woman situation, her suffering and her unhappy value during the XX century.
    In my point of view, Mrs. Wright breaks the woman silence, she expresses her pain and hopeless life that has kept inside her heart for many years due to the bad treatment of her husband. But she does it without words and in secret.
    Her patience arrived to the greatest limit, the awful death of her little bird, caused by her husband. With this fact she lost her hope, love, dreams, and her entire life. That was the worst action that her husband could have done. If his wife and the bird were considered trifles to him, that was the reason in order that Mrs. Wright killed him in the same way that he did it with the bird. Also, he had become in trifles to her.
    However, in many families chauvinism still goes on, and women try to defend their rights and values. But, the worst road to be followed is to kill someone. Instead of that desicion they can look for pshycological and judicial assistance, and specially to let that God and Virgin Mary lead their lives.

    ERIKA ADRIANA ROJAS VALERO

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  23. “Trifles” is an interesting story in which, you can find a sutil influence about feminism and chauvinism. Moreover, it gives a remarkable importance to the little things or in this case “trifles”; although, that it’s a story a little complicated to understand, you will enjoy the fact that it will involve you in an environment of mystery and suspense. Also, the way in which the author wrote this story will be another factor to motivate you to read it; because, based in my own experience I had to read this story three times to totally understand it but, at the end;it was a wonderful experience.
    A manner of reflection, I can say that…we know how time flies and we must appreciate all those trifles in our life because, sometimes those little things are the best.

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  24. TRIFLES
    Reading this kind of literature is a little complicated, but is interesting and amazing. However, I must confess when I read this play I didn’t understand the close relationship between the title and the content, it was a little confusing. But when I read again I recognized the real intention of the author; she wanted to bear in mind the differences between the both sexes such as men and women completely unbalanced power relationship.
    This play is a satire for the male chauvinism present in that time and even today in our society because in this drama Susan Glaspell described the man’s thoughts, roles and language of that epoch toward woman. Besides, the author showed something else, the women’s reasoning capacity, the way in which women were able of inferring things that not even those men with experience would achieve. These insignificant things or facts helped them to resolve the case: the Mr. Wright’s death.
    That is an example of real life, we do not pay attention a lot of opportunities because actually we think that these are trifles and these are not valuable, but when we realized the real value of those trifles it is too late.
    Finally, I must confess that I am against any type of superiority thoughts or chauvinism thoughts because for me as men as woman, all we have the same capacity and ability to think and do the right or not. Both of them are equals and play an important role in our society.

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  25. Post correction of December 6, 2011 9:16 AM

    Yeison
    The playwright "Trifles" represents a masterpiece in the fact that it has embedded  imageries, detectives, realism, sexism, and many other elements that can be inferred throughout its reading. Besides; one must take one's hat off since at the start of Nineties' to write and question the male chauvinism position was a really hard task. Even so, Susan Glaspell put forward her thought with her ink before this prevailing paradigm at that time.
    The reader can see the submissiveness from the female characters to the mockery of the male ones towards womanhood representing this or shedding a light on what was lived in those days.
    On the other hand, I find the title as appropriate for it intends to create a contrary effect on the reader, to tell him that those things which we mostly consider as trivial in a determined time represent great details and even though society sells us the idea that it is not worth, that it is a "Triviality"; most of times, society is wrong.
    In 1916, women were considered inferior to men, this was an established thought  and represented a paradigm that people accepted without hesitating, it was believed to be true as to the non-affected party (manhood) which played an oppressive role, as to the affected one (womanhood) which was extensively oppressed. This shows us that what was considered as trifling details that men would not care about, constituted a great inequality and an affront towards women who lived in that patriarchal society. 

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  26. Trifles the play was certainly written with a bit of irony accompanied by a feminist sense, showing the power of women in this work, the women with a deeper analytical sense in comparison to the men were able to resolve a research case by the only fact of caring about the minimum evidence instead of men, who were not able to solve by thinking always in great details .That’s what makes me reflect and arrive to the conclusion that this play is critical to many men, who since ancient times as today we continue doing it , we have always looked women different than us thinking ourselves more than them and not giving them the real importance they deserve. W e have to accept that they have a sixth sense which allows them to analyze the things from a different point of view, really is a great gift , the men have to be thanked as a great contribution for us with which we can to become more analytical and more human.
    OSCAR JAVIER GAFARO RUIZ.

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  27. I must recognize that the reading was a little complicated because this play contains a complex and descriptive structure, so I got lost from the real purpose of the story; just when I read again and exchanged some opinions with my classmates, I discovered that the author wanted to present the role of women at that time. Moreover; despite of that, you will enjoy the fact that it will involve you in an environment of mystery and suspense. Another interesting aspect that I liked so much it was the title of this play, because it established a relationship with the main idea of the story, the word “Trifles” reflects how women were seen at that epoque when society considered the women’s thoughts and aspirations as trifles or unimportant things.

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  28. Rodrigo said: Comment on "Trifles"

    Given that Susan Glaspell was one of the main figures advocating for women's rights at her time, she presented through her written works all her concerns towards the discrimination the women suffered. This is why, in her play "Trifles", Susan showed a situation in which women were considered to be insignificant and bad treated by men; in this play the author wanted to represent the relationships between genders at her time. In addition, this is an adaptation from an actual murder reported by Susan as a journalist. This latter made me think of the interest of the author to persuade people about chauvinism by basing her story on an actual fact occurring in her community, thus, Susan proved that women are worried over important aspects for themselves and not "trifles" as men used to say. In a personal opinion, I can say that women reading this story at that time, or nowadays, felt or feel someone is telling their stories, in this case, Susan Glaspell.

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  29. This skit narrates the story of an unhappy peasant woman who bumps off her husband due to his bad intercourses. Besides, the play also illustrates the chauvinism that existed at that time and how men belittled women since they thought that they did not have the same skills that men had, for instance, in the skit, the attorney and the sheriff never thought that the women would figure out the crime.
    On the other hand, this play also shows the reality that women live in some families where husbands do not appreciate what their wives do such as tidying the house, growing up the children and so on. As far as I can see, the author tries to demonstrate that women do not worry about trifles all the time; for instance, in the play those things that were "trifles" to the men had been the key to solve the crime.
    To conclude this remark, I would like to say that it was a good play although I did not understand it or I gave it other sense the first time I read it, but as the teacher Veronica says “it is literature and you can have different ways to see it or understand it”.
    JUAN CARLOS LAGUADO BASTOS

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  30. TRIFLES

    Written in 1916 by Susan Glaspell it is based on true events, she as a reporter covered a murder case in a small town, she was an active feminist and I think she wanted to show that women are important and a precious part of the human life.

    Trifles is a one-act play that tell us the murder of a farmer named John Wright and one of the biggest suspect is his wife Minnie Wright a lonely woman, John Wright her husband I think didn’t love her, his only friend a canary was killed and they discovery in a fancy little box, he was the key to resolve the murder.
    This story show us a women that loneliness is horrible and we have only one special friend and this is killed by a person who doesn’t care of none one; it is an injustice and we want to take revenge, and sort of part I agree with Minnie’s behavior; this woman only suffered and wasn’t right that her husband kill her only friend who knows if was by jealousy or hatred.

