Trifles
Hailey Ringold
Dr. Kelley
English 1020
18/ 07/ 23
Susan Glaspell raises awareness to many controversial topics and through symbolism in her play, “Trifles” in the early 1900s. The opening of the one-act play starts by introducing the characters that are; the young and arrogant County Attorney named George Henderson, Henry Peters who is the sheriff along with his wife, as well as neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Hale. The three men immediately walk into the home of Mr. and Mrs. Wright, while the women wait uncomfortably in the foyer. The men gather around a fire as Mr. Henderson explains what he witnessed the day of the murder. Mr. Henderson arrives at the house to ask John Wright if he wanted to split the cost of a phone line. He knocks without an answer and then becomes more persistent until he hears Mrs. Wright tell him to come inside. As he walks inside he finds her rocking in her chair, pleating an apron. He describes her looking “queer” and almost “as if she didn’t know what she was going to do next.” And kind of “done up.” Mr. Hale asks if he can see her husband and she begins to laugh. She said he was dead upstairs, as she continued to rock in her chair. When asked what he died of she replies nonchalantly, “He died of a rope around his neck”. The search begins in the disarrayed kitchen and the men comment on Mrs. Wrights bad house keeping. The two women examine her preserves and mention how upset she would be if the jars broke. The men find this humorous and remark “women are used to worrying over trifles”. Mrs. Hale states that she had not been to visit the Wright house often because it “never seemed to be a cheerful place and suggests that John Wright was not a pleasant man. As the women collect clothes to take to Mrs. Wright in jail, they acknowledge that she had not finished most of the tasks she had worked on. Unlike the male characters, the women began to talk about Minnie Foster, before she was Minnie Wright. They said she was once a member
Dr. Kelley
English 1020
18/ 07/ 23
Susan Glaspell raises awareness to many controversial topics and through symbolism in her play, “Trifles” in the early 1900s. The opening of the one-act play starts by introducing the characters that are; the young and arrogant County Attorney named George Henderson, Henry Peters who is the sheriff along with his wife, as well as neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Hale. The three men immediately walk into the home of Mr. and Mrs. Wright, while the women wait uncomfortably in the foyer. The men gather around a fire as Mr. Henderson explains what he witnessed the day of the murder. Mr. Henderson arrives at the house to ask John Wright if he wanted to split the cost of a phone line. He knocks without an answer and then becomes more persistent until he hears Mrs. Wright tell him to come inside. As he walks inside he finds her rocking in her chair, pleating an apron. He describes her looking “queer” and almost “as if she didn’t know what she was going to do next.” And kind of “done up.” Mr. Hale asks if he can see her husband and she begins to laugh. She said he was dead upstairs, as she continued to rock in her chair. When asked what he died of she replies nonchalantly, “He died of a rope around his neck”. The search begins in the disarrayed kitchen and the men comment on Mrs. Wrights bad house keeping. The two women examine her preserves and mention how upset she would be if the jars broke. The men find this humorous and remark “women are used to worrying over trifles”. Mrs. Hale states that she had not been to visit the Wright house often because it “never seemed to be a cheerful place and suggests that John Wright was not a pleasant man. As the women collect clothes to take to Mrs. Wright in jail, they acknowledge that she had not finished most of the tasks she had worked on. Unlike the male characters, the women began to talk about Minnie Foster, before she was Minnie Wright. They said she was once a member
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