This is your blog on Susan Glaspell's Trifles. (Click on the pencil next to comments below to add your entry.)
In this play two men and two women are sent to discover evidence about a murder. The County Attorney and the Sheriff consider certain kinds of evidence important. Their wives examine other kinds of evidence.
1. Describe how their approaches differ. What do the women see that the men fail to see?
2. How do women's insights give us a deeper, more complex, IMAGE of women's lives and values?
Please give two quotations from the play that support your ideas.
The differences in the way each group approaches the house. The men barge in with no kind of respect for the home, they are "...bundled up and go at once to the stove. They are followed by the two women... The women have come in slowly, and stand close together near the door" (Glaspell 1). The women enter as though they are intruding into someone’s home, uninvited.
ReplyDeleteThe men apparently already have it in their minds that Mrs. Wright is guilty, and as such they are there with the sole purpose of finding a motive to prove her guilt. The women are there as her friend, they've come to gather some items for her that she requested. The men make derogatory remarks about Mrs. Wright's housekeeping abilities, this strike a nerve in the women. Seeing this reaction, the attorney comments that there is “loyal[ty] to [their] sex...” (3). The women see themselves in Mrs. Wright's shoes; they knew how much it takes to keep a house in order especially when there is no help around.
The men focused on every room and surrounding area of the house to find evidence, but they completely dismiss the kitchen. I think that as women we know that this area is special; it is a woman’s domain. All of the “trifles”, that the men dismiss as ‘mere women things’ that aren’t of importance, is exactly the opposite in this play. The “trifles” are what pulls the story together, its these items that tell the story. By finding these items the women piece together the emotions that must have been running through Mrs. Wright leading up to the murder. The women were able to feel her loneliness, sadness and her boredom. They saw that she lost herself upon marrying Mr. Wright, she felt “shabby” and was no longer “lively” (5).
As women we rely heavily on our intuitions. Mrs. Hale felt guilty that she wasn’t around Mrs. Wright more often; she believes that she “…might have known she needed help! I know how things can be—for women. I tell you, it's queer, Mrs Peters. We live close together and we live far apart. We all go through the same things—it's all just a different kind of the same thing” (9). And with this revelation, the women decided that since they weren’t there for her before, when she needed them most, they will help and protect her now.
I like your final thoughts on this.
DeleteIt's interesting that Mrs. Peters whom they say is "married to the law" follows Mrs. Hale's lead to protect Mrs. Wright. As the court attorney says to Mrs. Hale, "loyal to your sex".
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DeleteThank yo for your comment. Those quotes you mentioned above are very interesting, and I did want to comment on them also, especially Mrs. Hale projected loyalty to her sex. It was a foreshadow on what was to come.
Delete1. The men seem to just search for basic evidence on how did Mr. Wright died. As women, we notice things that we can relate to. In this case, the women form this play relate to and notice some details about the hobbies and items that Ms. Wright had. Some examples are the way things were placed in the kitchen, and how the Ms Wright would sew things. I would assume that all the women in this play were stay at home wife because of the date in the title (1916). Another reason is because they notice little things only people who are home all the time would notice. In page 18, Mrs. Hale says she'd hate having men coming into her kitchen like how they did in Mrs. Wright kitchen, and snoop around critizing. Also, the way the men kind of made fun of laugh comment the women had said about if Ms. Wright was going to quilt it or knot it. The men laughed at the fact that the women were taking about the sewing like if it were important evidence to the murder. that was on page 20.
ReplyDelete2. The play shows that women's opinion were not taken in consideration. they believed women were good for staying at home and maintaining the house because they don't have the capacity to handle outside work. On page 17, Mrs. Peters comments about how Mrs. Wright's fruits were freezing and the Shireff and the County Atterney thought that it was an unnecessary thought to worry about. It shows how men minimized woman value and capacity.