    It is good to know that women are more independent nowadays, and we can fight, be strong and the most important thing is that we can defend from violent acts.

    Karen Causil

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  31. Trifles is an intriguing play that caught my attention because of its matter which it is about gender and sex roles. In this play, we can see the women’s role in the society and the men’s view of women.

    From my point of view, the title of the play by Susan Glaspell, "Trifles” suggests women are often considered to be interested in trifles, unimportant issues that have little or no importance to the true work of society, which, of course, is being carried out by men. In spite of men´s concept of women, women were too smart and demonstrated to be better researcher than men, they figured out the mystery without hesitation.

    I consider really sad Mrs. Wrigth’ loneliness, her only friend was her bird, she lived alone in her big house, her husband travelled all the time and he did not pay attention to her. Everybody tries to find love and company in his or her couple but she did not find it in her husband, for this reason, she acted desperately against him.

    Finally, I like this story because illustrates the women’s intelligence, the importance they have in the world. Nowadays, there are a lot of feminist movements that show the women’s influence in different fields such as education, politics, culture, technology, and science.

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  32. Trifles
    To be honest not only with myself but also with the readers, I must say that I did not like this type of plays. There are several reasons why I did not like it.
    First of all, it was written with a bad English so the story was more difficult to understand, second of all because the dialogues were always interrupted by some illustrations among the dialogues, and finally because this type of stories (I mean the way it was told) did not call my attention at all.
    On the other hand, talking about the message itself, it was a beautiful message; I could learn from it things I did not know, that happened many years ago with regards to women’s rights and the chauvinism that still exists. The message (in my opinion) shows that women’s rights should have been taken into account many years ago, so that, many tragedies could have been prevented on time (as in Susan Glaspell Trifle´s story) and they should have been respected, because men and women are equal and it does not matter the gender. We, as women, are human beings and we do have feelings, the same as men, so it is really hurtful when some men say that we are weak. We have proved that that is not true!
    Susan Glaspell had a particular style when writing this type of stories as she defended feminism, she tried to reveal the situations that women went through at that time, when they did not even have the right to talk, express their own opinions or refuse something, they could not do it because they could have been punished, hit or even killed.
    The mistreatment they suffered is beyond our imagination, they were considered useful only for being in the kitchen or taking care of the children not for more. And their beliefs were not important to anybody.
    I do defend the position of the woman when she killed her husband because she should have been really desperate to be able to murder him; maybe she got fed up with the pain that he was causing her.
    If I would have had the opportunity (perhaps) I would have done the same.



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  33. Although Trifles seems to be a strange story, it is comprehensible that the author tries to captivate the readers’ attention in order to communicate an intrinsic message: women are as capable and accurate as men are.
    Even if the play itself was kind of complicated to comprehend at the beginning due to it was presented the deviation to think men were the center of the whole story, the surprising factor had its greatest impact when women, despite being weak and basic in appearance to men’s eyes, were similar or even more intelligent and sensible than their husbands who tended to guide their searching to material and non emotional things.
    This kind of play depicts images which are easy to imagine, so the author provides a setting to start analyzing what happened I that place, the time, the season and some other aspects such as their way of living according to their social status; However the end of the story is not clear at all, so that I can infer that there is the possibility the author’s preferences were guided to leave an open ending where the reader is challenged to add what he/she thinks is a really interesting way to finish the play.
    Furthermore, the moral given by this playwright teaches the reader to look for beyond the appearances with the mere objective to find the real facts no matter the first impressions.

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  34. TRIFLES
    Comment
    By. Sandy LisethCañas Carrillo


    Before giving my opinion about the play, I must confess that reading it, was a very difficult task; at least for me, due to the fact that you have to be concentrated enough in order to comprehend the sequence of it. At the beginning, it was not easy to understand, sometimes I got lost, but at the end, I could have a clear idea and I think about “Susan Glaspell” as an extraordinary playwright, for that reason “Trifles” is an interesting play to be read because you can understand more about chauvinism. Nowadays, women have different rights and maybe as many possibilities as men, but at that time, in 1916, women had a different role, they were fighting for their place, not only at home but also in the society. Taking into account what I have read, in the play the woman wanted to be free but she felt she could not. In this play we found different elements to take into consideration, for instance, what was the real purpose of the author? She used symbolism in some specific parts of the play in order to catch the reader’s attention, using the characters ‘emotions such as sadness, loneliness or using objects, as the bird that symbolized the desire of freedom. Maybe with these representations, we can infer that every aspect of the play has a deep meaning and represented a different time in which women were treated as objects not as people.
    Finally, can say that reading a play could be interesting, and you have to try even if you do not like it, because literature is a precious treasure in which we can learn a lot, just using our imagination; we can create a new world with all the interesting things that an author could give us in their works, because they have a different perception about life as so we do.

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  35. The play trifles is a murder mystery play written by Susan Glaspell.The play is based on the murder of John Wright, who did not have a happy marriage with his wife who was accused of killing him. The setting is in a lonely, cold landscape of the Wright’s kitchen, where the action of the play takes place. The kitchen is in disorder with unwashed dishes, a dirty dishtowel, and a loaf of bread sitting out.

    Elkin Perneth Parra
    The play “Trifles” is focused on the difference between men and women in 1916. The author presents a relevant historical aspect about how the life of women was in that period keeping in mind the abuse treatments not only physical but mentally given by men to women. The author Susan Glaspell clearly shows the inferior position of women and the male superior attitude towards women in early twentieth-century. An example of male superiority dialog appears when Mr Hale says “well, woman are used to worrying over trifles” which I realized that the men in this story had a shallow view of a women’s intelligence and value.

    Glaspell shows us that women in that time did not have much importance besides the role of a house wife, women only lived to serve the men. In conclusion, the main theme of this play is to focus the reader on how some women were treated by men in 1916 and realize how it has changed through the history.

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  36. Trifles
    Triffles is a play written by Susan Glaspell’s based on true events, she stated a feminist criticism and show to the audience the chauvinism of that time where men do not appreciate women. Also it is a clear example about how women can wake up of this nightmare and fight for our human rights as the equality of gender which has not been overcome in this patriarchal society
    After reading and analizying this play, I can infer that this wife committed this crime because she was a desperate housewife with a sad, cold and oppressive emotional life and she was angry when she found the dead canary which was as a symbol of freedom and happiness for her. Also, this play show us the treatment that men gave to women because they were the chief of the house, women were repressive and subdued to them because at that time women were inferior in status and social life, they were just in charge of the house.


    YESICA SIERRA

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  37. TRIFLES

    I have to confess that I do not really like this kind of reading but when I started to read I realized that it was an interesting story about a woman who was physically and mentally hurt by her husband. Personally, I can see how this play reflects nowadays’ social problems, since, we can see how men treat women in a bad way and the huge problem is that sometimes, it is seen too normal by women.

