Trifles susan glaspell essay

Trifles susan glaspell essay

Hale confiscating the corpse. Therefore, at least Mrs. The only thing we know is that the sheriff is here on official duty. If you continue, we will assume that you agree to our Cookies Policy OK. Here comes the perspective of innocence and guilt, trifles susan glaspell essay. Wright's life Glaspell

Guilt and Innocence

Trifles Susan Glaspell's one-act play Trifles is frequently anthologized, and for good reason Makowsky 59; Cerf The play differs from a traditional drama in a number of ways, including its structure and narrative content, but arguably its most important feature is it reveals who its protagonists are and the effect this character choice has on the play as a whole. Although the actions of Minnie Wright constitute the narrative focus of the play, she is not the actual protagonistbecause the story's immediate action is carried out by Mrs.

Peters, the Sheriff's wife, and Mrs. Hale, her friend. Once Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale are introduced, however, the male characters frequently attempt to trivialize their actions, such that their status as the primary protagonists is uncertain until the play concludes with their decision to cover for Mrs. By examining how other characters and the play itself treats Mrs. Peter's and Mrs. Hale's trifles susan glaspell essay as the primary protagonists, one is able to see how the characterization of the play serves to complement its larger feminist point regarding the patriarchal dismissal of female concerns and actions. To begin it is necessary to differentiate between the ostensible subject of the play and the protagonists, because Trifles is essentially a single scene from what feels like a much larger story.

In the most straightforward sense one might be inclined to think of Minnie Wright as the play's protagonist, trifles susan glaspell essay, because her actions are what spawn the entire play. Minnie murders her husband, leading to the arrival of Hale, the Sheriff, the county attorney, and Mrs. Hale as they investigate for clues, trifles susan glaspell essay. However, Mrs. Wright never appears in the play itself, and Trifles does not actually concern itself with the murder or Mrs. Wright's ultimate fate; instead, the play is a kind of story within a story, wherein Mrs. Peters' and Mrs. Hales' experiences are the primary focus of this smaller story within Mrs, trifles susan glaspell essay. Wright's larger narrative. Thus, trifles susan glaspell essay, Mrs. Hale are the protagonists, even if it does not appear so at first.

It is also important to note that it is almost impossible to talk about one woman without talking about the other, because their conversations with each other are what help to identify either of them as a protagonist and serve to instigate the most important actions of the play. Furthermore, anything that is true of Mrs. Peters is for the most part true of Mrs. Hale at least in terms of their status as protagonists and so only talking about one would do a disservice to this analysisbecause that would mean arbitrarily leaving out one half of the play's central figures.

Hale should be considered complementary characters whose existence in the play is so intertwined that one cannot talk about one without also discussing the other. In addition to Trifles existing as a kind of mini-story within the larger narrative of Mrs. Wright's actions, Mrs. Hale's status as the primary protagonists is also challenged or complicated by the other characters, who, due to their sometimes laughably obvious sexism, constantly attempt to belittle the women and disregard their actions. In fact, except for Mrs. Peters early line declining the offer to warm herself by the fire, the women do not speak at all for some time as the male characters go over the facts of the case Glaspell It is not until the attorney reveals that Mrs.

Wright's preserves have all broken as a result of the cold that the women begin to speak up, and even the male characters do their best to make it seem like they do not matter. When Mrs. Peters remarks on the broken preserves to Mrs. Hale, the Sheriff, the attorney, and Hale all have something disparaging to say, and the effect is to suggest that Mrs. Hale are irrelevant characters; obviously, the play itself ultimately recognizes their importance, but this initial dismissal by the male characters serves to simultaneously misdirect the audience while demonstrating how the men's sexists views of women preclude them from seeing important things.

The Sheriff laughs about how Mrs. Wright was worried about her preserves, the attorney ominously insinuates that Mrs. Wright will have something more serious to worry about when the men are done, and Hale gives the title to the play when he says "well, trifles susan glaspell essay, women are used to worrying over trifles " Glaspell The self-important men who would very much like to imagine themselves as the protagonists of this story do everything they can to dismiss and disparage the Wright for not keeping a tidier house.

This presents a kind of catch where women are dismissed for caring about things like preserves and a clean kitchen while being chastised for not keeping these things in order, as if women should somehow magically keep everything clean and tidy while somehow managing to never actually spend any time or energy doing so. Even the attorney's questions serve as an attempt to diminish the importance of the women's statements and actions, because every time Mrs. Hale responds to him he almost trifles susan glaspell essay misinterprets what she is saying in order to make it into something that disparages women's work in the home. For example, when Mrs. Hale says that the Wrights' house is not cheerful, the attorney agrees but adds that he does not think Mrs.

