Susan Glaspell’s “Trifles” dwelled on the investigation of the murder scene of Mr. Wright. In the beginning of the play, Mr. Wright was found dead in the upstairs bedroom with a rope hung around his neck. Lewis Hale recalled how he discovered Mrs. Wright acting bizarrely, and that she told him that her husband was murdered while he was sleeping. Mrs. Wright’s strange behavior and body language caused Mr. Hale and the Sherriff to believe that Mrs. Wright was the main suspect in her husband’s murder. There are three significant reasons for Mrs. Wright’s strange behavior. Mrs. Wright’s relationship, lifestyle, and the patriarchal dominance during that era caused Mrs. Wright to act inappropriately.…
“Trifles” was a very mysterious play. This play was written by Susan Glaspell. It does not explain why the two women helped Mrs. Wright. It does not mention any information about them being friends with her, so why would they help her? Mrs. Wright basically was tired of her husband’s ways and abuse and retaliated by murdering him. He was said to have killed her kitten years ago and in more recent terms, he killed her bird.…
“Trifles” is a classic feminist play about two women’s secret discovery of a woman murdering her husband. “A Jury of her Peers” is another edition of this story. During the 1830’s, the “Temperance Movement” which was the very first American reform campaign to emphasize the brutality of domestic violence. Insisting that domestic violence was the direct influence of alcohol the reformers believed that survival of the alcoholic’s wife was dependent on her rights to control her own earnings, gain custody of her children, and to seek a divorce on her own and none of these were options at that time for most women.…
Susan Glaspell’s writings “Trifles” and “A Jury of Her Peers’ are two pieces of literature that tell the tale of two women at a crime scene. With the exception of one scene, the two works are nearly identical in terms of story. Glaspell’s decision to write the story as both a play and a short story gives us a unique opportunity, the chance to view the story from a multitude of viewpoints. The play gives no clear protagonist, yet because of the nature of short stories Mrs. Hale is thrust into the role in “A Jury of Her Peers”. Looking deeper into them, is it possible that this has negative effects on the stories as a whole? Could it possibly lessen the meaning of each piece?…
The story “A Jury of Her Peers” was first published in 1917 and was based on a authors one act play “Trifles”. “Trifles” was written in 1916 by Susan Glaspell. Glaspell wrote the play after an experience she had while working for a Des Moines newspaper.…
In “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell, the state of the things in Minnie Wright’s life show the state of the relationship she has with her husband. This is shown through the terrible state of her house, the piecing together of her quilt, and constantly state of being alone. These also give light to key themes Glaspell is portraying throughout her story.…
Trifles, by Susan Glaspell is a well-known play throughout the English community. It is a suspenseful murder mystery that pulls citizens of a town together to try and seek justice after a homicide has occurred. This play begins with the audience learning that John Wright, a humble farmer, has been killed while he was asleep. His wife, Minnie Wright, has a very strange way of handling this grief and becomes the main suspect. During this play five characters, two women and three men, search the Wright home for clues, evidence, and a possible motive for the murder. It ends with the women finding a shocking discovery that they choose to hide from the men.…
Inciting a debate over the morality of keeping a secret, Susan Glaspell captivates reader’s minds in her story “A Jury of Her Peers.” Through the exploitation of the personalities of characters Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, Glaspell explores the chronicles of the discovery and subsequent investigation of the murder of John Wright. As the story unfolds, the question becomes not “Who murdered John Wright” but rather “Why was John Wright murdered.” This leads to the idea that Mrs. Wright is not a murderer but rather a victim in Glaspell’s clandestine story. Near the story’s ending, the women decide to conceal male investigators of their influential findings after agreeing that Minnie Foster is a victim rather than a culprit.…
The year was 1917, and women had yet to have the right to suffrage. The oppression that had been an ongoing theme throughout history had finally begun to be challenged, for equality issues had been addressed and even solved, such as equal representation This specific time was what would bring about the first wave feminism. Though women were still struggling with issues such as this, an optimistic Susan Glaspell rose to take a stand on this. Glaspell was a 41 year old author who wrote a special play known as Trifles that contained special themes and topics to the time. The special part of this was a unique theme very present; feminism. This would all be wrapped up in a very short, but tip of the iceberg type adaptation of the play into book form now known as A Jury of Her Peers. Through the many different pieces, such as characterization, in A Jury of Her Peers, Glaspell demonstrates a clear divide between the sexes in order to promote ideals of feminism and a call to action for equality.…