    It is incredible that it exists nowadays men who think that they know everything and women are just unable and not intelligent, so, some of them think that women are like a robot who just are useful for cooking and clean the house like "trifles" which show a woman frustrated, attacked by her husband who used to treat her like an object and not like a real woman would have to be treated.

    I think that the main purpose of this story was show us the social differences between a woman and a man, since Susan Glaspell points out the social problems that could be facing a lot of women due to the way that men think, because several of them think that they are superior in terms of mental and physical abilities. Moreover, as I see it, it is hard to be a woman who is dominated by a man and it is too hard to be a woman who is killed spiritually when she is still breathing with hopeless to be free.

    DARYMAR

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  38. Firstly, this play begins with a small description of Mrs. and Mr. Wright’s home. The reason, in that place Mr. Wright is murdered with a rope around his neck and the possible suspect is his wife Mrs. Wright. Furthermore, the story takes place and action when the people responsible of the case: the county atorney and the sheriff want to discover the facts of the crime together with Mrs. Hale, Mrs. Peter and a neighbor.


    Secondly, while men are looking for the evidences of the crime inside the house, both women begin to speak about the crime in the kitchen, they start organizing the things around it, saying that he county atorney was a critical man. What is more interesting of Trifles is that ,women start finding small details with regard to the crime and one of them is a dead canary hidden in a beautiful box; thanks to it, the reader can realize the way how the canary dies, it might be the same as the Mr. Wright dies.

    Finally, the play ends when women decide to keep silent and to hide the canary. About this ending , I would like to add, that I love the way how the author finishes the story; it is not a normal ending, it means, the reader can create and give some conclusions about the whole play in his mind, this is because of a conscious reading , any person can deduce with his/ her own words the end of the story. To close with this comment, it is possible to say that the most significant reflection of Trifles is to affirm that, the importance of the human being and the life is in the enjoyment of those small details that we hardly ever perceive around us.

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  39. The first time I read the title, I could not understand it; indeed, because I did not the meaning of this word, after looking for its significance it was not very clear.After reading the whole playwright, I would say that “Trifles” is the perfect name for this awesome play, considering that the little things could be master clues in a situation like this one and sometimes, just the characters least expected, as the women could figure out the answer in an unfinished case maybe for the simple fact of being things that only women can see and interpret.
    On the other hand, talking about the story, Susan Glaspell shows in this playwright the magnificence of her work. Thus, when I was reading the story I was completely involved from the beginning until the end, I would not have imagined something better than this awesome plot. In this story, Glaspell uses different elements to catch the attention from the reader as the way to present the context and the movements of the different characters, because you can imagine it and play with them in order to give it some of mystery or intrigue to the playwright. Besides, she stand out the role of the women, maybe in that time they were not taken into consideration and for this reason they did not want to share the clue that they had found, perhaps in order to avoid satires or critiques by the male characters.
    In addition, the end of the story is not clear at all, so that I can infer that there is the possibility the author’s preferences were guided to leave an open ending where the reader is challenged to add what he/she thinks is an interesting way to finish the play. Because in my opinion after socializing the story in class I was not totally sure why Mr. Wright had decided to murder the little bird considering that it was a defenseless animal whose only function was to make Mrs. Wright happy in her loneliness, but on the other side I could say that Mr. Wright was a selfish man who just thought about himself; perhaps for this reason he did not want to establish a real family and this was another trigger for Mrs. Wright acted in such a way. Furthermore, the moral given by this playwright teaches the reader to look for beyond the appearances with objective to figure out the real facts no matter the first impressions.

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  40. TRIFLES BY SUSAN GLASPELL

    To reach a complete analysis of this magnificent work, first, it is necessary to understand the context in which she wrote it and the social status that the author was enjoying.

    Last decades can testify an ideological revolution that has changed the culture making the women visible and providing them with proper voice: the feminism. This phenomenon has caused a deep transformation in the contemporary society since women have achieved those ideas, attitudes and obsolete community values to be corrected. The literature has also been influenced for this feminist revolution adopting a new position against the man as center of the world.

    Susan Glaspell, as other feminist writers in the 19th century, creates in her works an image of the reality through a woman's look covering topics before prohibited, as the condemnation to the patriarchal oppression, the disregard of the woman and her contribution to the society, the search of identity, her fighting in life, etc. Her plays and novels, some of them based in real stories and in her own personal and marital life, are starred by sensitive prominent characters with a rich personality that allow to express the complexity of the human relations.

    Trifles is one of the first American feminist works, very valuable for the subtleness and the sensitivity which it was written. Personally, I consider the plot used by Susan is very ingenious to highlight the capacities of the women waiting in the kitchen; while men looked for evidence, they solved the crime thanks to their trickery, empathy, curiosity and their interest in Trifles then decided not to betray the murder for comprehending intimately her motivations. I recommend fervently to read Trifles since rarely one finds too much mute truth condensed in few pages, in addition, her feminist humour and irony, so carefully used, leaves us with a huge smile in the lips.

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  41. Trifles comment
    First of all, I would like to comment that Reading this story was kind of boring, and the reason is because it is a play and most of it was a conversation by people, there was no much description in the scenes although, I consider watching the staging must be more enjoyable than reading it because the matter of the story is really interesting. This play named “Trifles” (which means small things) was written by Susan Glaspell to reflect a social issue of her epoch, the differences between male and female people.

    This play is a very short staging; it is about a murder in a family composed just by two people Mr. Wright who is the one killed and Mrs. Wright who is the principal suspect. The sheriff, his wife, the county attorney, and the neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Hale come to the Wright household where the homicide occurred, they enter in the kitchen of the Wright house, which is very untidy, the policemen and women have different point of view about the housekeeping of Mrs. Wright, the policemen take a look at the dead body meantime the women take a look at trifles thing in the kitchen.

    Furthermore, the message of this story is very positive, I must say this scene is based on a true story when Susan Glaspell was a young reporter, it also took a place where the women’s rights were not taken into account and also I can suggest the animal rights. So this staging empowers women to fight for their rights and position in the society. I like this story the message is humanistic and empower.

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  42. Talking about my experience reading TRIFLES, I can say that the play caught totally my attention because when I started to read, I immediately wanted to know the end. It relates the murder of John Wright, who unfortunately did not have a happy and perfect marriage with his wife, who has been accused of killing him. It is terrible and the most incredible is that this happens frequently in our society. Without doubt, I thought that for a long time that kind of situations have been revolutionizing our world in reference to the families. In fact, this kind of plays represents or reflects the harsh reality in humanity without love, lacking peace, patience, kindness, goodness, or faithfulness.
    Sincerely, sometimes I got lost reading it. In fact, at the beginning it was not easy for me to understand the whole play and I remember that I was so confused because when I started to read I tried to be concentrated in the characters and after I forgot who was who and so on. Fortunately, at the end I was able to comprehend. In addition to this, there were unknown words and expressions that is why it was necessary for me it read for many times trying to get the general idea. It was a really good experience because I had the opportunity to learn more vocabulary and expressions with the objective to improve my English.
    I guess that the action took place in the rural area, it was a beautiful and calm place, beautifully designed to give its residents space and realistic natural habitats to live in, But in that place was living a family with a lot of problems living there. Susan Glaspell tried to describe to Mrs. Wright as woman isolated, depressed, angry and sad woman. She never had the opportunity to be a mother, for that reason she did not have motives to live. She did not want a divorce; she preferred to kill her own husband.

