Trifles: Sheriff and Mrs. Wright Essay Example
SETTING AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE: Trifles takes place in an agricultural area in the American Midwest. The name of the county the play is set in is Dickson County. The time that Trifles is set in is the late 1800’s.
The setting heavily influences the characters in the play. Their diction is typical of that area and time period. It is possible to judge that the characters do not have extensive educations based on the area they were brought up in. This is because in agricultural areas children have traditionally stayed with their parents after receiving a basic education to help with farm work. Families in this time period also had many children in order to lessen the burden of the great amount of labor associated with maintaining a farm without modern equipment to speed the process. The setting also adds to the isolation that is explored in Trifles. The Wrights live in a small farmhouse that is in a hollow. The house is not visible from the road, creating a sense of extreme isolation. Because of the time period, the characters do not have any means of communication with those outside of their community, except in mail. The time period that Trifles is set in is also
a more traditional one in terms of the societal roles that women play.
The actions taken by Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale are extremely uncommon for women in their time period.
CHARACTERS:
1. Mrs. Wright: Mrs. Wright plays does not appear in the actual dialogue in the play at all, but her actions and the resulting situations are the main focus of the work. Mrs. Wright is consumed by the emotional coldness and isolation of Mr. Wright. When she was younger, her name was Minnie Foster (which emphasizes her previous innocence), and she sang and wore pretty clothes. Now that she is married to Mrs. Wright, she does not communicate with others, and does not participate in the Ladie’s Aid because of the shame that she has of her shabby clothes. This great contrast between her past and
The setting heavily influences the characters in the play. Their diction is typical of that area and time period. It is possible to judge that the characters do not have extensive educations based on the area they were brought up in. This is because in agricultural areas children have traditionally stayed with their parents after receiving a basic education to help with farm work. Families in this time period also had many children in order to lessen the burden of the great amount of labor associated with maintaining a farm without modern equipment to speed the process. The setting also adds to the isolation that is explored in Trifles. The Wrights live in a small farmhouse that is in a hollow. The house is not visible from the road, creating a sense of extreme isolation. Because of the time period, the characters do not have any means of communication with those outside of their community, except in mail. The time period that Trifles is set in is also
a more traditional one in terms of the societal roles that women play.
The actions taken by Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale are extremely uncommon for women in their time period.
CHARACTERS:
1. Mrs. Wright: Mrs. Wright plays does not appear in the actual dialogue in the play at all, but her actions and the resulting situations are the main focus of the work. Mrs. Wright is consumed by the emotional coldness and isolation of Mr. Wright. When she was younger, her name was Minnie Foster (which emphasizes her previous innocence), and she sang and wore pretty clothes. Now that she is married to Mrs. Wright, she does not communicate with others, and does not participate in the Ladie’s Aid because of the shame that she has of her shabby clothes. This great contrast between her past and