Symbolism is a way an author gives a reader the ability to interpret the story. Symbolism is heavily used in “A Jury of Her Peers” to describe the relationship and characterization of Mrs. and Mr. Wright. The broken stove is a representation of neglect with Mr. Wright, and for Mrs. Wright her decline since her marriage. The birdcage is a representation of life for both Mrs. and Mr. Wright. Mrs. Wright is trapped and Mr. Wright is the cage. The bird represent the joy Mrs. Wright wants and use to have, and for Mr. Wright it represents his cruelty and abuse. The symbolism of Mrs. and Mr. Wright in “A Jury of Her Peers” represents the oppression of women by men.…
The play “Trifles” written by Susan Glaspell is based in the early 1900’s when it was typical for the masculine gender role to dominate the feminine role. The theme is of the play is power and domination over females during this time era. Upon analyzing this play, Mr. Hale and Mr. Peter’s are investigating the murder and they portray themselves as strong and determined, but in reality they are not as alert as the women are. In conclusion, the women figured out that Mrs. Wright murdered her husband by simply observing the house and finding the dead bird; the men were upstairs at the scene of the crime and could not figure it out. Men to this day still do not understand that sometimes the woman’s way of thinking is better!…
A Jury of Her Peers and Trifles by Susan Glaspell are very similar stories. The stories are about the marginalization of women in society. The roles of women as workers were downgraded a lot, never taking into account just how hard the work is doing all of the household chores every day, and preparing and planning for the future. In the stories, they are treated like they do not mean anything in the workforce and are only there to serve the world and the men in it.…
American novelist Harper Lee in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird wrote, “I'm no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity of our courts and in the jury system—that is no ideal to me, it is a living, working reality. Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury. A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up.” I had nervously opened the envelope with “Official Jury Summons” stamped on the outside many times before the autumn of 2014, however, up until that point, I had been lucky and avoided selection. My once thriving town was beginning to feel the consequences of a declining economy and increased poverty. My fellow citizens walked the streets with an almost…
Since the arrival of African Americans in this country blacks have always had differing experiences. Consequently, African-Americans have had to forge a self-identity out of what has been passed on to them as fact about their true selves. History has wrought oppression and subjugation to this particular race of people and as a result, certain institutions were formed in order aid African-Americans, culturally, spiritually and economically. The African-American Church has served of one such institution. From the time of slavery, though outlawed, many slaves found ways to congregate and form their own "churches", away from the one-sided and bias lessons about the bible that they were being taught in the white church. The white ministers and clergymen of this time argued that it was the will of God that Blacks should be obedient and submissive to their masters, and that that was the will of God. In his article "Black Consciousness and the Black Church: A Historical and Theological Interpretation," James Cone examines whether the African-American Church and calls into question whether or not it has truly evolved and separated itself from the traditionally pacifistic ways of the Anglo-Saxon and Post-Civil War black church. He is arguing whether or not the Black church meets the basic need of African-American to resist oppressive forces of society and to find teachings that are void of the white perspective of religion. In her article "The Image of God: Black Theology and Racial Empowerment in the African American Community," author Allison Calhoun Brown conducts a scientific study as to the significance of the image of God in shaping views about religion in the African American community. Calhoun attempts to draw a link between how big an impact the image of God in the African-American community affects political participation in the Black community. The articles provide the basis for examining the effect of religion in the lives of African-Americans, and also an…
This story is given through the perspective of two females which helps to portray the views of the writer. Throughout this story we are given background on Minnie but also given insight on how her life is now, and with this left to decide if she is guilty of the crime that was committed. While Minnie is the main focus of the story we are able to see the theme played out through two of the other characters, and also through a conflict of a decision that these women must make. The main theme of “A Jury of Her Peers” is that of sisterhood, women standing up for each other no matter the situation.…