Wright "had the homemaking instinct," even though Mrs. Hale was talking about the effect Mr. Trifles susan glaspell essay had on the cheerfulness of the house Glaspell The men effectively direct the conversation, and they specifically direct it in a way as to make the women an insignificant part of the action, trifles susan glaspell essay. As a result, it is not clear that Mrs. Hale are the protagonists of the story until the men finally leave to go upstairs and the trifles susan glaspell essay are left standing in the kitchen. Here they are finally given the chance to express themselves, and because Trifles is a play, one can imagine that the staging of the scene would likely begin to provide some hints as to the importance of the two women, because they would be left alone on stage after the men exit, so that all of a sudden their presence becomes the focus, trifles susan glaspell essay.

The play makes the decision of truly "introducing" its primary protagonists in this way in order to highlight the way that women are discounted and marginalized, even within what is arguably their own play. Once the men leave, however, it soon becomes clear that Mrs. Hale are far more insightful, observant, and fully-rounded characters than the men would likely believe. Firstly, it is not until the men leave that the women truly enter the kitchen and begin looking around, and the audience realizes that they are showing far more respect and awareness of their environment than the men. They study the kitchen, and instead of seeing an trifles susan glaspell essay mess, they actually piece together what she was doing before being taken away, such as baking bread Glaspell Where the men' sexism does not allow them to make anything intelligible about the scene in the kitchen, it provides valuable clues to the women, trifles susan glaspell essay, whose own investigative powers are not clouded by assumptions about the triviality trifles susan glaspell essay women's concerns.

Hale is not the cold, stiff woman she appears to be when talking to the county attorney, but instead is revealed to be trifles susan glaspell essay and considerate, while Mrs. Peters is far more understanding of Mrs. Wright's plight than one would expect considering she is married to the sheriff. As the two women are revealed to be much rounder characters than trifles susan glaspell essay men would give them credit for, they are also shown to be dynamic trifles susan glaspell essay the men are static. Over the course of the play, the women go from agreeing that "the law is the law" to actively covering up important evidence that could demonstrate a motive for Mrs.

Wright's killing of her husband, and they do it by examining the parts of the house and the objects within that constituted the whole of Mrs. Wright's trifles susan glaspell essay Glaspell The women are able to change and evolve over the course of the play because they are able to essentially inhabit Mrs. Wright's life through her kitchen and personal possessions, and this inhabitation is only possible because they do not dismiss Mrs. Wright's life as full of "trifles" right at the outset. The men, on the other hand, remain static throughout the play, because although they are searching the house for evidence, trifles susan glaspell essay, they are entirely unable to understand the house or its inhabitants from the perspective of someone else.

Instead, they all participate in the patriarchal idea that male subjectivity is the only important subjectivity, and thus they never change, likely believing themselves to be perfect already. Making Mrs. Peters and…. Works Cited Cerf, Bennett. Paw Prints: Newton, Demastes, William. American playwrights, a research and production sourcebook. Westport: Greenwood Press, trifles susan glaspell essay, Glaspell, Susan. Linda Wagner-Martin. Oxford: Oxford University Press, In reality, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are even more invested in the investigation than the men, because they demonstrate an attention to detail that the men lack.

By the time the men return from their fruitless investigations, the women have determined both why and how Mrs. Wright murdered her husband, and they even come to the decision not to supply the evidence without ever alerting the men. While men ignore the kitchen as containing "nothing but kitchen things," women look for evidence precisely there because it is the only place where women are in control. As Holstein argues, women do not enter the house of Mr. Wright as a place of investigation but as a home of two human beings who have trifles susan glaspell essay. For men, what matters is the evidence and if they find one. TRIFLES by Susan Glaspell In "Trifles" by Susan Glaspell, the characteristics of the women and the attitudes to their men and their own roles in life are gradually illuminated.

The intensity of the situation, in effect two women judging the life of the third, absent party, provides a context in which Mrs. Peter grow significantly, in character, strength and importance. The principle characters in the play are effectively the. Trifles by Susan Glaspell depicts a world in which women are ignored in society. The play takes place in the Wright home after Mr, trifles susan glaspell essay.

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The women thus decide to hide the discovery of the dead Canary from the men, with Mrs. Hale confiscating the corpse. The husband thus loses his life on account of his unkindness towards his wife. Female suppression is thus shown to be disadvantageous to both women and men. To illustrate, Louise does not show the usual remorse when she learns that her husband is dead. Instead, she behaves as though she has received news of something that should facilitate her relaxation. The supposedly widowed wife even confesses to feeling a sense of release that indicates a future satisfying life.

As such, Brently is denied the requisite mourning by a beloved wife that he desires after he supposedly dies. The foregoing events thus confirm that the habit of men oppressing their women is counterproductive as it harms both the females as well as the males. This concept plays out at the instance when Louise owns up that she does not love her husband. Instead, she merely pretends to adore her husband. More importantly, Louise whispers that she is now wholly free, thus proving that Brently has been curtailing her freedom.

