“Trifles” Lecture Notes
SUMMARY
Susan Glaspell’s one-act play Trifles is a pioneering feminist drama that explores how women’s perspectives and domestic experiences are often dismissed by patriarchal society. The play is set in a rural farmhouse where a woman named Mrs. Wright (née Minnie Foster) has been arrested for allegedly murdering her husband, Mr. Wright, by strangling him in his sleep.
While the men (the county attorney, sheriff, and a neighboring farmer) search the house for evidence of a motive, their wives—Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters—accompany them but are largely ignored. As the women examine the “trifles” of Mrs. Wright’s domestic life, such as unfinished sewing, broken preserves, and a dead canary, they piece together her emotional and psychological suffering in an abusive and isolated marriage. The men, blind to the significance of these details, fail to solve the case. Ultimately, the women choose not to reveal what they’ve discovered.
ANALYSIS
• Structure: A one-act play with no scene changes, creating a compressed and tense narrative. The confined domestic setting emphasizes the theme of isolation.
• Dialogue: Sparse but pointed, highlighting the social dynamic between men and women.
• Irony: The men scoff at “women’s concerns,” yet it is the women—by attending to these “trifles”—who uncover the emotional truth of the crime.
• Tone: Subtly critical and quietly revolutionary. The play never overtly condemns patriarchal structures but allows the audience to draw its own conclusions through subtext and action.
Glaspell uses dramatic irony effectively: the audience understands the significance of the women’s discoveries while the male characters remain oblivious.
THEMES
• Gender Roles and Misogyny: The play critiques how women’s voices and experiences are systematically undervalued.
• Justice and Moral Ambiguity: Trifles explores the tension between legal justice and moral justice. The women choose solidarity over law.
• Domestic Space and Isolation: The kitchen and household items are symbolic of Mrs. Wright’s isolated life. Her entire identity is buried beneath her domestic role.
• Empathy and Female Solidarity: The shared experiences of Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters lead to an emotional alliance with Mrs. Wright, suggesting the power of women supporting women.
SYMBOLS
• The Dead Bird (Canary): A powerful symbol of Mrs. Wright’s lost vitality and spirit. Its broken neck mirrors the method of Mr. Wright’s murder.
• The Quilt: Represents both the routine of domestic life and the unraveling of Mrs. Wright’s mental state. The “bad stitching” is a clue to her distress.
• The Broken Preserves (Jars of Fruit): Reflect the emotional and psychological fragility of Mrs. Wright’s world. The cold and the cracked jars suggest things falling apart under pressure.
• The Kitchen: A symbol of traditional femininity and the domestic sphere—dismissed by the men but rich in emotional truth.
HISTORICAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT
• Written during the early 20th century, Trifles reflects first-wave feminist concerns, particularly the lack of women’s legal and political rights.
• Glaspell based the play on a real murder case she covered as a journalist in Iowa.
• The play anticipates later feminist literary themes, including the silencing of women and
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
• Why do the men fail to uncover the motive for the murder while the women succeed?
• What is the significance of the title Trifles? How does it reflect the attitudes of the male characters?
• How does Glaspell portray the concept of justice? Do the women do the right thing by concealing what they’ve found?
• How is isolation depicted in the play? In what ways is Mrs. Wright cut off from her community and identity?
• Can Trifles be considered an early feminist text? Why or why not?