8/19/2019 Assignment - Trifles

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NAME : NORA EZZATI BINTI AZMI MATRIC NO : A138228

Written in 1916, Susan Glaspell’s one-act play Trifles is based on true events. As a

young reporter, Glaspell covered a murder case in a small town in owa. !ears later, s"e

wrote a s"ort play inspired by "er e#periences and observations. $"e play starts wit" t"e

s"eri%% and t"e &ounty Attorney investigate t"e "ouse o% 'o"n Wrig"t s"ortly a%ter "is murder.

$"e men are convinced t"at (rs. Wrig"t "as committed t"e murder, yet "ave %ound no

evidence. As t"e two )uestion (r. *ale, t"e man w"o discovers t"e dead body, t"ey ma+e %un

at t"e women and t"eir tri%les. W"en t"e men "ead upstairs to loo+ %or evidence, t"eir wives

e#amine t"e +itc"en w"ere t"ey %ind clues pointing to (rs. Wrig"ts guilt. n ot"er areas o%

t"e "ouse, t"e women discover more clues, clues t"at t"e men overloo+ as mere tri%les. $"e

condescending attitude o% t"e investigators toward t"eir wives ma+e t"em %eel li+e tri%les

and causes t"em to wit""old t"e evidence. As we analysed deeper t"is play, we could clearly

see t"e t"eme t"at t"e writer is trying to convey, w"ic" is, t"e appreciation towards women.

$"e men wit"in t"is play betray a sense o% sel%-importance. $"ey s"ow t"emselves as more

clever t"an t"e women and t"ey could solve t"e case better. $"ey present t"emselves as

toug", serious-minded detectives, w"en in trut" t"ey are not nearly as observant as t"e %emale

c"aracters.

n literary terms, c"aracteriation is de%ined as t"e way an aut"or presents c"aracters.

n direct presentation, a c"aracter is described by t"e aut"or, t"e narrator or t"e ot"er

c"aracters. n indirect presentation, a c"aracters traits are revealed by action and speec". n

t"is play, t"ere are si# c"aracters t"at involved directly. $"ey are 'o"n Wrig"t /t"e deceased0,

(rs. Wrig"t /t"e wi%e o% 'o"n Wrig"t0, George *enderson /t"e &ounty Attorney0, *enry

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eters /t"e S"eri%%0, (r. 2ewis *ale /a neig"bouring %armer0, (rs. eters /t"e S"eri%%s wi%e0

and (rs. *ale.

'o"n Wrig"t, w"o is a local %armer, was married to (innie 3oster. *e was described

as a good, duti%ul man but "e was also a roug" man. *e didn’t really paid attention to "is wi%e

emotion, because (rs. Wrig"t didn’t seemed to be "appy a%ter t"ey married. (rs. Wrig"t was

 born as (innie 3oster and s"e used to be a "appy, lively girl w"o sang in t"e local c"oir, but

a%ter s"e married 'o"n Wrig"t, "er li%e became un"appy and %orlorn. Alt"oug" s"e does not

appear in t"e play, s"e is t"e main suspect in "er "usbands murder and sends (rs. eters and

(rs. *ale to collect a %ew minor items %or "er %rom t"e %arm"ouse. George *enderson, t"e

&ounty Attorney, "e "as been called to investigate t"e murder o% 'o"n Wrig"t and will

 probably serve as t"e attorney %or t"e prosecution in t"e event o% a trial. *e is young and

 pro%essional in manner, but "e o%ten dismisses t"e %emale interest in minor details o%

domesticity, and "e disparages (rs. Wrig"t %or w"at "e perceives as "er lac+ o% "omema+ing

abilities. 4e#t is *enry eters. $"e middle-aged local s"eri%% and "usband o% (rs. eters, "e

is at 'o"n Wrig"ts "ouse to e#amine t"e scene o% t"e crime. 2i+e *enderson, "e gently teases

t"e women about t"eir interest in (rs. Wrig"ts )uilt. (r. 2ewis *ale, w"o is a neig"bouring

%armer, "ad entered t"e Wrig"t %arm"ouse to as+ 'o"n about ac)uiring a telep"one, only to

%ind a strangled man and a wi%e acting very biarrely. *e says, Women are used to worrying

about tri%les. A%ter t"at is (rs. eters. A relative newcomer to t"e town w"o never +new

(rs. Wrig"t be%ore 'o"n Wrig"t married "er, (rs. eters is a slig"t, wiry woman wit" a

t"in, nervous %ace. S"e is married to t"e s"eri%% and pre%ers to %ollow t"e law, o%ten

apologiing %or t"e be"aviour o% t"e men because t"ey are only doing "er duty. (rs. eters

understands loneliness and t"e world o% t"e %emale domestic. 2astly, (rs. *ale. $"e wi%e o%

t"e %armer 2ewis *ale, s"e is o% a "eavier build t"an (rs. eters and resents t"e

condescension s"own to "er by t"e men in general and *enderson in particular because o% "er 

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gender and domestic occupation. S"e remembers (rs. Wrig"t as t"e young (innie 3oster,

and s"e %eels sorry %or (rs. Wrig"t. (rs. *ale regrets not "aving come to visit (rs. Wrig"t to

alleviate "er c"eerless li%e.

&on%lict is de%ined as an active disagreement between people wit" opposing opinions

or principles or in ot"er words, struggles between opposing %orces. n literature, t"ere are

t"ree types o% con%licts, w"ic" is, man versus "imsel%, man versus man and man versus

nature. n Trifles, t"e con%licts involved are man versus "imsel% and man versus man. $"e

con%lict man versus "imsel% could be seen clearly %rom t"e c"aracter (rs. Wrig"t /(innie

3oster0. $"is con%lict was portrayed indirectly by t"e conversation o% (rs. *ale and (rs.

eters about (rs. Wrig"t. *ow s"e seemed to %ig"t wit" "er emotion, to stay "appy wit" "er

li%e as (rs. Wrig"t and to control "er depression. $"e con%lict man versus man was clearly

s"own t"roug" t"e murder o% 'o"n Wrig"t. (rs. Wrig"t surely "ad to struggle a bit wit" "er

"usband in order to +ill "im by "anging "im by rope in t"eir bedroom.

2astly is setting. &ambridge Advanced 2earner’s 5ictionary de%ined setting as t"e

 position o% a "ouse or ot"er building, or t"e time and t"e place in w"ic" t"e action o% a boo+,

%ilm, play, etc. "appen. Trifles too+ place in a Western country, eit"er an American country or

a ritis" country during t"e winter season. We could also sensed t"at t"is story "appened in

t"e nineteent" century based on t"e bac+ground setting t"at was described by t"e c"aracters

t"emselves. asically, t"e place setting o% t"e play only too+ place around t"e +itc"en area,

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since most o% t"e scenes were t"e conversations between (rs. *ale and (rs. eters and it

too+ place in t"e +itc"en o% (r. And (rs. Wrig"t’s "ouse.

http://plays.about.com/od/plays/a/trifes.htm

http://www.brighthubeducation.com/high-school-english-lessons/20755-trifes-by-

susan-glaspell-review-and-analysis/

http://www.gradesaver.com/trifes/study-guide/character-list/

http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/lit_term.html