Summary of Susan Glaspell's Play, Trifles

Trifles Essay The play “Trifles” is a murder mystery, which takes place in the kitchen of the Wrights home. In the beginning of the story, Glaspell sets the murder scene in the audiences mind by having Mr. Peters and Mr. Henderson interview Mr. Hale on his discovery of Mr. Wright’s body. Mr. Hale then begins to talk about the condition of Mr. Wright, and then continues on and talks about the behavior of Mrs. Wright The rising action in the story begins after the men leave the women, and go upstairs to potentially find evidence, or a motive. The women began to ask many questions, and examine the kitchen, and how it was left after the murder. The men then overhear the women pondering on whether Mrs. Wright was to knot or pierce the rope. The men laugh at the women because they found such matters to be of little importance. The rising action continues with the women finding the bird cage, and the nervous stitching. All through the rising action, ironically, the women were shown inadvertently finding evidence to solve the murder case. Just after these discoveries, the climax of the play is signaled. The women find a dead bird inside of a box placed in the sewing basket. The women then notice that the bird’s neck was wrung, similar to how Mr. Wright had died. Glaspell then narrates that there was a look of growing comprehension between the two. This line is important because, their questions were answered, and the women know who murdered Mr. Wright. It is also ironic because the women find little ‘trifles’ that the men just deem as unimportant, which ironically solves the case. This is also because the men and even the women themselves wouldn’t expect to be capable of aiding in the murder investigation. Inadvertently, the women solve the murder case. It is also interesting that the discoveries were all found inside of the kitchen where the men tend to go very little throughout the play, but also just in general. The purpose of doing so was probably done in order for Glaspell to empathize on the theme of the play: Women are not appreciated by men, and seen lowly by them. This can also be supported because the men thought of what Mrs. Peters brought in was something that was harmless, and couldn’t possibly hold the main evidence that they would need in order to prosecute Mrs. Wright. After secretly and accidently solving the murder case, the women decide to not tell the men that Mrs. Wright did indeed murder her husband. The women mainly resolved to do this out of sympathy. The women’s decision is the resolution and beginning of the falling action of the play. The falling action of the play becomes intensive because the reader thinks that The Attorney will find the dead bird, and the women will be caught. The falling action of the play also achieves the purpose of the plays structure because it shows that women are actually useful in tasks other than housework, which is a sub-topic of the theme. Also, it achieves it because the women hold the key to the one piece of evidence that the men needed in order to find Mrs. Wright guilty. “Trifles” was a murder mystery with a dramatic structure, but also an ironic twist to it. The women unknowingly find all the evidence, inside of the kitchen. Glaspell structured the play, so that the women and men would think that the women’s findings would be such small trifles, but in actuality were the clues to solving the case. Also, that was done so that Glaspell could place the theme of men believing that women are unhelpful, and unappreciated. Glaspell supports this theme by having the women solve the case, but not tell the men. The structure of this play also gave a underlying truth in the theme. “Trifles” ironically was structured off of dismissed trifles.