In the story the women analyze Mrs. Wright behavior and details of the crime scene as the men refuse to knowledge the details their women mentions . During the first scene of Trifles the presence of the women were barely apparent and their voiced were silenced . Interestedly the male superior attitude towards the " the crime scene " it show the excessive self -assurance they possessed . The way they view the crime scene was impacted negatively , because they overlooked significant details due to their ove-confidence in solving criminal mysteries . For example The Sheriff claimed ," Nothing here but kitchen things ," after he was done inspecting the kitchen . He assumed only cooking utilities would be found in a woman's primary place . In reality the women were the true analyzer sand observers. The women relate to Mrs. Wright duties in the house work and notice she was struggling and kept in silence . Both of the wives mention working on a farm was a really hard job . The details of the wives observing behavior especially in the 19th century was very impressive for me . Mrs. Peters notice she was piecing a quilt , Mrs. Hale says "It's a log cabin pattern . Pretty , isn't it ? I wonder if she was going to to quilt it or just knot it ? All the men laugh at her comment and the women look abashed . Mrs. Hale continued to examine the patterns as the men look for more evidence . Mrs. Hale notice some bad sewing , which she mention it bad sewing makes her fidgety . " What do you suppose she was so nervous about ?" . A quilt is made to show stories about someone . Susan Glaspell emphasizes the women intuitive to womanly instincts in Trifles as th man are aloof and disconnected to the scene . Mrs. Hale will have been a great detective in their society .
ReplyDeleteIn the play “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell the women pay attention to detail while the men pay attention to the bigger things in the crime scene that they believe will help them solve the crime. The women pay attention to how Minnie Foster left her kitchen uncleaned and how it could have aided to the crime committed. The men find it useless to pay attention to a few messy things in the kitchen. The women repeatedly mention how they find it strange that her kitchen was left messy. Due to the fact that the women pay close attention to detail they discover a dead bird within Minnie Foster’s sewing box. They begin to question why is it here and how did it die. We see this to be true when Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale state “But, Mrs. Peters-- look at it. Its neck! Look at its neck ! It’s all-- other side to. Somebody-- wrung-- its neck”(Glaspell 7). As the story progresses the women try to solve the mystery now that they realize there is a bird involve. Perhaps John Wright hated the sound of the bird singing so he killed it. Which triggered Minnie to kill him. The women also discover that Minnie was practicing knots within her quilts. Minnie could have been practicing making knots so that she could finally tie a rope around her husband's neck and kill him. At the end the women solve the crime because Mrs Hale states “We call it-- knot it, Mr Henderson”(Glaspell 10). After paying close attention to the type of quilting Minnie Foster was doing, Mrs. Hale realized that she had potentially learned how to do knotting in her quilts so that she could one day knot a rope to kill her husband.
ReplyDeleteMrs.Peters and Mrs. Hale’s insights in this play explain how women pay attention to detail and reason. Why did she quilt this way? Why is her kitchen messy? Why is there a dead bird in her sewing box? All these simple questions lead to major evidence. As readers we can conclude that what the women value and what the men value are different. The bird most likely meant a lot to Minnie Foster and because he husband didn’t value it, he killed it. Which ultimately sent her over the edge.
You mention the best part of Mts. Hale analogy of Mrs ,Wright aka Minnie state of mind . Mrs. Hales yells Look at the Neck Look at its neck " It's goes back to the story of the pattern of quilt she figures out Minnie behavior and she end up finishing with a Knot .
DeleteI like how you analyzed Mrs. Wright's knotting of the quilt as practice for her husbands death. That is a good perception, I looked at it like a woman that was quilting calmly and got aggravated and distressed, so she lost her calm nerves and started quilting all discombobulated lol. But I like your interpretation better :-)
Delete1. Describe how their approaches differ. What do the women see that the men fail to see?
ReplyDeleteIn the play "Trifles" by Susan Glaspell, a man has been murdered while him and his wife sleep. The county attorney and sheriff question the wife Mrs. Wright but find no evidence to pin against her. Two women are along with them named Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale. The county attorney and sheriff are looking for evidence throughout the house and stumble into the kitchen and just sort of push through a bunch of pans and dirty towels and question how a women could be so dirty to have a towel in her kitchen so dirty. They then find no use in checking the kitchen because they dont think there would be any evidence where a women spends her time. The two women are gathering some items of the wife's. They find an unfinished mess of a quilt that the wife was sewing. What the women notice is that the quilt is unfinished and made nervously. They then find a birdcage and no bird. They find a sewing box with a dead bird in with its neck rung out. They then understand something the men will not understand because the narrator is quoted with saying " Their eyes meet. a look of growing comprehension of horror. " This helps us understand that the women both know exactly what that means in terms of the case and since the men didnt want to bother with looking through the kitchen they dont find this important piece of evidence. The men see the women and just laugh at them for looking at a quilt and kind of making fun of them as if since they are women they wont be of any use and every time they walk back into the house they ask them a silly question about the quilt even though the women know more than them.
