Free Essays on Trifles

Sitting Alone in Thought The truth about male and female relationships really comes to life by author Susan Gaspell in â€Å"Trifles†. Gaspell examines male and female relationships, how a controlling spouse, and lack of communication can lead to the deterioration in relationships, which inevitably leads too a woman seeking change in her life. Gaspell shows that some relationships are not warm and loving, but are dominated by a controlling spouse. The Author makes you feel that all John wanted to do was control someone’s life, exactly as he had been doing to Minnie. He controlled her life to the extent that he would not allow her to even have a â€Å"party telephone† (952) placed in their home, this would have allowed her access to the outside world, and he did not want that. It was apparent that John did not allow Minnie to have a social life, as she once had when she was Minnie Foster, the woman that sang in the â€Å"choir† (956). Minnie was isolated from the rest of the world; their house was â€Å"down in a hollow† (958) unable to be seen from the road. There house was a lonesome place where no visitors ever came, not even the people that knew they were there. Gaspell shows that Minnie was controlled by John so much that when she made the decision to buy a canary that â€Å"sangâ₠¬  (960) to her, he â€Å"choked the life out of it† (960), just as he had been doing for many years to Minnie. A controlling relationship never ends happily; at Kearney 2 least that is how Gaspell perceived their relationship. Besides a controlling spouse, lack of communication can be an oblivious reason for relationship problems. Gaspell examines this, and the result of what can happen in marriages and friendships that suffer when a communication breakdown occurs, she does this through three different couples. The first couple she examined was John and Minnie Wright who lived in â€Å"peace and quite† (952), they had no friends or visitors ... Free Essays on Trifles Free Essays on Trifles Worrying over Trifles In Susan Glaspell’s Trifles, she without a doubt challenges the morals, beliefs, and values of her audience. The play begins in an old Midwestern farmhouse. George Henderson, Henry Peters, Lewis Hale, Mrs. Peters, and Mrs. Hale enter the Wright residence to try to unravel a murder mystery. As the play unfolds, readers learn more of how isolated and unhappy Mr. And Mrs. Wright was. Although these two characters have no lines and are never seen on stage, the audience carefully learns who the assassin is through careful observations by Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale. The others, George Henderson, Henry Peters, and Lewis Hale, seem to overlook significant details that may lead them to solving the murder. In spite of the terrible tragedy, one must come to a decision whether the murder is a sin or a blessing. In Trifles, the men and women demonstrate their many differences through their thought process and the women’s sympathy for the accused. The men portrayed in the play show few differences in their views and opinions. George Henderson plays the county attorney. He is at the Wright house to investigate the murder and question the witness. Henry Peters accompanies the county attorney as the sheriff in hope to solve the crime. The witness, Lewis Hale, is the one who found Mrs. Wright sitting in her rocking chair after her husband passes. All three men prove themselves condescending and proud throughout the play. In the opening of the play, the men comfortably walk in the home as if nothing tragic has occurred. Throughout the rest of the performance, there are many references to women and how they are less significant to men. Glaspell, through Lewis Hale’s character, gives a passive statement that confirms early judgment of women: â€Å"Well, women are used to worrying over trifles† (1240). The sheriff and the county attorney both support Hale in other statements directed towards the women. COUNT... Free Essays on Trifles Sitting Alone in Thought The truth about male and female relationships really comes to life by author Susan Gaspell in â€Å"Trifles†. Gaspell examines male and female relationships, how a controlling spouse, and lack of communication can lead to the deterioration in relationships, which inevitably leads too a woman seeking change in her life. Gaspell shows that some relationships are not warm and loving, but are dominated by a controlling spouse. The Author makes you feel that all John wanted to do was control someone’s life, exactly as he had been doing to Minnie. He controlled her life to the extent that he would not allow her to even have a â€Å"party telephone† (952) placed in their home, this would have allowed her access to the outside world, and he did not want that. It was apparent that John did not allow Minnie to have a social life, as she once had when she was Minnie Foster, the woman that sang in the â€Å"choir† (956). Minnie was isolated from the rest of