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  43. TRIFLES
    This Glaspell’s play shows us that the danger is in the details, that the tracks will be always the smallest and the more insignificant stuff those what we perceived as unimportant and irrelevant those that are defined as “Trifles”. I really like when the author can find just a short word or a name as title to sum up the whole story but without anticipating the facts, inviting us to look for the relationship between title and the story in itself. Besides, this play based on real facts is a clear evidence of the social genre difference problems, in which the women just for being women were not intelligent and the men just for being men were superior to them; ignoring, refusing and catching women’s abilities in order to have the most powerful roles in our societies.
    Moreover, we can recognize that at the moment in which a couple got married at that period, the men thought that his wife was already his possession and according to historical facts, just a little part of women were conscious and fought for their rights. What is true is that it was really hard being a woman at that time but sadly, nowadays the situation is not completely different. Controversially, we are aware that some women are who encourage this situation, even we can see mothers who say to their daughters that they have to meet all what their husbands need, like preparing special food for him and wash their clothes every day, even if these women have to work too.
    To finish, I would like to underline that we have to look for a genre equality, sharing feminist ideas and explaining what feminism is about, understanding that what feminist wants is the EQUALITY between men and women, in rights, opportunities, payment and basis. The real feminist politics never will try to underestimate the masculine role in our society; fortunately, they are people who had gotten this idea about feminism. This is why, there are men who say that they are feminist, but maybe some women want to take vengeance, because of, women underestimation and perceived in the word “feminism” a solution to disrespect them, ignoring that men can complement our lives being our friends or being our lovers.
    “Men are from Earth, women are from Earth. Deal with it.” George Carlin

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  44. Simple things can resolve major problems.
    It is commonly known that literature or any other art is a tool to react to the current aspects faced in a specific context. Susan Glaspell showed through trifles the inferiority experienced by women in an ironical chauvinist society. Following the sequence of the play I was not interested in who the murderer was but the relationship between men (“the intelligent men”) and the ladies. I eventually thought it is not that women are better than men but the fact that being a woman does not imply to have fewer opportunities than them.
    Trifles also tackle, to some degree, the relevance of preserving law. One could think in those times, each crime was legally condemned. At this point, what becomes fascinating to me is how a fraternal feeling overcomes that supremacy of law; “women all go through the same things” said Mrs. Hale in an attempt to justify Mrs. Wright. Although they were subdued to a patriarchal conception, they endeavored to establish the way things should be.
    I consider every line has an implicit critique to this chauvinist society briefly mentioned by Susan; a Mrs. Wright, whose years passed leaving a sad atmosphere, a Mrs. Peters who is forced to “be married to law”, and a Mrs. Hale that wonders why their worries are less important than men’s. These characters are the beginning of a fight for equal rights

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  45. TRIFLES

    Every story has a special detail that involves and in which we can know different adventures that in some cases are to our taste and in others not much, but that is the interesting point in literature that we decide if we want to be or not part of it, that depend on our aptitude and good disposition before reading a story. In this opportunity, we read Trifles by Susan Glaspell. If we analyze the title, this is different from the others, I mean, we can imagine diverse situations that could happen and maybe none of them have relation to the story. When I read the full play, I realized, why the author had chosen it, and maybe because, trifles are the key of the story and in my personal opinion in the small things, we can find an answer, a great moment or what we are looking for.


    Talking about the play, in my humble opinion, the purpose of Susan Glaspell was to criticize the women’s role in the society, because in the epoch when this story took place, men considered that women had to be in an inferior level where they did not have neither voice nor vote, indeed man decided everything. On the other hand, although women’s role did not change a lot, nowadays women decide in some cases what they want to do with their life, and I say in some cases, because there are cultures where women are still subjugated and they can not express what they really think because, it is considered as an offence for men.


    To conclude, this story show us a fatal solution that a woman took revenge in order to be free and to leave behind all of things that did not allow her to be; however, that is the key message of this play that we can not do the same, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” it does not matter how big is our problem before acting, we have to think and analyze all of the consequences that our decision can bring.

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  46. Trifles
    When I read the title the first time, I could not understand the main theme in the story, because I did not know how to relate it; it was just a word “trifles”, I did not know its meaning so, I have to look for it in a dictionary. After, while reading, I tried to find a relation between the story and the title, I asked myself how a crime could have connection with an insignificant word, I thought.
    It was necessary to pay attention to the expressions and the actions of the characters because in any way it became confused for me, to identify the speech of each one, who were and what were their business in the story, because through the characters the author wanted to show us something, she did not write without any purpose. In this way, at that moment I read about Susan’s biography, I realized that she wanted to express the feminism, also, the expressions of men against women, they thought to have the power over women; because in that time, woman did not have the opportunity to decide by herself.
    I imaged the treatment Mrs. Wright received from her husband, moreover, the imprisonment she lived in her own house, and in any way I understood her; but the crime she committed was terrible, if I was in this position I tried to leave the man and not kill him. Thanks to the other women she was not arrested, I would not like to be in prison because it will be the same situation that she had at home. Nowadays, there are people who think similarly, men who abuse and intimidate women and women who want liberty, no more oppression in their lives and in some occasions they kill for revenge.
    I do not know if when the woman kept the bird was the correct action but the convenient, a defense for woman in a tragic but liberating moment. That little dead bird was the trifle, the key to find out the criminal who assassinated Mr. Wright, because it was the detonator of repressed feelings in Mrs. Wright. The little details a woman could keep without be detected for men, because they looked only the mess in the kitchen and criticized women’s labor at home, but they did not know women had the answer in their hands.
    To conclude, I liked the way Susan Glaspell showed in her play the feminism and the chauvinism at the same time, and it does not matter the age we live even today it is possible to see situations in which men discriminate women or vice versa that depends on the culture and social behavior.

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  47. TRIFLES

    Before starting talking about my reflection of the play Trifles, I want to introduce with a concept that involves the entire topic: Culture. Precisely, this play reflects the domain of a woman who wants to change the atmosphere at home. But as a contrast with reality, the culture has been commissioned to make us understand the obligation of the subjection and silence of women as a rule in a society. That is why, culture is a complex phenomenon and a powerful human tool covering everything in a society. Maybe, this is a difficult word to comprehend.