2. How do women's insights give us a deeper, more complex, IMAGE of women's lives and values?
Women understand each other much better than men ever will even understand themselves because women all know the struggles of being a woman in any point of time. The women in the story themselves say this too when Mrs. Hale says " We all go through the same things- its all just a different kind of the same thing." Women all go through the same thing one point in their lives even if its slightly different. This is how women are always seen as closer to each other than men. They have a silent bond that only they can feel and thats how they were able to find out exactly how Mrs. Wright was feeling with her marriage and life in general through these everyday objects used/made by a woman. They felt sympathy for her and understood why she would have done such a thing because they could feel her pain through these things. Mrs. Hale even feels bad herself for not spending more time with the lonely Mrs. Wright.
1. The way the men think in this play create big problems for the men because they aren’t able to put themselves in Minnie Wright’s shoes and solve the murder that occurred. In order for them to solve the case they must think like a woman would, and see what drove Minnie to kill her husband but they continue ignoring the women and making smart remarks toward them. From the instant that the men enter Mr. Wright’s house, they ignore the important evidence such as, the kitchen where women spend most of their time in. The men go around the entire house even the farmhouse and overlook the kitchen in all its entirety. The women see all that the men do not see because they relate to Minnie. The women find all the evidence needed to convict Minnie from Mr. Wright’s death. They start of by finding the quilt, the quilt plays a big role. How the women react toward the way the quilt is sewn shows the difference between the men and women and how they see. The women realize that the quilt is important, while the men see it as just a piece of quilt. This when the men make their smart remarks, laughing at the women saying “They wonder if she was just going to quilt it or knot it’’ This is women begin whispering to one another and hiding the evidence. At the end of the play the men ask the women "Well, ladies, have you decided whether she was going to quilt it or knot it?” and they say "knot it" this shows the way in which Minnie murdered her husband. The women also find the empty birdcage which they find to be very odd and finally the dead canary which died in the same way john did. This is when the women realize Minnie did kill john, because john killed Minnie’s canary. The women approached the case differently and found evidence because they payed attention to detail and put themselves in Minnie's Place.
ReplyDelete2. From the start of the play it is seen that women were not valued. The Sheriff, Hale, and The County Attorney stir up conflict from the very start by making smart comment towards and overlooking women. This result in making Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale defensive towards the men and hiding what they find. This creates problems for the men since the women begin to hide how they truly think and feel. This harms the men because without the help of the women they aren’t able to find the evidence. The remark that started the conflict was made by Hale he says, “Well women are used to worrying over trifles.” this remark is very sexist. It is saying that all women do is sit in the kitchen and worry about cooking and cleaning. The County Attorney makes it worse by adding another remark “And yet what would we do without the ladies.” This statement makes Mrs. Hale angry and she responds by standing up for herself, women, and Minnie. This shows women’s values, and how they care and stand up for one another even if they didn’t really know one another. This is seen in their conversation when Mrs. Hale says “‘there’s a great deal of work to be done on the farm’ and then goes on to say ‘Those towels get dirty awful quick. Men’s hands aren’t always clean as they might be’. Mrs. Hale shows that she understands Minnie because she compares herself to her when she makes the remark about being a farmer and that it is a lot of work. On the other hand, the men don’t because they see a woman as someone who lives in a kitchen and the only thing on their mind is trifles, and that they are not capable of anything else.
There are several differences in how each group approached the home. In short, the men were only interested in solving the crime with vague pieces of evidence, while the women preferred to pay attention to detail in order to solve the crime. One good example of this would be when the characters are already at the crime scene analyzing the surroundings and the sheriff mentions “Nothing here but kitchen things…” The women would pay attention to detail like when Mrs. Hale noted that “Those towels get dirty awful quick. Men’s hands aren’t always as clean as they might be.” She was giving a detailed opinion on her observation, but of course it meant nothing to the Count Attorney as he shrugged it off.
ReplyDeleteThe play shows how little the thoughts and ideas of women meant to men and society. Women aren’t meant to analyze a crime scene, they are meant to be in the kitchen.
The women, Mrs. Hale specifically, are the only ones that truly analyze what happened in intuitive and intelligent ways. Looking through "irrelevant" belongings they piece together what really happened. They view things from an emotional standpoint, with feelings and empathy. They try to relate to Mrs. Wright and see things from her point of view. The men simply look for tangible and obvious clues such as the rope and get the story/facts from Mr. Hale. The men are so disconnected from the women they don't stand a chance at figuring this out. It's not something they would understand nor even try to. The very items they disregard and dismiss as mere trifles are the very things they need for evidence.
