Susan Glaspell's Trifles

693 Words3 Pages
The term Trifles is defined as a thing of little value or importance. This story shows how the smallest things can be just as important as things we perceive to hold more value. The most important objects in Trifles are the small things which symbolized the motives or reasonings behind the crime: The role of a woman in this era, the bird, the bird cage, and the Knot in the quilt showing the importance of any single item. Throughout this story things that many people may think of as insignificant plays a major role in the story's outcome. Far removed are the days when a woman was just a wife or a mother and their opinion was best kept to themselves rather than spoken out loud. In this era women felt as if they were restrained and constricted in voicing their opinions and viewpoints. Many women grew up with this stigma that they themselves believed that it was the way things should be. Ironically, during the investigation of Scott 2 Mr. Wright's hanging it is the women who uncover the trifles that piece together the motive for the murder. The discovery of the apparently…show more content…
and Mrs. Wright ever wed she had a vibrant spirit that was outgoing and colorful, but as of late something changed within her. Mrs. Hale even states, “She – come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself – real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and – fluttery” (Glaspell 752). In this aspect, the bird symbolizes Mrs. Wright's desire for freedom – freedom from her relationship in which her every move and thoughts were controlled by her husband. This, however, was not uncommon during this time where a woman's role was not equal to a mans as it is today. Many woman from the town even made their own conclusion about John's treatment of his wife, Mrs. Hale stated, “No, I don't mean anything. But I don't think a place'd be any cheerfuller for John Wright being in it” (Glaspell 743). This makes it abundantly clear that Mr. Wright was not a pleasant person to be

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