The backbone to any literary work can be considered to be the thematic concern behind it. In other words, it can be termed as the subject an author is trying to portray. Susan Glaspell’s Trifles clearly depicts the theme of gender. The play entails the aftermath that followed the death of Mr. John Wright in a farmhouse during the winter season. Developed in Mrs. Minnie Wright’s (deceased’s wife)untidy kitchen, amateur detectives investigate the murder. The sheriff and the county attorney are accompanied by their wives to the scene together with a neighbor. The wives purposed to investigate themselves. A vivid division then occurs between the men and the women. Hale, the neighbor who was first to see the body is interviewed. Mr. Hale says that he had come to ask Mr. John Wright about sharing telephone knowing line knowing very well that John was adamant and his wife would possibly like the idea. Nonetheless, John would not care whether his wife Minnie wanted the line. Hale finds John dead with a rope around his neck.
The men despise the women’s questions and discussion, Hale even saying that women worry over trivial matters. It turns out later that the women had meaningful information. The women found the dead bird in a red box and hid it knowing would be used as evidence against Minnie. The men think that they got information and the women successfully cover up for one of their own. Elements of drama enormously help to impart the theme.
To begin with, the conflict between the genders is evident in Susan Glaspell’s Trifles. Men and women have disagreements boldly. As young as they were, a boy took a hatchet and killed Mrs. Peter’s kitten before her eyes when she was a girl. Were it not that she was held, she would have hurt the boy. MRS. PETERS: When I was a girl—my kitten—there was a boy took a hatchet, and before my eyes—and before I could get there—(covers her face an instant) If they hadn’t held me back I would have—(catches herself, looks upstairs where steps are heard, falters weakly)—hurt him. (9) Another incidence is where during the investigation, men look down on women arguing that they worry even on trifle matters. Unequivocally, the women were resentful. Nevertheless, the women’s concern with small things that ‘don’t really matter’ is what leads to the truth about the matter. The women found a dead canary and mockingly laugh about it wondering whether men would still despise them.
Mrs Peters: ..Wouldn’t they just laugh! Getting all stirred up over a little thing like a—dead canary. As if that could have anything to do with—with—wouldn’t they laugh! ..(10)
Out of the conflict between the two parties, the women choose to cover up the evidence they had found for the sake of their colleague.
In addition, a conflict between John Wright and his wife Minnie resulted in wrangles in their home and eventually, John lost his life. Minnie was not lucky to have a child and therefore sought solace from a bird that sang. John, on the other hand, hated singing and killed the bird. Minnie was angry and very upset that the only thing that took away her loneliness was killed. Initially, Minnie was a pretty lady who even sang in a choir.The conflict with John took all her happiness away. John was hanging while he was asleep. A rope around his neck. Susan Glaspell brings the point that the results of the conflict are fatal.
Another crucial element is the use of setting in the play. In Trifles, the time setting of the play was during the winter of 1900. These are the time when male chauvinism was at its peak. Women had no say in the society. Emotionally, women were neglected or even abused. John wouldn’t care even if his wife liked the idea of sharing a telephone line. He cared little about Minnie’s bird. He actually didn’t like it singing. It is due to turn of events that cajoles the other women that indeed Minnie was the victim.
Place setting in the play is implied in a kitchen setting. The kitchen itself was very untidy. At the start of the play, Susan gives an image of a gloomy kitchen with untidy dishes. The county attorney talks of dirty towels and suggested Minnie was not a good housekeeper. He draws a picture that it the women’s work to such chores. Asked the attorney, ‘Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies? ’ (4)
To add on the foregoing, another element is the use of symbolism. The canary bird symbolizes happiness. The bird would sing making it lively for John’s wife. Minnie would sing in a church choir. However, killing it took away her happiness. Wrapped in a red box, it showed the love Minnie had for it.MRS. HALE said, ‘Here’s some red. ’ (8) Also, the rope used to strangle the husband shows how emotionally Minnie was choked with no one to express her feeling. The wrongly done stitches in the quilt depict Minnie’s disturbed state of the mind after her husband killed the bird. She became restless and not in a position to deliver quality work as she did before.
MRS. HALE: (mildly) Just pulling out a stitch or two that’s not sewed very good. (7)
The broken fruit jars indicate a heartbroken Minnie. Someone whose talent of singing was ripped away after getting married to an insensitive husband. She was I a home with no children hence very lonely.
To conclude, the aforementioned elements of drama help to clearly convey the theme of the play. Gender imbalance has been clearly addressed by Susan in her work. Male chauvinism in the 20th century as rampant as it resulted in several drawbacks among where justice for John’s murder was denied as a result of despising women.
Work Cited
Susan Glaspell. ‘Trifles’, 1916. Print