ReplyDeleteThrough their discussion about “trifling” things the women begin to discover the truth. Mrs. Hale stumbles upon the quilt and immediately notices where the sewing became sloppy. Mrs. Peters discovers the birdcage with the broken door and begins to question this. Then they stumble upon the dead bird. Just like the sewing items and the fruit preserves, the bird also represents a trifle. It is something Mrs. Wright loved but more than likely her husband viewed as an annoying useless thing. The bird's neck was snapped and its singing forever silenced much like he did to his wife and her spirit. Mrs. Hale, “No, Wright wouldn't like the bird—a thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that, too”. She also demonstrates remorse when she says, “Oh, I wish I'd come over here once in a while! That was a crime!....Who's going to punish that?”
It’s interesting how the men are attempting to figure out why a woman murdered her husband but yet reject anything have to do with Mrs. Wright as well as the thoughts of the other women in the house. On page four of the play we have dialogue between Mrs. Hale and the court attorney regarding the lack of cheerfulness in the home. He blames the fact that the home isn’t cheerful on Mrs. Wright’s lack of “homemaking” abilities. He also claims he’d like to discuss this more later but he never comes back to Mrs. Hale for further questioning. Any other conversation between the two sexes is banter. This illustrates how the men do not take the women seriously at all.
Based upon the insights of the men, the lives of women in the story would seem like we exist simply to serve, clean and keep ourselves occupied with frivolous things. The women's insights bring depth and meaning to the image of women. The men pass judgment without understanding. The women experience empathy, understanding and a sense of guilt. It is through the discussion between the two women that we begin to see Mrs. Wright as a human being—a sad, lonely, abused woman. Also one that was once vibrant and happy. “She—come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself—real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and—fluttery. How—she—did—change” reflects Mrs. Hale. “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”.
We constantly see the dismissiveness of anything having to do with women. Anything in a woman’s space such as a kitchen must be frivolous and not worth looking at. The county attorney states, “You're convinced that there was nothing important here—nothing that would point to any motive”. The sheriff replies, “Nothing here but kitchen things”. They don’t pay much attention to the birdcage. He barely looks through the quilting items therefore missing the dead bird giving the ladies time to hide it. In the end, he amusingly thinks that all the women can contribute is whether Mrs. Wright was going to quilt or not.
I think this story highlights how men and women balance each other and it behooves both genders to work together. There's a part where the court attorney says, “And yet, for all their worries, what would we do without the ladies?” If the men had taken the women seriously and probed Mrs. Hale further, then perhaps they would have discovered the motive that remained a mystery to them.
It does not provide an option for editing. I wanted to add the page numbers/citation. So I will list them here.
DeleteMrs. Hale, “No, Wright wouldn't like the bird—a thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that, too”. She also demonstrates remorse when she says, “Oh, I wish I'd come over here once in a while! That was a crime!....Who's going to punish that?" (9).
“She—come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself—real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and—fluttery. How—she—did—change” (7).
“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” (9).
"You're convinced that there was nothing important here—nothing that would point to any motive”. The sheriff replies, “Nothing here but kitchen things”(3).
Lastly, I'd like to add a quote from Mrs. Hale, "We live close together and we live far apart. We all go through the same things-it's just a different kind of the same thing (9). This quote reflects her approach to thinking about what has happened here. She was easily able to put herself into Mrs. Wright's shoes.
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ReplyDeleteI think that their approaches are different because the county attorney and the sheriff are searching for a reason to why Mrs. Wright would kill her husband. The country attorney quoted "You're convinced that there was nothing important here- nothing that would point to any motive?" (Glaspell 17). On the other hand, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peter are observing Mrs. Wright house. Their purpose to why they come to the her home was because she asks for her shawl, her apron, and to check on her preserves.The women saw how lonely, dreary, and messy inside the her home. Also they notice that there is a gun inside the house. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peter found it is strange that Mr. Wright would go through the trouble in hanging himself. In "Trifles", Mrs. Hale quoted "She was kind of like a bird herself-real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and- fluttery" (Glaspell 21). I think that women are portray as a bird like Mrs. Wright because in the beginning Mrs. Hale describe her "She used to wear pretty clothes and be lively, when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls singing in the choir" (Glaspell 19). I think that after she married to John Wright I felt that her life turns gloomy because she had no children or company. In addition Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peter found a dead bird inside a box because they notice that Mrs. Wright had a birdcage in her kitchen. I think that Mrs. Wright values the bird because it was the only company that she had. Mrs. Hale quoted "I might have known she needed help! I know how things can be- for women" (Glaspell 23). I think that after when Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peter saw how sad her life has become. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peter wish that they would come sooner and see how she is doing.
ReplyDelete1. Describe how their approaches differ. What do the women see that the men fail to see?