    On the other hand, when I read at the first time the tittle I was confused because I did not have any idea about the word “trifles”. According to the free dictionary by Farlex, the meaning of trifles is something of little importance or value, is to deal with something as if it were of little significance or value. That is why, trying to understand the title when I read that definition I supposed that the whole play was about a poor family with some occasional difficulties for reasons of financial problems, stress, alcohol or lack of respect in a relationship. But reading the play I observed that it was completely different. Without doubt, I cannot deny that reading that kind of interesting play was a very difficult task for me because sometimes I got lost. I had to read many times due to the fact that you have to be enough concentrated in order to follow the sequence. But at the end, I could have a clear idea and to enjoy the whole play. It was really fun and so interesting the role of each characters as George Henderson, Henry Peters, Lewys Haler, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale.

    By the way, I was surprised about how Mrs. Wright was so cold. Sometimes I felt afraid and curious about that terrible situation thinking in how a woman is capable to kill her own husband maybe for revenge. It is one more case that adds to the rising and shameful statistics of gender violence. Families in the modern world no longer stay together. It is so sad how people change. Some people live just to play the game but in a dangerous game. God help us!

    To conclude, I want to express that I really admire Susan Gaspell because is one of the most fantastic writers abroad. This wonderful play caught totally my attention because I could realize how a woman can control involving changes in different situations. Nowadays, no matter what we do or what we say as women, we have the opportunity to live freely, it could be with music, art, religion, customs and any other capabilities and habits required.

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  48. TRIFLES

    First of all, this play was based on a real story. It was a murder that happened in the Wright’s farmhouse and nobody knew who did it. The sheriff, Mr. Hale and the county attorney did not know if Mrs. Wright was the murderer or not, what was Mrs. Wright doing during the homicide?, why did not Mrs. Wright see and hear anything? Or how did she commit the crime? In the same way, detectives wanted to have knowledge of how the relationship between them was and what was the real story behind this family.

    Another key point is that “Trifles” shows us Mrs. Wright as a frustrated and submitted woman. Indeed, before she got married to John Wright, her life, her personality and her clothes were different, for instance: She was Minnie Foster, she was a sweet and pretty woman. All those qualities disappeared when she knew Mr. Wright she became a timid and her clothes were not more colorful.

    Under those circumstances, I think that their marriage and their relationship were awful. In other words, Mr. and Mrs. Wright were two poles apart, they did not share anything and this was demonstrated when she discovered her canary dead. In this case, the canary represented her freedom and happiness. Actually, the canary was such as her child.

    Finally, “Trifles” means not only the evidences of the crime, but the simple things that people forget in their relationship, in this case John Wright in his marriage; things that could be kept alive our “LOVE”. For example, the relationship with our parents, friends, girl or boyfriends, husband or wife must be outstanding, it is necessary to keep in mind that in our relation is significant sharing good moments, laughing, saying beautiful words, talking to each other and all days say I love you! But the most relevant aspect is: DO NOT FORGET YOU LET TIME GO BY WITHOUT YOU RESOLVE TRIFLES IN YOUR LIFE!

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  49. Alexandra torres

    Trifles
    In my opinion, “Trifles” is an interesting play that wants to show us women's rights firstly. Also in this play, Glaspell carefully wishes to demonstrate intra-family violence it is a common problem that affects woman’s behavior with people around them, for example causing bad mood or psychological problem.
    On the other hand, Glaspell in her play refutes that woman’s rights should be respected in order to prevent affecting the feelings of them because it can influence them psychologically. Thus, my intuition tells me that Susan defends the feminism: For example, in the climax of the play, when Mrs. Wrights finds the canary dead in the box, her motive to kill her husband, then this shows us that the woman is able to fight for her moral, demonstrating rights are important too and these should be respected without mattering the genre.

    Finally, the play wanted to express women's rights have to be considered as children’s rights too. On the other hand, “Trifles” looks for expanding that women have the same rights as men for example the equality of genres for that reason I admire Susan Glaspell because I believe she is the first woman that defends to feminism and at the same time she wants to express men should respect the feminist’s ideas and also she attacks the husbands are not always the authority at home and in a marriage, they should share the equality.


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  50. By Susan Glaspell

    Sincerely, when I started reading Trifles it was not a good experience. Why? Because it is known that the main part of a reading is the title, and what I want to express here is that the title was not a catchy one. But the situation started getting better in the scene number one, because it gave a broad description of the setting, what helped me as reader to locate myself in order to follow a sequence. On the other hand, it is important to highlight that the characters were mentioned in a clear way too.
    Related to the organization of the scenes I would say that I liked it the most because they were not so long and also they were marked for the readers to follow an order. Especially, it was easy to understand because the events were narrated clearly like expressing a real situation.
    I do not know if I am not good at reading comprehension because as I was saying, the play was well organized and there were not unknown vocabulary, but the situation was that it was difficult for me to discover the real sense of it. So, what I had to do was to ask to a classmate if she had understood it, and then I asked her again to explain it to me. In fact, I clarified it when in the class the teacher said that the title Trifles is because in the simple details there is the real sense of it.
    As a conclusion, this kind of literary plays are useful for every student because it helps us to improve our reading comprehension skill. I would say that a very good strategy to learn to read and comprehends is trying with several types of texts. I appreciate Anglophone literature the most because in this subject we have to make the effort to read, that is why our reading skill is getting better every day.

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  51. Trifles is a play in which a crime committed in a farmhouse encloses a patriarchal dominance that tops in a woman’s frantic decision. Susan Glaspell not only recreated a story of an assassination that could not be solved by the investigators but a great canvas where a mixture of different colours sketched a miserable and shady panorama that women like Mrs Wright have to live in a society that sometimes seem to be unaware and impervious to the suffering and pain.
    The tittle of this play describes assertively one simple rule that regularly we use to disregard: “Great things are made of details”. It is interesting how throughout the story, Glaspell shows us how frustration and oppression, both can transmute into several ways to escape from the intrinsic jail we inhabit. Behind that patriarchal dominance is hidden a wish that perhaps Mrs Wright wanted the most and it is “ her identity as a woman” that is constantly broken by the subordination she always has to admit. Loneliness is also expressed by the author as well as a dark feeling of revenge that is clearly exemplified by the analogy of bird´s death.
    Another relevant aspect to analyse is the immense ability of women to associate that fancy little box as the principal evidence for Mr Wright´s murderer intrepidity. Even the investigators could find out that evidence, they just focused on obvious things so their deductive abilities were blocked. That is exactly what frequently happens to us when we are confronting big dilemmas in or daily life, we focus on the problem not on the solution so that becomes a bigger trouble because sometimes the answer is closer but trifle out of our sight.

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  52. Trifles is a play in which the author employed suspense in the story in order to catch readers’ attention, because the story started without showing the kind of genre, so, after reading deeply I realized that it was one story that mixes mystery and suspense. I guess this kind of plot is effective because some readers prefer to read stories like this than another one, just for the simple fact of being a real situation, as we know the author took into account many important aspects of her own life.
    On the other hand, the part that I liked the most in the story was when Mr. Hale got inside de house and found out Mrs. Wright rocking in her chair, with a smile on her face and laughing for her husband death. Besides, this case was not solved because they do not know where Mrs. Wright was and what was the real reason why she killed her husband, it is important to highlight how the author showed each transition in the act. I would say this playwright was a tragedy comedy because it was sad how Mr. Wright died but at the same time, it is funny how Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peter tried to get advance for the event.
    After having read, I can infer that this story shows how women defend their genre (female) against bad behaviors of men. Although Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale had idea that Mrs. Wright had killed her husband, they did as if they did not know. Maybe the truth could have helped for solving this case.