This desperate quest for freedom confirms the oppression that Louise has endured under Brently. The husband has habitually been antagonistic to the wife as is evident through his act of killing the Canary. This bird not only keeps the woman company but is also a sign of her freedom. She kills the husband. The profile of a woman who desperately tries to free herself from the oppressive yoke of her husband thus plays out. Such protagonists are matched with resolute chauvinist husbands who offend and suppress their wives. Ultimately, the oppressed female characters are forced to undertake desperate measures in a bid to be free from the oppression of their husbands.

She reckons that bullies are very hurtful and they too deserve to feel the pain they inflict on others. She moves from being a follower to being Mrs. Hale and they hide the evidence. Hale is the most rounded character in the play. In the beginning of the play, she is standing in a corner with Mrs. Peters until the men beckon them to get closer to the stove to seek warmth. Hale was acquainted with Mrs. Wright even before she was married. After a few recollections, she starts feeling guilty for having neglected Mrs. Wright Glaspell She genuinely feels sorry for Mrs.

Wright and jumps at the opportunity to help her by hiding the dead bird. The women in the play do not abide to any common stereotypes. For instance, the attorney assumes that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Wright are friends just because they are neighbors. This assumption is based on the stereotype that all women are social beings. The women also defy stereotypes by keeping the information they found in Mrs. Glaspell, Susan. Trifles-The Heath Anthology of American Literature Vol D. Paul Lauter , Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, Need a custom Essay sample written from scratch by professional specifically for you?

certified writers online. We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. If you continue, we will assume that you agree to our Cookies Policy. Learn More. We will write a custom Essay on Trifles specifically for you! However, Mrs. Wright never appears in the play itself, and Trifles does not actually concern itself with the murder or Mrs. Wright's ultimate fate; instead, the play is a kind of story within a story, wherein Mrs. Peters' and Mrs. Hales' experiences are the primary focus of this smaller story within Mrs. Wright's larger narrative. Thus, Mrs. Hale are the protagonists, even if it does not appear so at first. It is also important to note that it is almost impossible to talk about one woman without talking about the other, because their conversations with each other are what help to identify either of them as a protagonist and serve to instigate the most important actions of the play.

Furthermore, anything that is true of Mrs. Peters is for the most part true of Mrs. Hale at least in terms of their status as protagonists and so only talking about one would do a disservice to this analysis , because that would mean arbitrarily leaving out one half of the play's central figures. Hale should be considered complementary characters whose existence in the play is so intertwined that one cannot talk about one without also discussing the other. In addition to Trifles existing as a kind of mini-story within the larger narrative of Mrs.

Wright's actions, Mrs. Hale's status as the primary protagonists is also challenged or complicated by the other characters, who, due to their sometimes laughably obvious sexism, constantly attempt to belittle the women and disregard their actions. In fact, except for Mrs. Peters early line declining the offer to warm herself by the fire, the women do not speak at all for some time as the male characters go over the facts of the case Glaspell It is not until the attorney reveals that Mrs. Wright's preserves have all broken as a result of the cold that the women begin to speak up, and even the male characters do their best to make it seem like they do not matter.

When Mrs. Peters remarks on the broken preserves to Mrs. Hale, the Sheriff, the attorney, and Hale all have something disparaging to say, and the effect is to suggest that Mrs. Hale are irrelevant characters; obviously, the play itself ultimately recognizes their importance, but this initial dismissal by the male characters serves to simultaneously misdirect the audience while demonstrating how the men's sexists views of women preclude them from seeing important things. The Sheriff laughs about how Mrs. Wright was worried about her preserves, the attorney ominously insinuates that Mrs. Wright will have something more serious to worry about when the men are done, and Hale gives the title to the play when he says "well, women are used to worrying over trifles " Glaspell The self-important men who would very much like to imagine themselves as the protagonists of this story do everything they can to dismiss and disparage the Wright for not keeping a tidier house.

This presents a kind of catch where women are dismissed for caring about things like preserves and a clean kitchen while being chastised for not keeping these things in order, as if women should somehow magically keep everything clean and tidy while somehow managing to never actually spend any time or energy doing so. Even the attorney's questions serve as an attempt to diminish the importance of the women's statements and actions, because every time Mrs. Hale responds to him he almost deliberately misinterprets what she is saying in order to make it into something that disparages women's work in the home. For example, when Mrs.

Hale says that the Wrights' house is not cheerful, the attorney agrees but adds that he does not think Mrs. Wright "had the homemaking instinct," even though Mrs. Hale was talking about the effect Mr. Wright had on the cheerfulness of the house Glaspell The men effectively direct the conversation, and they specifically direct it in a way as to make the women an insignificant part of the action. As a result, it is not clear that Mrs. Hale are the protagonists of the story until the men finally leave to go upstairs and the women are left standing in the kitchen. Here they are finally given the chance to express themselves, and because Trifles is a play, one can imagine that the staging of the scene would likely begin to provide some hints as to the importance of the two women, because they would be left alone on stage after the men exit, so that all of a sudden their presence becomes the focus.