ReplyDeleteThe Sheriff’s wife and Mrs. Hale entered the Wright home aware that they were intruding on someone’s privacy. The men approached the private space confidently and aggressively. They were after all on official business to find a motive for the murder of John Wright, a local farmer and neighbor to the Hales. The women, who had been invited to gather some personal items for the jailed Mrs. Wright, showed immediate support for the alleged murderer. They reluctantly found clue after clue as to the emotional state and oppressive environment in which Mrs. Wright lived. For instance, Mrs. Wright had worried that the house would get so cold that her jars of preserves would break (Glaspell 3). Mrs. Hale commented that the house was “not a very cheerful place” (4), and after going through her wardrobe, she remarked that Mrs. Wright’s clothes were “shabby” (5). But the moment of truth came when the women accidentally found the dead canary. The bird with the wrung neck was the missing link, the evidence of a possible motive for the crime (8).
MRS. HALE (with a slow look around her) I wonder how it would seem never to have had any children around. (Pause) Wright wouldn't like the bird-a thing that sang. She (Minnie) used to sing. He killed that too.
MRS. PETERS (moving uneasily) We don't know who killed the bird.
MRS. HALE I knew John Wright. (9)
2. How do women's insights give us a deeper, more complex, IMAGE of women's lives and values?
As the men went through the house, they embarked on a character assassination of Mrs. Wright, such as blaming her for having a dirty hand towel of which the women asserted were dirtied by men (in this case, probably soiled by Frank after the murder). At the same time, the women observed more than the physical condition of the home, but the state of mind of the parties involved. Mrs. Hale knew Mrs. Wright as Minnie Foster, a sweet, pretty, timid girl who sang in the choir. “How—she—did—change,” noted Mrs. Hale (7). To the women, Minnie was a victim. By feeling guilty that she had not visited Minnie, Mrs. Hale admitted that she knew “how things can be—for women….We all go through the same things” (9). Mrs. Peters then revealed her experience with loss and neglect upon losing her first baby and needing emotional support. The women seemed to connect Mrs. Wright’s lonely, metaphorically cold existence to their own under-appreciated, laborious lives which lacked meaningful, stimulating interaction.
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ReplyDelete1.) To me i think that Ms. Hale took the time to really analyze why there is an issue present in the case that had been taken into account. There were a number of things that had been taking place in the play that should've been considered when taking the case forward. The men of the play were working hard to make sure that the women are not able to connect a crime that had taken place. Yet as you read you think that the women are siding with the same sex but that's not the case there had been a murder and to their eyes there had been something odd about the site of evidence. " Ah, Loyal to your sex, i see. But you and Mrs. Wright were neighbors. I suppose that you were friends, too." (Glaspell, 17). To me the immediate problem you can see here is that the attorney made a premature assumption towards the women in the play in the context that they might be covering the tracks of the perp. "Oh i guess they're not very dangerous things the ladies have picked up. No, Mrs. Peters doesn't need supervising." to me the men i guess were hinting to the fact that the women weren't engaging the situation the same way the men were and i think that the men being sarcastic with everything that had been compiled by the women in the play.
ReplyDelete2.)to me i think that the women are more advanced in thinking than most people would be able to comprehend. i say that because even though the men were the ones who brought home the bread women were home working, but it never meant that the women were weaker or not able to advance in life the way men did in the world. to me i think when a crime takes place you see how the women are considered the weaker vessel simply because of their sex. Women in terms of their thinking are able to see and identify certain things when something whether physical or emotional is wrong. i guess in this case the women of the play were able to bring a more in-depth way of thinking when it comes down to solving a case.
ReplyDelete1. Describe how their approaches differ. What do the women see that the men fail to see?
A very important part of thos story is the first steps each gender takes. It's basically like expressing " giving the first impression ". Examples from the text would be how both genders choose to approach the situation as the men decide to uncontrollably jump into the house as the women enter with calm and relaxation. The reason i believe thisbis the most important detail is because information comes through they way you approach it. As men barge in it is clear to see that they can easily put themself in danger and or also jump the gun and accuse any peice of evidence they see first. As women calmly approah the inside of the house they can carefully acknowledged a tremendous amount of clues as their knowledge helps create a analysis helping them figure out the true story of what happened.
2. How do women's insights give us a deeper, more complex, IMAGE of women's lives and values?
This question perfectly reflects upon why i believe their first impression was the most important step in this process. As i said before the women calmly realize much more information by taking their time this gives a enormous opportunity to analyze every detail within the household and also people involved including each individual's personality. Therefore the womens insight gives a deeper and comples image of womens value then as men would by jumping the gun.