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  53. “Trifles”

    First at all, when I started to read “Trifles” I was really confused about what “Trifles” meant but at the same time I was motivated to read more, honestly I had to read it many times in order to understand and follow the continuity of the play, but at the end I could learn more about each one of the characters (George Henderson, Henry Peters, Lewys Haler, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale). In addition, one aspect that caught my attention it was the case of Mrs. Wright and his awful decision to kill her husband.
    On the other hand, Susan Gapell, a great writer because she caught my attention using characters’ emotions such as sadness and loneliness and I could realize that despite the woman’s situation at this moment women have more opportunities with the chance to fight for their rights to be free and have a better life.
    Finally, I considered that read this play was interesting because I discovered in Literature a way to learn more and think about this topic with the objective of being a better person without limitations.

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  54. A Trifle Comment

    By: Mingyar Alejandro Avellaneda

    There is always a co-relation between Environment and the inhabitants of it. Many features of their behavior are conditioned by all the dynamics presented inside a particular set-up. In the case of the reading, “Trifles”, it happens to be very oppressive: people were thought just as tools or a part of the society that doesn’t count as individuals, just as “pins”. In fact, it is impossible to say if it begins inside or outside the components of this population. I would say it starts in the essence of the human being conforming that society. They constrain each other, providing all of them with an unpleasant life style.
    Such is the case of the home of the “Wright’s, they didn’t decide to live together based on their feelings, but it appears to be it was just a matter of having another one to live with, no more than that, or even to fulfill what they were expected to do according to the predominant values of the families of that time. It advocates, when the oppression is unbearable, to execute acts that show the true state of the mood of the person under the effects of this situation. As the writer illustrates, even a murder could be executed.
    Now, paying close attention to the elements surrounding this fact, the murder, we find that the main element is indifference, even present in the general state of the house: the kitchen is dirty, and so is the floor; the singing of the “birdie” is also disregarded, which can be taken as the very voice of Mrs. Wright who was a singer some time ago. The product of misunderstanding and that necessity of demonstrate something (happiness, in this case) based on fake appearances which do not fit with the life presented inside that home, and even the element present on the fact that they didn’t even touch each other, as may be inferred by the scene of the tight sleep of the madame, and the death of the husband which was unadvertised in the bed.
    Before finishing, I would like to add my own hypothesis: the bird wasn’t killed, it only died. But the feeling for having lost the melody of its voice, and that it was noteless by no one, specially the husband, made explode everything, and caused a fatal consequence.

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  55. TRIFFLES

    trifles is an amazing play where it is demonstrated that women are more intelligent than so many people think, considering that they have shown their great abilities to solve an impossible case for the men. One of the main aspects that the author highlights is chauvinism pointing women as the weak gender. They are only able to cook, wash and gossip; and the only place for them is the kitchen. For me, this is a real pathetic way of thinking that still prevails nowadays.
    Gender fanaticism is always accompanied by the scorn to women. They are underestimated to the point that ladies have considered themselves as the worst creature- that is what men say. We see the case of Mr. Wright who disregarded his wife and considered her just as an object he could use for his sake. The wife kept silent because she was a submissive person who obeyed everything her husband ordered, but all changed when John killed the bird that remembered her she was happy during his youth, she used to sing and she had her illusions and dreams alive. This fact generated a deep hate in Mrs. Wright that drove her to craziness, this pain leaded her to commit murder. She decided to kill her husband in the same way he murdered the bird, twisting his neck till death.
    In this play, we also observe how gender loyalty remains, though the women discovered the true killer, the seekers were guided to know it was Mrs. Wright the murderer, but their consideration for her was so big that they decided to say nothing and let the men continue in their greed.

    Jennifer Bautista

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  56. I consider Trifles by Susan Glaspell as a feminist work; this playwright narrates the story of the murder of John Wright. I really enjoyed reading that, because it in this play the author explores the situation of woman in a sexist society. This is about the social divisions created by gender roles. At that time women were confined to the home and their contributions were unnoticed and undervalued.

    I think that women are usually underestimated by men. In the story, while the men were trying to solve the crime, the women explored through Mrs. Wrights' belongings. They noticed simple things out of place in the home, which men could not see. They found clues that revealed that Mrs. Wright had been the murderer. Nevertheless, they did not reveal that, because they felt identified with Mrs. Wright’s situation. This poor woman was mistreated by her husband, she forgot her dreams and she became a sad housewife who worked all time in order to make him happy. In my opinion, Glaspell’s story show as the societal values of women at the time and their roles in the home. We can appreciate how Glaspell used a feminist critique to question the inequalities of women and highlighting the subordination that men have on females.
    To sum up, while the men searched clues around the farmhouse, the women discover bits of evidence in the "trifles" of a farmer's wife. Because the men ignored the women's world, they remained blind to the truth before their eyes. I think that this represents the reality of nowadays woman’s situation. Women are often considered to be mere trifles, unimportant issues that bear little or no importance to the true work of society, which, of course is not entirely being carried out by men. Women are equal, are intelligent, beautiful and make of this world a better world

    July Alexandra Rosas

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  57. Feminism Differs from Women’s Supremacy

    Who says that feminism is about women’s supremacy? Who dares to say that men are better than women or vice versa? It is even absurd to try to give an answer. Nobody dares to answer to these questions since simply, there is not a fair response, or because they barely have arguments to sustain their position that gender equality is not possible. Everything is obtainable since disposition stands.

    Trifles is that kind of work that make me talk or write more than I should: it touches my sensibility as an individual and more directly, as a woman. It is impossible not to reacting, not to arguing face such an important topic when we know that it covers something that almost everyone disregards. That is true, even when politicians and other people who consider themselves defenders of human beings’ rights have sold a false image of what they really do for ensuring gender equality. They only defend themselves because society has disturb their own arguments and because they still have the assumption of being stronger than the others. With this, I am not placing them in a superior stage because it would surely be ridiculous and unfair, but considering the miserable situation in which women have been misplaced. Trifles was for me the source that opened me up to a very interesting self-discussion since it touches my gender, the discrimination that even in 20th century women suffer only because somebody casually said that men were best than women and that we were the ones who decided to get married to the kitchen. Just sarcasm! That is not fair; that is disgusting and annoying. And I am not saying that we, women, are believed to be the sweetest ones, the most intelligent ones or even the most capable. I am just saying that we are also human beings and that we have rights that should be respected. It is not a reclamation, but an adjustment.

    Briefly, women should be afforded the same respect and opportunities as men, they should be involved in the decision-making of their country and be able to inspire freedom and independence. They should be as strong as men are told to be and consider in what corner of their life they are placing the self-esteem they deserve. Thus, women are not weak until they give the others that weapon to be hurt. It is time to change our spectrum of ideals and start looking for the guidance that ensures our independence and rights.