the world; their house was â€Å"down in a hollow† (958) unable to be seen from the road. There house was a lonesome place where no visitors ever came, not even the people that knew they were there. Gaspell shows that Minnie was controlled by John so much that when she made the decision to buy a canary that â€Å"sangâ₠¬  (960) to her, he â€Å"choked the life out of it† (960), just as he had been doing for many years to Minnie. A controlling relationship never ends happily; at Kearney 2 least that is how Gaspell perceived their relationship. Besides a controlling spouse, lack of communication can be an oblivious reason for relationship problems. Gaspell examines this, and the result of what can happen in marriages and friendships that suffer when a communication breakdown occurs, she does this through three different couples. The first couple she examined was John and Minnie Wright who lived in â€Å"peace and quite† (952), they had no friends or visitors ... Free Essays on Trifles In reading the play â€Å"Trifles† the reader learns that two of the main characters, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, suppress evidence that will help the county attorney establish the motive behind the murder of John Wright. I feel that the two women are morally obligated to tell the county attorney what they know. It’s the law plain and simple, and I believe in following the law. However, if it were me in the same situation I would have hidden the evidence too. To understand the moral dilemma that faces Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, a few key topics need to be brought to light. Such as some of the major symbols which are used as metaphors in this play, the role of women in 1916, and some character analysis on the two women. The first one is the comparison between Mrs. Wright and a bird. Mrs. Wright is described by Mrs. Hale as â€Å"kind of like a bird herself†. This was before her marriage to John Wright. However, birds are forced to live in cages, just as Minnie was forced to live in an abusive relationship in which her husband takes away all of her freedom. Another important metaphor in this play is the rocking chair. â€Å"The chair sagged to one side†. Mrs. Hale stated that the chair was not anything like she remembered. This can be compared to how Mrs. Hale remembered Minnie years ago. â€Å"I wish you’d seen Minnie Foster when she wore a white dress with blue ribbons and stood up there in the choir and sang†. Notice how she refers to Minnie by using her maiden name. This shows how Minnie Foster, who was once something to look at, became the run down looking Minnie Wright. Just as the rocking chair depreciated, so did Mrs. Wright. Next, it is important to discuss the role of females at the time the play was written. We can start with the title. While it is known that the word trifle simply means something unimportant or of little value, the word is used in this play to convey how the men considered women’s dut... Free Essays on Trifles Literary Analysis of â€Å"Trifles† In Trifles, by Susan Glaspell, two women battle with a decision that could change the fate of a woman who is assumed to have killed her husband. They are at the Wright house to gather some things to bring to Minnie and start to analyze the things in her kitchen. Mrs. Peter and Mrs. Hale talk about how Minnie was such a good woman before she married. They start to battle with the thought that she may have actually killed her husband. Women in the early 1900’s were considered second class. They were house wives and nothing more. Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale discuss everyday things in Minnie’s kitchen such as her fruit and her bread that was set and ready to be baked. Suddenly Mrs. Peters asks Mrs. Hale â€Å"Do you think she did it?† These two women know that Minnie would have had a motive but did not want to say it out loud. They continually bring up how â€Å"Minnie Foster† used to be. â€Å"†¦one of the town girls singing in the choir.† It is constantly inferred that John Wright was bad husband who changed her. Ables 2 They had no children which left her home lonely along with the fact that he was not much company when he came home. There is a large amount of foreshadowing in this play. The women find a bird cage in the cupboard with a broken door. They know that this is an abnormal finding. They come to the conclusion that she had a canary to keep her company. It also sang beautifully, something to remind her of how her life was before she was with John Wright, she used to sing and be sweet. Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale also discover her quilting and find one that is messy and out of place. Mrs. Hale also knows that this is out of place and begins to fix it. Somehow these two women know that if the men see these things they will use them against her. Unknowingly they hide things that are potentional evidence. They know, but never say, that Minnie killed her husband ...