1. Describe how their approaches differ. What do the women see that the men fail to see?
ReplyDeleteThe men dismiss a whole category of evidence, when the Sherrif calls the kitchen – and the veritable treasure trove of information it contains – as "Nothing here but kitchen things." (Glaspell 3). Accustomed to passing by and disregarding women's contributions around the home, the men fail to realize the significance of the clues contained there. In contrast, the women, more attuned to the details of taking care for a home, both recognize the effort that Mrs. Wright must have put into the place and notice the small details that tell the story of what happened in the house.
Most especially, they find the bird cage and the dead bird, which provides the information about why and how Mr. Wright was killed the way he was. From this and other minor clues, the women piece together what actually happened, and decide not to tell the men what they've learned. They think that the men would just laugh at them for "Getting all stirred up over a little thing like a – dead canary" (Glaspell 9). Only the women can understand the depth of Mrs. Wright's suffering over the years, and what the bird meant to her.
2. How do women's insights give us a deeper, more complex, IMAGE of women's lives and values?
Women have the "inside perspective," so to speak, about their own lives and values. This is not to say that men cannot comment upon them at all, merely that the most accurate and insightful portrayals of these things are going to come from those who have lived and experienced them. In "Trifles" this is repeatedly demonstrated by how the wives pick up on small, subtle clues that the men overlook entirely in their dismissive approach to the feminine "women's space" of the kitchen.
1. The approach of the men is purely business. Their concern is of the facts of the events that took place upstairs in the bedroom, and what ultimately led up to it. The county attorney questions the neighbor Mr. Hale about what he saw and they try to retrace the encounter with Mrs. Wright. They discuss the strange demeanor of Mrs. Wright and how she reacted when questioned about her murdered husband. The men occupy themselves with the scene of the crime and around the house as well as the barn but leave the kitchen as if insinuating it a domain in which men were unfamiliar and uninterested in. The county attorney asks the sheriff if there is anything in the kitchen worth investigating to which the sheriff replies, securing the notion of men's disinterest in the kitchen, "Nothing here but kitchen things"(pg3). The men leave the women to gather a few things for Mrs. Wright. The women's approach is unassuming and open minded. They are struck by curiosity but not in an investigative manner as the men. The women sympathize with Mrs. Wright as they see her preserves are all destroyed but one. They feel for her as Mrs. Hale states that she would "hate to have men coming into my kitchen, snooping around and criticizing"(pg4). That comment can also be seen as another example of how men are strangers in the kitchen which could be interpreted as how men are strangers in the affairs of women. The women notice the quilt that Mrs. Wright was working on commenting on the technique which the men overhear and make fun of, again showing the contrast between men and women. The women notice how the sewing of the quilt is "nice and even" but at one point "It's all over the place"(pg6). The sewing is the first clue as to the change of emotion of Mrs. Wright which could give a clue as to the motive of the murder. Mrs. Hale attempts to fix the stitching and in searching for materials to do so, she discovers a birdcage with a broken door. They ponder as to why she had a birdcage and what could have happened to the bird. The broken door demonstrates to them that "someone must have been rough with it"(pg7). The women compare Mrs. Wright to a bird and sympathize with how she must have felt with a husband who was a "hard man". The women decide to take the quilt to Mrs. Wright and in searching for materials for her to finish it with, they discover a dead bird in a box, with its neck broken. The men are seen again, notice the birdcage and ask the women about it but give it no real attention. The women go back to the murdered bird and Mrs. Peters recollects to how a boy murdered her kitten and she almost "hurt" the boy(pg9). The image is painted although unspoken of what really took place by the women.
ReplyDelete2. The women's personal experience as well as their point of view give a notion to how women lived and the values that they carried. The way Mrs. Hale sympathized with the work of Mrs. Wright showed how the women took pride in the work they did and took pride in the appearances of their environment. The experiences that the women used when finding the clues of the motive of the murder give a peek to how the women's lives were portrayed. An image is given of women who are often oppressed by men, taunted and humiliated. The women are treated as simple, concerned with "Trifles", simple things, tasks that men were not interested in, Mainly in the kitchen, with the children and each other. The women are highly intuitive but chose not to disclose their findings with the men probably because they would simply dismiss the claims or laugh at them.
