Plot Summary of “Trifles”

The play “Trifles” is set in a farmhouse owned by John and Minnie Wright. It takes place the day after John Wright has been found murdered. The story begins when a group of people arrives at the Wright home to investigate the crime scene.

Arrival at the Farmhouse

The play opens with the arrival of several characters at the Wright farmhouse. They are:

• Sheriff Henry Peters: The local sheriff.
• County Attorney George Henderson: The lawyer handling the case.
• Lewis Hale: A neighbor who discovered John Wright’s body.
• Mrs. Hale: Lewis Hale’s wife.
• Mrs. Peters: The sheriff’s wife.

The house is cold and messy, with signs that household chores have been left undone. The men are there to search for evidence and determine what led to John Wright’s murder. They are accompanied by their wives, who are there to collect some of Minnie Wright’s belongings to take to her in jail.

Mr. Hale’s Account

Lewis Hale describes how he found the body. He had gone to the Wright home to discuss installing a telephone. When he arrived, he found Minnie Wright sitting quietly in a rocking chair. She told him that her husband was dead and pointed him upstairs. Hale found John Wright’s body in bed, strangled with a rope around his neck. Minnie claimed she didn’t know how John was killed because she “sleeps soundly.” Hale then called the sheriff and coroner, and Minnie was arrested.

Men’s Investigation

The men begin their investigation in the kitchen. They find it in disarray, with dirty dishes and a messy towel. They notice broken canning jars and laugh about how Minnie worried about them freezing, seeing it as a trivial concern given the murder. They criticize Minnie’s housekeeping and decide to search the bedroom and the barn for further evidence. Before leaving for the barn, the County Attorney tells the women to look for anything that might help the case.

Women’s Observations

Once the men leave, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters start gathering Minnie’s belongings. They discuss Minnie’s past, noting how she used to be lively and enjoyed singing before she married John Wright. They find a half-finished quilt and wonder if Minnie planned to “quilt it” or “knot it.” They notice that part of the quilt is poorly stitched, suggesting Minnie was upset.

Discovery of the Birdcage

The women then find a birdcage with its door ripped off and no bird inside. Mrs. Hale recalls how Minnie used to sing like a bird and realizes how lonely Minnie must have been. They find a red box and discover the body of the dead canary inside, its neck broken. They understand that the bird’s death reflects Minnie’s own suffering and might have been a significant trigger for her actions.

Concealing the Evidence

When the men return, Mrs. Hale hides the box with the dead bird. The County Attorney makes a sarcastic remark about the women’s focus on the quilt, not realizing its importance. Mrs. Hale lies, saying the bird might have been killed by a cat, even though no cat is present in the house.

Final Reflections

After the men leave again, Mrs. Peters recalls a childhood incident where she was angry about a cruel boy killing her pet kitten. She expresses a conflicted feeling about justice, saying the law must punish crimes but also recognizing Minnie’s suffering. Mrs. Hale feels guilty for not visiting Minnie more often and cries out about the unpunished crime of her neglect.

When the men return one last time, the Sheriff asks if the County Attorney wants to look at the items Mrs. Peters is bringing to Minnie. The County Attorney assumes the items, including Minnie’s apron and quilt, are not important. He jokes about the quilt, and Mrs. Hale confirms that Minnie was going to finish it by “knotting” it.

The play ends with the County Attorney sarcastically commenting on the outcome of the quilt discussion. Mrs. Hale, with the dead bird hidden in her pocket, reflects on the women’s decision to protect Minnie by not revealing what they have discovered.

Trifles illustrates the different perspectives on what constitutes important evidence. While the men dismiss the domestic details as trivial, the women’s attention to these “trifles” reveals deeper insights into Minnie’s life and emotional state. The play highlights themes of gender roles, empathy, and justice, showing how understanding and compassion can uncover the truth beyond the obvious.

Analysis of “Trifles”

Susan Glaspell’s play “Trifles” is a short but powerful piece that critiques the gender roles and societal norms of its time. Written in 1916, the play examines how women’s experiences and concerns were often undervalued by men. Here’s an analysis of the play in simple terms:

1. Themes

1.1 Gender Roles and Patriarchal Oppression

At its core, “Trifles” addresses the theme of gender roles and the oppression of women. The men in the play, including the County Attorney and the Sheriff, dismiss the women’s concerns as insignificant. They consider the women’s focus on domestic items like the quilt, the canning jars, and the dead bird as mere “trifles”—unimportant things that do not matter in the investigation of a murder. This reflects the broader societal attitude that women’s experiences and contributions are not valuable or relevant.

