Key-Points
- Author: Susan Glaspell
- Year of Publication: 1916, early 20th century.
- First performed on August 8, 1916, at the Wharf Theatre, Provincetown, Massachusetts.
- Genre: One-act play (Drama) of a mystery/criminal investigation.
- Style: Realism
- Movement: Feminism
Outline
Trifles is a short one-act play by American playwright Susan Glaspell, first performed in 1916. It is inspired by a real murder case that Glaspell reported on as a journalist. The play explores gender roles, justice, and how small, overlooked details can reveal the truth. The title reflects how women’s observations, often dismissed as “trifles”, turn out to be key evidence in solving a murder.
Mr. Wright is found strangled in his bed, Sheriff Peters, County Attorney Henderson, and neighbour Mr. Hale investigate. Their wives, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, wait in the kitchen and notice “small” domestic clues — a broken birdcage, messy stitching on a quilt, and a dead canary. They realise Mrs. Wright killed her husband after years of isolation and emotional abuse. Choosing to protect her, they hide the evidence from the men, who fail to see its importance.
Summary
On getting to the house, Mr. Hale narrated his own part of the story to the County Attorney. Mr. Hale says he went to the Wright farmhouse to ask John about joining a party-line telephone. When he arrived, he found Minnie sitting in a rocking chair.
MR. HALE: She was rockin' back and forth.....
.......well, she looked queer.
“queer” (strange and out of sorts).
When Hale asked where John was, Minnie calmly told him that John was dead and said he had been strangled with a rope. Hale and another man then went upstairs and found John in bed with a rope around his neck. Minnie’s reaction is quiet and stunned rather than loud or hysterical; she told them what happened, but did not behave like someone who had just been violent.
MR. HALE: ......" He died of a rope round his neck," said she, and she just went on pleatin' his apron.....
Sheriff Peters, County Attorney Henderson, and Lewis Hale start looking around the kitchen for clues. They notice that the place is messy and not well-kept, which surprises them because Minnie was once known to be tidy. The men talk about where they will search—mainly in areas they believe will have “important evidence,” such as the barn or bedroom. They dismiss the kitchen as unimportant.
SHERIFF: Nothing here but kitchen things.
While looking in a cupboard, the County Attorney discovers that several jars of canned fruit have exploded, leaving a sticky mess. Mrs. Peters remarks that when she spoke with Minnie in jail, Minnie had been worried that the jars might burst in the cold. The men laugh at the irony of Minnie worrying over her preserves while facing a murder charge. Mr. Hale adds that.
MR. HALE: Women are used to worrying over trifles.
Showing the men’s dismissive attitude toward women’s concerns.
The County Attorney glances around the kitchen and quickly concludes that Minnie must be a poor housekeeper. He points out the unwashed dishes stacked in the sink, the dirty towels hanging nearby, and the loaf of bread left out on the counter instead of in the breadbox. Mrs. Hale immediately defends Minnie, remarking that life on a farm leaves a woman with plenty to do besides constantly cleaning up after men, who, in her words, are not always so tidy themselves.
MRS. HALE: (stiffly) There is a great deal of work to be done on a farm.
.... those towels get dirty awful quick. Men's hands aren't always as clean as they might be.
The County Attorney chuckles and teases Mrs. Hale for being “loyal to her sex,” then asks if she and Minnie are close friends. Mrs. Hale admits that she hasn’t visited Minnie in over a year, explaining that she always felt unwelcome in the Wright home, partly because John Wright was a cold, unfriendly man who made social visits uncomfortable.
Mrs Hale: ......... I don't think a place'd be any cheerfuller for John Wright's being in it.
The men headed upstairs to gather evidence, leaving the women behind to sort out items for Minnie.
While the men search elsewhere, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters remain in the kitchen to gather Minnie’s clothes and personal items. As they look around, they notice small details: bread left out, unfinished sewing, and a broken door hinge. These little things begin to paint a picture of Minnie’s lonely life and unhappy marriage. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters find a quilt that Minnie had been working on. They notice that most of the stitching is neat—except for one part, which is uneven and messy. They suspect she sewed it in a moment of distress. This makes them think something bad might have happened recently that upset her deeply.
MRS HALE: Mrs. Peters, look at this one. Here, this is the one she was working on, and look at that sew! All the rest of it has been so nice and even. And look at this! Why, it looks as if she didn't know what she was about!
While looking for more fabric, the women open a small box and find a dead bird wrapped carefully in cloth. Its neck has been broken. They remember that Minnie once loved to sing. Mrs. Hale remarks,
“She was kind of like a bird herself—real sweet and pretty, but timid and fluttery.”
They recall that Mr. Wright disliked noise or joy in the house, which may explain why Minnie’s singing stopped after her marriage. The women begin to realise that the bird’s death might have been the final straw for Minnie. The men have been searching for a motive, puzzled as to why Minnie strangled Mr. Wright when there was a gun in the house. Now the women see the connection: just as the bird was killed by having its neck wrung, Mr. Wright was killed the same way. This discovery quietly gives them the motive that the men have been looking for. The men come back, still confident that nothing important could be found in the kitchen. They mock the women for focusing on “trifles” like sewing and preserves. Meanwhile, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters share a silent understanding: they have uncovered the motive. The bird’s death mirrored Minnie’s own life; lonely, silenced, and trapped, she hasn't been happy in her marriage.
Rather than give the men the box with the dead bird, the women hide it in Mrs. Hale’s coat pocket. They know this piece of evidence could explain Minnie’s actions, but they also feel sympathy for her and choose to protect her from further harm.
Ending.
The men leave still puzzled, believing they have found nothing useful. Only Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters know the truth about what happened and why. The play ends with the women quietly united in their decision to keep Minnie’s secret.
Main Characters
Mrs. Wright (formerly Minnie Foster): The unseen central figure; accused of killing her husband.
Mr. Wright: Her strict, emotionally distant husband; the murder victim.
Mrs. Hale: Neighbour, observant and empathetic toward Mrs. Wright.
Mrs. Peters: Sheriff’s wife, initially timid but grows in solidarity with Mrs. Wright.
Sheriff Peters: The law officer leading the investigation.
County Attorney Henderson: A Young, Confident but dismissive of women’s insights.
Mr. Hale: Neighbour who discovered the crime.
Important Symbols
- The Dead Canary: Represents Mrs. Wright’s lost happiness and freedom.
- The Uneven Quilt: Reflects her mental state and interrupted life.
- The Kitchen: The domestic sphere where the truth hides in plain sight.
- The Birdcage: Symbolises her trapped, joyless marriage.
Notable Quotes
“Well, women are used to worrying over trifles.” – County Attorney Henderson.
“We call it—knot it, Mr. Henderson.” – Mrs. Hale (a subtle reference to the method of killing: a rope around the neck)
“She was kind of like a bird herself—real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and—fluttery.” – Mrs. Hale.
Moral of the Play
The play shows that seemingly unimportant details can reveal deep truths, and that empathy can lead to acts of quiet resistance. It also challenges the idea that justice is always served through legal means.
Conclusion
Trifles is a sharp critique of gender roles and a reminder to pay attention to details others overlook. The women’s quiet defiance shows the power of solidarity and observation. For literature students, it’s a rich text full of symbolism, irony, and social commentary.
Study Questions
- How does Glaspell use the women’s domestic space to hide the clues in plain sight?
- Why do the men fail to solve the case
- What does the canary symbolise in the play?
- Is hiding the evidence an act of justice or wrongdoing?
- How does the play reflect early 20th-century gender expectations?
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