In Susan Glaspell’s play "Trifles" it appears that the County Attorney and the Sheriff are more concerned with the witness testimony of Hale, the neighbor who discovered that John Wright has been killed, than properly investigating the entire house for evidence. For instance, when the men are on the first floor of the Wright residence taking testimony from Hale, the County Attorney says to the Sheriff, “You’re convinced there is nothing important here- nothing that would point to any motive?” to which the Sheriff replies, “Nothing here but kitchen things.” Mrs. Hale takes umbrage with that remark and becomes irritated that Minnie’s kitchen is referred to as “a nice mess” by the County Attorney (3). The three men are all business in their investigation whereas the women are more focused on Minnie Wright’s personal items such as her knitting and her fruit preserves.
ReplyDeleteBut when the men disappear upstairs to see where Mr. Wright has been murdered, the story turns its focus to the women. This is when the reader gets deeper insight into the frame of mind of Wright’s wife, and potential murderer, Minnie, from the women’s perspective. As Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, the Sheriff’s wife, begin going through the kitchen cupboards, they make a grisly discovery, a dead bird wrapped in a piece of silk. Mrs. Hale compares Minnie to a bird, “real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid – fluttery” (7). Mrs. Hale is empathetic to Minnie’s situation and she also feels regret for not being more involved in her life as the years have gone by. She probably could not have prevented what was destined to happen but, as a woman, she identifies with the strife Minnie must have faced living with Mr. Wright. Minnie Wright’s breaking point, literally, was the breaking of the canary’s neck by Mr. Wright. This act took away the final shred of happiness that Minnie had in her life and drove her to murder him. This discovery, made by the women, broke the case wide open while the men were off investigating the barn. When the women decide to remove the crucial piece of evidence, the dead bird, from the house, they also take away any potential motive there may have been for the crime. As a result, Minnie Wright may have regained her freedom.
I like that you point out that the men seem to focus more on Hale's testimony than anything else. To me, this demonstrates how much weight the words of a man carry for them. Similarly when the sheriff tells the attorney it was just kitchen things. The attorney simply takes his word for it and doesn't really bother investigating for himself.
Delete1. The men investigate the murder by collecting evidence in my opinion that doesn't give them an exact lead to the murder. The men chose to investigate upstairs in the house. They are confident and anxious that they can find better evidence than the women. "I think I'd rather have you go upstairs, where you can point it all out. Just go on with the rest of the story " (pg 2). The men and their wives enter the house and see the kitchen and the men treats it like a crime scene and not a home, because they kind of move things out of place without no care. The women seem more nervous and calm to find out what happened exactly unlike the men. The women searched the kitchen together . In the kitchen they found evidence such a dish towel that was half dirty and cleaned, an unfinished quilt, a dead bird, and the birds broken cage. Each time the men enter the kitchen the laugh at the women and make fun of them and I think it's because they feel that the women won't find anything useful. Another evidence the women learned was that Mrs. Wright was nervous based on her sewing of the quilt. " just pulling out a stitch or two that's not sewed very good " (pg6) " What do you suppose she was nervous about "(pg6).
ReplyDelete2. I think women understand each other overall so sometimes they understand they reasons for each others behavior. In the play we learned Mrs.Wright also known as Minnie was lonely and unhappy. Her unfinished quilt that was found indicates her sadness because she wasn't happy with her husband . The question that occurs a lot from the men was " Did Mrs.Wright quilt or knotted the blanket" . Knotting is easier to do by yourself and that's what she did because she had no help. I think the quilt has a significance because it shows she was alone. Just how the bird has a significance because the dead bird maybe represents how Mrs.Wright was feeling inside. Or maybe how she felt about her husband or wanted to do to him even though we don't know if she really did murder him. The women inisights gave a deeper and more complex image because the men couldn't figure out what the women did nor could they see their point of view of things. The men found the women amusing because of the clues they looked for in the kitchen . I think both women had a connection with Mrs. Wright's feelings.
1. Well how their approach differ from both gender was born were trying to figure out how did Mr Wright died from finding him with a rope around his neck while the women was downstairs. The men really took it differently then how the women took it. They just jump into conclusion when they found the lady in the house with a dead body while the women's different jump too quickly when looking for exact evidence on finding what was going on. The women's saw something strange and odd when they saw the bird cage probably because the lady was bored and alone so she just had the bird to keep company. They saw the women knitting utensils and wanted to bring to her when they saw a pretty box and when they open it their reactions was priceless Mrs Peters " Why this isn't her scissors, it's the bird"(8). Then when examining it the discover something strange again Mrs Hale " But Mrs Peters look at it its neck look at its neck! It's all otherside to". They might find the answer to solving the cast but if they present it to the guys they probably would of laugh at them because they laugh at them before. With women the littlest thing could be the solve to all the problems and with the men's the fail to analyze all the clues that was in the house so the women's felt they needed to keep that to themselves and might find out the reason to the solution.
