Paper Edit

Yuan 1

Yuan 2

Jialu Yuan

Lynn Hovde

Eng101

Oct.16 2018

Trifles by Susan Glaspell (1916)

Summary

The play Trifles by Susan Glaspell narrows down to the murder investigation of one John Wright. As the it starts, all the men along with their wives are heading towards the kitchen whose main house was the murder scene. The kitchen seemed to be disarranged with its gloomy state probably is a reflection of the events that transpired in the house. Owing to the cold in the house, the County Attorney attempts to make the ladies feel the warmth of the fire which they declined. Mr. Hale, who was a neighbor to the owner of the house in question had to recount the encountered chain of events. The first question was whether there was any distortion of the kitchen from how it was previously. According to the Sherriff, the kitchen arrangement was just as it was the last time he was there. However, one thing was that the Sherriff seemed to deviate from the issue at hand choosing to narrate how the fire had to be put up and how he had lots of activities that he was not in the vicinity by the time the incident occurred. The County Attorney needed Mr. Hale, who was a neighbor to tell what he saw in the house.

Even after been asked about the events that transpired, Mr. Hale digressed with the County Attorney stressing that he just needed to stick to narrating the events that occurred in that particular house. Early in the morning, Mr. Hale headed to Mr. and Mrs. Wrights house where he had to make a phone installation. After knocking at the door, he heard a response from inside something he was not quite sure about. Mrs. Wright seemed unmoved by the presence of Mr. Hale and went ahead rocking her chair while pleating an apron. On being asked whether Mr. Hale could see John, Mrs. Wright declined while noting that John was not home. In a quick reply, she highlighted that he was home, but dead with a rope around his neck. While offering these responses, Mrs. Wright acted weird, first remaining unperturbed by the chain of events especially the fact that her husband was dead.

Response

The feminist power along with the women's place in a homestead stood out in the play. In the kitchen, the women were mesmerized by the sight of Mrs. Wrights' fruit. In its frozen state, Mrs. Wright opted to preserve it in the cupboard to prevent the breaking of the jar when the fire went out. A murder investigation was ongoing, and all the women could talk about was the fruit in the jar. The probable reason they chose the same as the topic of discussion was that they could somehow relate. Just like Mrs. Wright, their place in the house was the kitchen. They seemed informed about why Mrs. Wright could have preserved her fruit in such a manner. Feminist power also stood out in the play. Despite Mrs. Wright being the main suspect in the murder conversation, the women still sided with her against the sentiments made by the men in the house.

The County Attorney was quick to judge Mrs. Wright for not being a good housekeeper owing to the dirty towels in the kitchen. However, the response from Mrs. Hale was that there was a lot of work that needs to be done in the farm, and hence the reason for the dirty towels. Feminism settled in where the women seemed to side with Mrs. Wright offering a probable explanation of what could have occurred and that the men were also to blame for the dirty towels since their hands were not always clean. There was also the display of the gender roles as set by the society's norms. The women have a task of maintaining cleanliness in the house and particularly in the kitchen. Also, it is the women who need to worry about foodstuff such as fruits ensuring that the family has the right amounts.

Analysis

Women are overly looked down upon in the society. One thing for sure is that the County Attorney, the Sherriff and the other men in Mrs. Wrights house all bore in mind that Mrs. Wright must have killed her husband. One thing for sure is that Mr. Wright had a rope around his neck. Therefore, there is the possibility that Mr. Wright might have strangled himself to death. However, by Mrs. Wright remaining oddly calm and collected, the thought is that she might have murdered her husband. She could have been in that state due to being confused and lost with the death of her husband. Besides, she never ran and was in the murder scene upon Mr. Hale's arrival.

The gender roles often seem to downplay the abilities of women. As denoted by the conversation led by the County Attorney, the role of the woman was maintaining cleanliness and her reserve being in the kitchen. However, there other roles that women could embrace. They could also hold the position of the Sheriff and the County Attorney and be leading investigations. However, the held perceptions on the role of women are some of the hindrances to them breaking the glass ceilings and achieving in life.