Susan Glaspell Trifles Defense

Trifles Defense Critic Essay A critic once said, “Trifles is a lousy play. By the third page we know who dun it, so there isn’t much reason to sit through the rest of the play.” This statement is a closed minded opinion. Susan Glaspell, the author of “Trifles”, does depict the murderer in this detective story but leaves the audience sitting in question of the motive for the mariticide. The play “Trifles” is an interesting and a great play because it offers questionable motives, the truth of the power between sexes, and has a historical impact. A detective story is based on three points of view which are method, opportunity, and motive. The obvious murderer, Mrs. Wright, indicates her method for mariticide when she tells her neighboring farmer Mr. Hale, “He died of a rope around his neck” (Glaspell pg 1227). The opportunity for this madness was indicated when Mr. Wright was found dead in his bedroom. Mrs. Wright clearly strangled her husband in his sleep. The method and opportunity were presented
This would explain why the men treated the women differently and placed them a “higher pedestal” over them. What makes this play so intriguing is that this play was based on actual events. The author, Susan Glaspell, was actually a reporter for the Des Moines News and covered a story on a murder trial on a farmer’s wife, Margaret Hossack. Mrs. Hossack was accused of murdering her husband by striking him twice in the head with an ax while he slept. In December 20 of 1910 she was found guilty of the charges and sentenced to life in prison. Susan Glaspell wrote twenty six articles covering this case over the next sixteen months. During her exploration in this case she found that Mr. Hossack was an abusive husband and father. Susan Glaspell later wrote this play and a short story based on this case called “A jury of her