ReplyDelete2. A women insight give us a deep more complex image of women's lives and values by stating that women are more develop when it comes to things then men are. Women are more advance and smart then to what people think. Women would probably be more emotional and weak when it comes to things, they state women as the weak link but really women have the mind that most can't really imagine. We are able to describe state visualize and analyze the littlest things that's happen. So in this play it show the role of women's using their brains and eyes in figuring out how to solve a case to get to a resolution basically.
The approach of the women to the crime scene differed from the mens because they were able to put themselves in Mrs. Wright's shoes. They understood the depth of her emotions by observing the details around her kitchen, while the men only paid attention to the room upstairs, where the crime was committed. They paid particular attention to the way the quilt was obviously knitted by a woman dealing with stress and depression. They noticed the disturbed bird cage that the men passed by. Mrs. Cale looked at the cage and said "Why look at this door. It's broke. One hinge is pulled apart."
ReplyDeleteFor the most part, I believe that a situation such as the one in Trifles, where Minnie Foster is being held in jail as the suspect in her husband John Wright's murder, men and women will view and interpret whatever evidence was found in different ways. As the story goes, "he died of a rope around his neck", as his wife Minnie tells a man name Hale, who along with Harry discovers John's body just as the wife tells them. After the initial discovery, the county attorney and sheriff, along with their wives are all brought into play as the four main people who will gather evidence. It's easy to see that the men approached the house with the intention to find evidence that would possibly prove that Minnie killed her husband and thus reveal motive. They moved swiftly and with urgency in the house and out to the barn. On the other hand, the women, Mrs.Hale and Mrs.Peters were in the kitchen for the entire time they were there. Taking notes on the manner in which the kitchen was left and all the things Minnie had been occupying her time with. They were focused on keeping her preserves and grabbing the list of things she had requested. I believe the fact that the women were placed in the kitchen shows them as domesticated creatures and the men walking around the house and heading out to the barn, puts them in the 'men of business' context. Clearly showing the difference between where each sex belonged. More so, even the men, Hale specifically commented and said that " Well, women are used to worrying over trifles", in response to Mrs. Peters talking about the frozen fruit. This shows that the men thought that women only dealt with and worried about frivolous things. Of course it is the women who in the end discovers the dead bird and assumes what had really happened.
ReplyDeleteThe two women spent their time in the kitchen, dissecting every possible thing they could. And while they did that, they identified the struggles Minnie must have had in her marriage, without children and being just a housewife. That she must have been lonely and only found companionship with her bird, who Mr. Wright must have killed. And thus killing her joy and in turn, she killed him in the same manner which he did the bird.
The womens insights gave us a deeper insight into their values, at that point in time. We can tell that they did a lot of work around the house because they were able to retrace all of Mrs. Wright's steps, due to their common understanding. It's obvious that household chores like sewing, cooking and cleaning were skills that all women were expected to possess. The men made fun of the women for doing what they expected women to do, by staying in the kitchen but the women ended up with a better understanding of the crime, by doing so. Mrs.Hale was able to tell that Mrs.Wright under stress because of her bad sewing job. She expected Mrs. Wright to be skilled at sewing when she said "Here, this is the one she was working on, and look at the sewing! All of the rest of it has been so nice and even. And look at this! It's all over the place! Why, it looks as if she didn't know what she was about!"
ReplyDeletein the reading. Triflers the women approached the scene differently from the men because without acknowledging that they cleaning up evidences, as they tired to piece together the crime, they came in putting thing away which were out of place such as the cherries.As they did this the figured out that Mrs. Wright was in the middle of of finishing a quilt realizing that she was knotting, the men enter the room laughing because they don't understand that finding the knotting pattern shows that she was practicing as she planned .the men approached the situation as if they react/retrace the steps they would have a better understanding of things,not knowing that they were missing everything that would help led them to the cause of the crime.
ReplyDeletethe women piecing together the evidence of the quilt" she was piecing together a quilt" its log cabin pattern... wonder if she was going to quilt or just knot it"Shows that her quilt was log cabin pattern meaning she was telling a story, or how the women came across the birdcage in the cupboard, as Mrs Hale recalls a guy selling a canary bird which are songbirds showing the symbolism that Mrs. Wright was a cage bird, than Mrs. Hale states how Mrs. Wright use to sing, shows that Mrs. Wright was a person of life who was trapped.