The play reveals how this dismissive attitude leads the men to overlook crucial evidence. The women’s understanding of Minnie Wright’s life and emotional state—based on their knowledge of domestic life—turns out to be the key to uncovering the truth. Glaspell shows that the supposedly trivial details women care about can provide significant insights into deeper issues.

1.2 Justice vs. Lawfulness

The play explores the tension between justice and the strict application of the law. While the law demands that Minnie Wright be punished for the murder of her husband, the women who discover the crucial evidence decide to protect her. They understand that Minnie’s actions were driven by years of emotional abuse and isolation, which leads them to sympathize with her rather than strictly adhere to legal standards. This highlights the difference between legal justice and moral justice.

1.3 Solidarity and Empathy

Another important theme is solidarity among women and the power of empathy. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, though initially distant from Minnie Wright, come to understand and empathize with her situation. Their shared experiences as women lead them to recognize the emotional pain Minnie has endured. This solidarity empowers them to make a choice that they believe is just, even if it means breaking the law.

2. Characters

2.1 Minnie Wright (née Foster)

Minnie Wright, the central character of the play, is not present on stage but is central to the story. She was once a lively woman who enjoyed singing in a choir but became isolated and subdued after marrying John Wright. Her transformation from a vibrant person to someone who lives in loneliness and repression is crucial to understanding her actions. The murder of John Wright and the killing of the canary symbolize her breaking point—a response to years of emotional abuse and neglect.

2.2 Mrs. Hale

Mrs. Hale is one of the play’s key characters. She is empathetic and becomes a central figure in understanding Minnie Wright’s plight. Her reflection on her own failures to visit Minnie and her recognition of Minnie’s suffering highlight her deep sense of empathy and guilt. Mrs. Hale’s actions and insights reveal the play’s critique of how women’s experiences are often overlooked and undervalued.

2.3 Mrs. Peters

Mrs. Peters, the Sheriff’s wife, is initially more reserved and compliant with her husband’s authority. However, as the play progresses, she becomes more sympathetic to Minnie Wright’s situation. Her own past experiences of loss and isolation connect her to Minnie’s emotional state. Mrs. Peters’s transformation from a passive observer to an active participant in hiding the evidence shows the play’s message about the power of shared female experience and understanding.

2.4 County Attorney George Henderson and Sheriff Henry Peters

The County Attorney and the Sheriff represent the male perspective that dismisses women’s concerns. They focus on the more obvious evidence and fail to recognize the significance of the domestic details that the women uncover. Their attitudes reflect the broader societal view of women’s roles and concerns as insignificant, which the play criticizes.

3. Symbols

3.1 The Quilt

The quilt symbolizes Minnie Wright’s emotional state and the nature of her domestic life. The poorly stitched part of the quilt represents Minnie’s agitation and distress. The difference between quilting and knotting the quilt becomes a metaphor for Minnie’s struggle and her eventual decision to “knot” her life’s troubles in a dramatic way. The quilt also symbolizes the women’s solidarity and their understanding of Minnie’s situation.

3.2 The Dead Canary

The dead canary is a crucial symbol in the play. It represents Minnie Wright’s lost happiness and freedom. The canary’s broken neck mirrors John Wright’s murder, indicating that Minnie’s response to her husband’s cruelty was to kill something that symbolized her own joy and companionship. The discovery of the dead bird and its significance reveal the emotional and psychological abuse Minnie endured.

3.3 The Birdcage

The birdcage, with its broken door, symbolizes Minnie Wright’s confinement and isolation. The violence used to break the birdcage reflects the emotional violence Minnie experienced from her husband. The absence of the bird from the cage also signifies Minnie’s lost joy and the oppressive nature of her marriage.

4. Social Commentary

Trifles provides a sharp critique of early 20th-century gender norms and the ways in which women’s experiences were marginalized. By focusing on how the women in the play discover crucial evidence through their attention to domestic details, Glaspell challenges the societal belief that women’s concerns are unimportant.

The play also comments on the legal system’s shortcomings, showing that strict adherence to the law can sometimes overlook the complexities of individual cases. Through Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters’s decision to protect Minnie, Glaspell questions the effectiveness of legal justice when it fails to consider the personal and emotional circumstances behind a crime.

In “Trifles,” Susan Glaspell uses a simple domestic setting to explore complex themes of gender, justice, and empathy. The play highlights how women’s perspectives and experiences, often dismissed as trivial, can offer profound insights into human behavior and societal issues. Glaspell’s work remains relevant as it challenges readers to consider the value of empathy and the need for a more nuanced understanding of justice.