    Omairys Torres Moya

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  58. Trifles really matter
    Estefanía Orozco

    Trifles is basically a feminist play based on the past hard situation of women who were treated as inferior beings. In that time, women did not work and did not study since their role was essentially played at home as the typical submissive and dedicated housewives. Consequently, Susan Glaspell wanted to evidence that problematic and the tragic consequences of woman abuse throughout this play.

    The starting point of Trifles plot is the mysterious murder of a man in his house, the rest of the story is centered on the search for evidence in order to find the guilty of the crime. This search is carried out by the victim’s neighbors, Mr. Hale and his wife, the sheriff and Mrs. Peters guided by the county attorney. Glaspell describes the characters giving the reader the idea of gender inequality; for instance, all the male characters are workers whereas female characters only play housewives’ role in a familiar environment. Besides, the title of this play shows from the beginning the stereotype society had about women in that time, as less important beings whose feelings and thoughts had no significance. In this way, the author makes an ironic contrast between the two genres since even if women are considered as less intelligent people, men are the stupid ones who never take into account the kitchen as a place to look for the evidences and they never see the victim's wife as a possible murderer.

    This story made me think about all the difficulties that women have lived throughout humankind history, fighting for their rights, for their freedom and for gender equality. I really liked the way in which Susan Glaspell shows the female intelligence and sagacity in the play since actually are the women who found the evidence and discover the perpetrator of the crime, Mrs. Wright. Even if a woman looks like a fragile person she is actually a powerful being that have changed and improved human life in all senses and in all ways from the first time man set foot on the earth.

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  59. First of all, it is important to mention that Trifles offers an easy lesson on symbols; the title of the play is a symbol itself. Trifles represent to the men everything that women think are important. In essence, women are trifles as the strangulated bird symbolizes the wretched life led by Mrs. Wright; so I consider that although the play is very short, it touches a lot of interesting subjects such as the relationship between gender and power in American society, the superior behavior of the male characters that involves women trying to make their voices heard in a society that considers them inferior; and finally, the reconstructed brutality of John Wright stand in stark contrast to the women's unwillingness to pass judgment and the ability to sympathize with Mrs. Wright.
    The only unusual spot is Mrs. Wright herself, although we are, I think, intended to conclude that she killed her husband because he murdered the bird that was her only friend, the rest of her actions and fears are unexplained. For instance, her evident disposition to be caught in the house, her appeal for an apron and some other household things (though the two women speculate that she just wants to feel normal). Of course, her nonappearance makes it really difficult to get any understanding of her, and all we have to work from the two women's speculation.
    To conclude, I really wonder if Minnie Foster should be condemned…I mean she caused the crime, yes, in legal terms, that is wrong and she should be punished but, how about the crime that John Wright did to her? He murdered her soul, her spirit and… who is going to punish that crime?

    I just want to add that it must be hard to be a woman in that time and it must be even harder to be a woman who feels herself arrested in her own house, a woman sitting spiritually dead when she is still breathing with hopeless to be free.

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  60. THE ADVANTAGE OF HAVING A SIXTH SENSE

    Trifles is a short play written by Susan Glaspell, a feminist American playwright who based this story in a real episode in which she was involved as a journalist, which job she resigned and became a writer. Afterwards, Susan wrote Trifles” in 1916 as a play and then she rewrote it as a short story, in this opportunity called “A Jury of her Peers”.

    As regards to the content, the author explores the women role in society who are often underestimated. Thus, in this play the author presents that women are as competent as men. The play was about a woman who was depressed about her failed marriage, she was tired since her husband did not appreciate her efforts for being a good wife. Afterwards, three men and two women came to her house in order to investigate the facts of the crime; however, men did not notice any clue about the homicide. In fact, they were focused on finding the weapon used to commit the crime, meanwhile, women analysed every single detail about Mrs. Wright’s daily life. At the same time, men made fun of them, because women went into irrelevant details. In spite of it, women continued looking for some clues or solving the crime and finally thanks to their shrewdness and curiosity, they found the reason why Mrs. Wright committed the murder. Nevertheless, they did not say anything since they knew how unhappy Mrs. Wright was in her marriage. It was an act of female solidarity.

    In short, Trifles is a play that made me think not only about the difficulties women had to overcome in order to get the equality, but also this story let me a significant lesson for life. Currently, we live in a world full of stupid stereotypes that people use to be mean against other people in order to show their superiority. Personally, I totally disagree with those people because they must not underestimate others for their physical appearance, race, gender, etc. For me it does not matter how handsome and intelligent you are since people will always find a reason to change you. The important thing here is appreciating the world as it is. Nowadays, women are considered being gossip and curious. I think that having a sixth sense is an advantage. In my humble opinion, men have to be as curious and gossip as women: it will help them to better appreciate little details at first time.

    Johana Serrano.

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  61. Trifles is a play written by a woman that I would call “activist”, Susan Glaspell, since in her writings she used semi-autobiographical tales which address contemporary issues, such as gender, ethics, and dissent against chauvinism, while featuring deep, sympathetic characters who make principled stands.

    I find those themes really interesting and polemic, especially during the time she dealt with them, as it was an epoch when women where pushed into the background and underestimated by men and society as well, their only purpose in life was looking after their husbands and giving them children, sons mainly, so that they helped their father cultivating the land and working hard in order to bring money to the house. And this is exactly the theme that is touched on Trifles implicitly. Maybe the author did not want to mention explicitly the theme(s) of the play (Female identity; law, duty, and justice; patriarchal dominance; revenge; domesticity; empathy and protection; and/or loneliness) but in a fashion where she could show that women, the so-called "weaker sex", are as or even more intelligent, useful and clever than men in society. Consequently, I consider that Susan Glaspell achieved in demonstrating her point as in the end of the story the reader realizes that the ones that actually solved the crime were the women while the men where only focused on mocking and scorning them.

    However, as far as the story itself is concern, I need to be honest and say that I hated every moment while I was reading it. I found it very boring as I think that the development of facts occur extremely slowly and the author paid too much attention to the characters’ dialogs instead of making the story theme a little bit more understandable to the reader because when I reached the end I was like Condorito (plop!), as I expected a more clear ending. It took me few minutes to truly understand the play and its purpose.

    Finally, I think that Trifles is a play about engaging and problematic issues in society which every woman should be interested in but with a very boring writing way of presenting facts. However the important matter here is the social problem that is touched.

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  62. TRIFLES: THE CLUES WHICH SOLVED THE CASE.

    First of all, it is essential to mention that Susan Glaspell’s writings and her plays are clearly feminist, taking into account the roles that women play in a sexist society and also in the relationships. That is why, Trifles has as main theme the gender conflicts, since it is about how men underestimate women’s attitudes, opinions and behaviors, and we can appreciate how women can be even smarter and more meticulous when people want to obtain something. Therefore, Glaspell aims at demonstrating how the male role attempts to be above the female one, since it has been always considered as the strong gender; however, she wants to express that this statement is totally wrong because it is not always about physical strength but the cognitive aspect and the capacity of resistance human beings have to develop.

