Susan Glaspell's "Trifles" very short summary
Prof. Java
Intro to Literature
April 1st, 2014
Susan Glaspell “Trifles” Susan Glaspell’s “Trifles” is a short play conveying the actions of a few police officers and concerned neighbors of a small farm couple in the aftermath of a curious murder. The play makes a statement towards feminine intuition, which is a bold claim considering that the play was written in the early 1900s. The police officers, Court Attorney George Henderson & Sheriff Henry Peters enter the Wright farm with neighbors Mr. & Mrs. Hale & Mrs. Peters. It has been one night since the murder of Mr. Wright and there seems to be only one suspect for the deed. The wife of farmer Wright has apparently strangled her husband in bed with a rope. The police, unwilling to buy her story that her husband was strangled in the night alongside her and she didn’t wake up, begin to put together the pieces but are missing major factors. They have the murder weapon, and the only known suspect, but they’re unable to discover a motive for the crime. Mr. Hale & the police, having brought the women along for information and to gather a few things from the house for Mrs. Wright’s departure to prison, leave them to gather Mrs. Wright’s things whilst they further survey the crime scene. It is during the girls’ searching of the Wright household and their discussions about the Wright family do they discover a possible motive. Mr. Wright was an alright guy for the most part but apparently was very stern, and at times unforgivingly mean to Mrs. Wright. They never had children or company so while Mr. Wright was away Mrs. Wright would be alone and have nothing to do. She had hardly any friends and, to remind her of her choir days, she purchases a small bird to sing throughout the house. Mrs. Hale & Mrs. Peters stumble across an empty birdcage and a dead bird wrapped in silk in a small treasure box, it’s neck broke. They speculated that perhaps Mr. Wright silenced the birds singing much in the same way he forced his
Intro to Literature
April 1st, 2014
Susan Glaspell “Trifles” Susan Glaspell’s “Trifles” is a short play conveying the actions of a few police officers and concerned neighbors of a small farm couple in the aftermath of a curious murder. The play makes a statement towards feminine intuition, which is a bold claim considering that the play was written in the early 1900s. The police officers, Court Attorney George Henderson & Sheriff Henry Peters enter the Wright farm with neighbors Mr. & Mrs. Hale & Mrs. Peters. It has been one night since the murder of Mr. Wright and there seems to be only one suspect for the deed. The wife of farmer Wright has apparently strangled her husband in bed with a rope. The police, unwilling to buy her story that her husband was strangled in the night alongside her and she didn’t wake up, begin to put together the pieces but are missing major factors. They have the murder weapon, and the only known suspect, but they’re unable to discover a motive for the crime. Mr. Hale & the police, having brought the women along for information and to gather a few things from the house for Mrs. Wright’s departure to prison, leave them to gather Mrs. Wright’s things whilst they further survey the crime scene. It is during the girls’ searching of the Wright household and their discussions about the Wright family do they discover a possible motive. Mr. Wright was an alright guy for the most part but apparently was very stern, and at times unforgivingly mean to Mrs. Wright. They never had children or company so while Mr. Wright was away Mrs. Wright would be alone and have nothing to do. She had hardly any friends and, to remind her of her choir days, she purchases a small bird to sing throughout the house. Mrs. Hale & Mrs. Peters stumble across an empty birdcage and a dead bird wrapped in silk in a small treasure box, it’s neck broke. They speculated that perhaps Mr. Wright silenced the birds singing much in the same way he forced his