Heather Mitchell
Intro to Lit
E140-003
Trifles, pg. 1164 #4

“Trifles” by Susan Glaspell is an older play, written in 1916, and many of the main themes reveal this about the play. The root of all the problems and main conflicts in this play can all be traced back to one thing; the Wrights’ marriage. To say the least things must have been slightly rough in the Wright house for someone to have been murdered. When you marry someone, it should be because you want to spend the rest of your life with them. Also, this feeling should not fade or change throughout the marriage, though it often does. To me, both Mr. and Mrs. Wright showed a sort of trapped feeling, like seeing their spouse everyday was a burden, not a privilege. So how many forgotten goodnight kisses, petty arguments, and words left unsaid does it take to reach this feeling of entrapment? It seems as though, as so often happened back then and even today, that Mr. Wright did not appreciate his wife. She did the cooking, and the cleaning, and all the other upkeep. She saw Mr. Wright everyday but still felt all alone, which is why the bird played such a big role in her life. The bird was all that Minnie had. So after neglecting his wife and taking her for granted, Mr. Wright took the one thing keeping his wife sane. He killed the bird, leaving Minnie feel totally alone and most likely seeking revenge. I would have to say that the main theme of this play is that men do not appreciate women. Now do women always appreciate men? That’s another story. However Susan Glaspell, being one of the first American feminist playwrights, stressed this theme throughout the entire play. At one point Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are looking for evidence of Mrs. Wrights emotional distress that might have led to murder, instead of the forensic evidence that the men seek to solve this murder. The women notice an unfinished