    Concerning the plot, as it was written in the first paragraph, this play is strongly feminist and the men of this story are contemptuous about what these women say and what they consider important. Trifles is about a murder case where some male characters attempt at discovering if the Mr. Wright’s murderer is his wife -being the only suspect in the case-, but into the investigation there are two female presences as well, who were the neighbors of the Wright’s house. During the search of clues, the men make comments and mock the women because they concern about details related to the kitchen and home issues, and one of the men argues that their wives only worry about trifles, it means, about aspects they find insignificant; nevertheless, the most ironic thing is that those trifles are the elements which guide them to know that indeed was Mrs. Wright the person who killed her husband due to she was desperate at playing her whole life the role as a housewife.

    As a conclusion, I would like to state that despite the fact this story did not captivate me as the previous ones, since also the sequence of the play was not as I expected; I did like the way the author wanted to express that women are essential too, and not to be the men’s support and the ones who must feed them because that is the rule after the marriage, but to demonstrate that women can be as strong and qualified as men; in other words, she wanted to make evident what the female people are capable of. Consequently, in my opinion, it was interesting how she fought for women’s rights through a play.

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  63. What makes a woman to be intelligent?

    I cannot understand how in a “developed” society the role of women was insignificant. Trifles is one of those stories that shows how women were humiliated since the men’s thinking was that women were made only to be in the kitchen to cook and take care of children. It was as if they were in jail. They were as a bird in a cage without any possibility of being free. Men did not care about women’s opinions because for them it was unimportant. However, it must been said that even if men were so rude with women, they could not live without one since their lives would be a chaos. I can affirm that if a man at that time would not have had a woman really close, he would have starved since he only knew how to work in an office.

    Even if it was the perception that people had at that epoch, with this story I could appreciated that in fact, women’s opinions were important, that they were intelligent, that the fact that they worried about “trifles” made them clever since they could see what men could not, women could go further in analyzing those small details, and at the end they were more intelligent than men. Maybe men in that time took their right to express their ideas, feelings, emotions away; but they never could take their ability to think about away. Women were so intelligent that they were capable of doing works that men did, the problem was that society did not allow it. The society’s thought was really poor, it limited women just to stay at home and worry about their family. But it does not mean that they were not capable of working in an office.

    Finally, I would like to say that this story makes fun of those sexist men that believed that the role of women was just to stay at home to work for their husband. This story shows women as intelligent persons able to discover important clues to resolve a crime. They did what men did not, they discovered what men could not. In conclusion they did a work that only men were supposed to do at that time. This fact shows women as smart and men as stupid.

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  64. Trifles is the story of a group of people who are trying to solve a murder, the two men in charge of the real crime (a detective and an attorney) are looking around for evidence that can prove that the dead man’s wife is the murderer, but the neighbour of the killer and the wife of the detective who are underestimated women, at the end, find the evidence and solve the crime, but decide to empathise with the murderer and they hide it all.

    This play shows the perspective of the writer Susan Glaspell a feminist, who through her dialogues and a very ordinary situation proves that women are in fact capable of thinking, solving and being part of the men’s world even without wanting to, they changed the course of the events by deciding not to give the criminal in, just because they could relate to her feelings and comprehend her actions, that is why they hide the conclusive proof of the murderer’s action and by doing it they highlight their role as important life course changing characters.

    What I like about this play besides the importance that it gives to women in a narrow minded sexist world, is the fact that the playwright was capable of doing it so, with a very simple situation, we as readers are able to understand the situation women are going through and feel sorry for them, since they are very underestimated. At the end, even though it was against the law and any moral, it was comprehensible, not acceptable but comprehensible, what the murderer did, and because of that I believe that the action of the women is justified as well, they knew what being a woman in that environment was, and lots of people can relate to them as well.

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  65. TRIFLES: the power of women

    Trifles is a play written by Susan Glaspell, which tells the story of the investigation of the murder of John Wright, where the five characters: the sheriff Henry Peters, the county attorney George Henderson, the neighboring farmer Lewis Hale, her wife Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are trying to find evidence in order to solve the case. The male characters conduct the official investigation while the female characters conduct their own one.

    This play caught my attention since it reflects an early Feminist where women are able to think reasonable in order to find the different hits which will help them to discover that Mrs. Wright is the murder of her husband. Another aspect related to this point is the title “trifles” which reveals in any way the minor importance that the sheriff and the county give to the women who are in the Wright’s house, principally, because they do not expect these women are able to give any real contribution to the investigation, it means that women in that time were considered as not important in the society, acting as submissive beings and in most of the cases their works were limited to housework. Similarly, Sexism inflicted by Mr. Wright where he did not respect the freedom of his wife who starts to feel lonely, sad and manipulated by those macho attitudes, losing her dignity and the things that made her feel like a valuable and loved woman, her only company is her bird and when she notices her only real company is dead, she reacts with the huge desire of revenge. Maybe because of that, those women is able to understand the pain of Mrs. Wright and the reasons why she commits this crime, somehow they justify her and her feelings and finally they decide to cover the evidence.

    To sum up, as in a general view I would like to say that even if the story was very touching, the end was not exactly what I was expecting. Thought in this play the author wants to emphasize the importance of woman as beings with the same qualities, abilities and intelligence than men, increasing their participation in a society in which she is part but often denigrates and excludes her, showing that it can be an inspiration and motivation to change the world and increases the opportunities for all women.

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  66. Trifles is a Play which tells us the story of a homicide; John Wright was murdered in his own house, he was found in his bed with a rope around his neck, his wife was the only witness, she was supposed to be sleeping with him at night and it was reasonable that she would listen his husband struggle against the murderer. The Sheriff, the County Attorney and Lewis Hale decided to solve this case and they went to John Wright house to look for some evidence, they wanted to find any possible reason which pointed out why John Wright was killed. On this mission Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale were with them, these ladies were assigned to look for some clothes for Mrs. Wright who was in prison.

    Men looked around for a clue, and left behind women without noticing what were they doing. Surprisingly, women found a dead bird with its head all twisted, and with some conjectures they deducted the reason why she had killed her husband: “Ms. Wright was not an agreeable man to live with so Mrs. Wright found a new friend, her little bird, which was unfortunately killed by John Wright liberating Mrs. Wright anger.” These women having discovered the possible reason of the murder decided to say nothing, because they recognized the bad luck Mrs. Wright had had for being married with such an oppressive man, they felt sympathy and reflected their own situation on her. Men never knew the truth because these women covered it all.

    With this play we can notice women’s history, women were underestimated for so many years, and they were forced to accomplish only the home duties keeping quiet their voices and their thoughts; men affirmed that women place were any apart from home. However, this story shows how women can be clever than men, and how those things which does not mean anything to men and only women are able to see could lead to the solving of a crime. Women intelligence has no limits and this play, situated on a time were this was not still noticed, just affirms women importance, women power.

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