Trifles By Susan Glaspell Sparknotes

John Wright, a farmer from a small country town, is found murdered in his bed; a thick piece of rope is bound tightly around his neck. His wife, a peaceful and passive woman, is held as a suspect for the unlawful death. The killing baffles investigators; although a gun is established in the home, the weapon of John Wright’s demise is a piece of rope (Glaspell 5). This intriguing murder-mystery is the plot of the one-act play, Trifles, which was written in 1918 by Susan Glaspell. The tragedy is loosely based on a true story Glaspell covered while working as a journalist in 1900 (Reuben 4). The principle theme of the play draws attention to mind-sets, moods, and misconceptions associated with social roles of men and women during this era; men
The misjudgment of women’s inferiority to men date back as far as 451 BC; the ancient Roman civilization created a Code of Law called, The Twelve Tables (Adams 1). In table five, under legal guardianship, the decree stated, “Our ancestors saw fit that “females, by reason of levity of disposition, shall remain in guardianship, even when they have attained their majority” (Adams 1). Levity of disposition meant that women lacked the ability to think intelligently about serious matters. One definition defines the word levity as “trifling gayety” (Babylon 1). The term, “remaining in guardianship”, fated women to be in their husbands control without the legal ability to make their own decisions, much like children. The phrase, “attained their majority”, was the age at which women would normally be in control of their own lives. This early patriarchal viewpoint was a shared belief throughout many cultures and ages that followed. During the early history of the United States, husbands owned his wife and children much like possessions. Women had not greatly improved their status by the early twentieth century, where a male-dominated society had a similar perspective as they did in colonial days; learning to be a suitable wife was to be a woman’s principal education (NWHM 1). This primitive attitude toward women is continuously reflected throughout the play Trifles, as the men persistently express
Glaspell stresses the importance of unity and the power it yields. The irony of the play’s title, Trifles, stems from the men’s perspective of what they consider important information. As a result, the men disregard the most valuable evidence, which they considered trifle. This key evidence would have proven Mrs. Wright’s motive. In the end of the play, the Sheriff asks the County Attorney if he wants to look at the items Mrs. Peters is removing from the home. The County Attorney lightly moves a few pieces around and then