Susan Glaspell's Trifles

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In the early 1900's the men seemed to rule the world, while the women's job was to be a good housewife: cooking and cleaning, but Mrs. Wright changed that. The women notice many details that seem peculiar: how the sewing on one block of the quilt is askew, the damaged birdcage under the cupboard, and the deceased animal in a box. In "Trifles Susan Glaspell challenges the idea that women are inferior to men through the use irony, detailed imagery and diction, and symbols. It is ironic that the men come into the home to solve the case, while only searching for the facts; meanwhile the women, who are only worried about the “trifle” little details, solve the case. Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale piece together that she wasn't happy; her house had taken on a gloomy feel and wasn't particularly clean: the towels were dirty and only part of the table was wiped off. They take what they…show more content…
One of them was the birdcage- it was disheveled and broken. Minnie, in her marriage, may have felt broken and damaged which is why she resorted to killing Mr. Wright. Another symbol was the last jar of fruit preserves. In the cold air, without the fire in the stove, the jars all cracked and broke, spilling their contents everywhere- all except one. The fire can be compared to the Wright’s marriage and when that went out the jars break, a symbol for Minnie’s well being. The jar that remains; however, is a symbol for the hope and the unknown future of Mrs. Wright. The dead bird wrapped in silk was the biggest clue of all. Mrs. Hale compares Minnie to a bird saying she was, " real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and- fluttery." 275-276. The bird was strangled, just like Mr. Wright. Even though there was a gun in the house, someone went through the troubles of tying a rope around his neck and taking his life like that, a situation where the killer has full control of the

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