Glaspell’s “Trifles”

Men think that women lack the abilities to judge which things are important and which are inconsequential and so they ignore the suggestions of women while dealing important issues whereas women struggle to prove the men wrong. It is this struggle between men and women that is depicted in the play “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell. The play deals with how a group of women’s major role in cornering a murder suspect was marginalized by the men. That is, when the character of Mr. Wright was killed by his own wife, Mrs. Wright, few men from the police and legal side converge on the Mr.

Wright’s house but when they search and observe the house they were not able to find any clues. But a group of women consisting of neighbors of Mrs. Wright finds many evidences to corner on Mrs. Wright and find the motive. Throughout the play, the men underestimate the findings of the women and never look at them as clues which point towards the murderer. When Mrs. Peters notices the cold preserves, Sheriff ridicules the women for worrying about the preserves. “Well, can you beat the women! Held for murder and worryin’ about her preserves”. (Glaspell). The finding of the evidence by the women in the play is symbolic of their expediency.

The men think that women are inept in solving the mystery of Mr. Wright’s murder but they are proven wrong by the women. The women not only locate the real murderer but also hide their discovery from the men. Through the different approaches of men and women towards the murder of Mr. Wright, the author brings forth the struggle between men and women. In the play, the women succeed in finding the evidence which reveal the murderer of Mr. Wright while the men overlook this evidence as trifles. Works Cited Glaspell, Susan. Trifles. 15 June 2009. http://www. vcu. edu/engweb/eng384/trifles. htm

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