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Uncovering the Mysteries Surrounding the Death of Mr. Wright in Trifles by Susan
Glaspell
In a murder case, it is believed that the only person who knows the truth is the victim.The
play composed by Susan Glaspell in 1916 is based on the murder of John Wright where the
prime suspect is his wife, Minnie Foster. Henry Peters, the Sheriff, George Henderson, a lawyer,
and Lewis Hale, a neighbor access the farmhouse to probe the killing of its former occupant,
John Wright. Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale start their individual investigation, collecting items to
take to the perpetrator, Minnie. The points to be discussed include various themes, setting of the
play, genre, and the role of women in uncovering the mysteries surrounding the death of Mr.
Wright. Even though some men believe that women are inferior to them, Glaspell proves
otherwise through her usage of title, setting, themes, genres, and the position of females in
uncovering the mystery surrounding the death of Mr. Wright.
The title of the play is ironic. Therefore, sending a message to the reader that things are
not as they seem. The action in the play follows the murder of John Wright by her wife. It is
ironic that the men consider women's role as Trifles, yet the victim is one of their own. Besides,
the respectable men of the town mandated with the task of investigating the crime are unable to
solve the mysterious murder of John. Instead, a group of uneducated women manages to join the
various evidence found at the crime scene to unravel the events that led to the murder of John.
Suzy Holstein Clarkson, author and former TV personality, considers, Glaspells Trifles

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adeceptive play. The reason for this is that it appears simple almost inconsequential yet "the play
represents a profound conflict between two models of perception and behavior" (Holstein 282).
The title of the short story followed by several remarks made by some of the characters depict
the chauvinistic views of men toward women. Mr. Hale remarks that women are used to
worrying over Trifles (Glaspell, Trifles, Ch 35 1114).In a way, the audience expects the county
attorney as well as the sheriff to be the play's protagonist. However, they are presented as the
antagonist because of their degrading criticism towards the female abilities. It is ironic that the
men consider women as Trifles, yet the audiences view the latter as heroines in the play. Even in
her absence, Minnie Foster is the plays protagonist. The unseen character of Minnie Foster in
the play gives the women a chance to take a position that eludes the men gaze that eroticizes and
objectifies female characters. Despite her heinous action of killing her husband, she is still
depicted as the play's heroine. All the characters are in her house because of what she did.
Besides, both men and women are interested in knowing her, although for different reasons.
Moreover, the setting of the play shows that both men and women approach Mr. Wrights
house from different points of view. The action takes place in the kitchen. According to Yi-Chin,
an Associate Professor at Tamkang University, brands Glaspell, a feminist geographer (238). As a
feminist geographer, Glaspell investigates the different experience of women and men in place
and the construction of gender in place. Traditionally, the kitchen was a reserve of the female
gender. For this reason, the men do not see anything of value for their investigation in the
kitchen. The Sheriff says, "Nothing here but kitchen things" (Glaspell, Trifles, Ch 35 1109).
While men views the kitchen as irrelevant in solving the murder of Mr. White, the women prove
them wrong. This is a way of Glaspell questioning the men's authority and power. To Yi-Chin,
trifle is a manifestation of two different modes of judging (244). According to Holstein, from

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the beginning, the men and the women in the play perceive the setting from divergent
perspectives (283).On one hand, the men come to a scene of crime with a goal of unearthing the
cause of the Johns murder. However, it is ironic that the men conduct the investigation
methodologically yet find nothing that they can use against Minnie. This is seen in how the
county attorney performs the investigation by the book by interviewing key witness such as Mr.
Hale. The men perceive themselves as thorough in their investigation as they think that they
have left nothing of importance. However, despite their method, they do not end up collecting
any valuable piece of evidence that may connect Minnie Foster with the murder of Mr. Wright.
However, the women approach the setting as a home as they try to place themselves in the shoes
of Minnie Foster. The women are not interested in unearthing any evidence. It is evident that
they encounter the evidence in the process of trying to get some few supplies for Minnie. In
Minnie Fosters sewing box, the women encountered her dead bird (Glaspell, Trifles, Ch 35
1114).Upon further examination of the dead bird, the women discover that it was violently
strangled. By depicting women as more thorough and intelligent even when they are neither
trained nor prepared while portraying men as incompetent, Glaspell is trying to challenge the
gender-based prejudice that discriminates against the female gender.
In addition, Trifles is a murder story, which means that the theme of violence has to
emerge definitely. It is a behavior which entails using physical force aimed at hurting, damaging,
or killing someone. Generally, it is presumed that where there is death, there is violence.When it
comes to this theme, events do not come out clearly. Normally, the audience is forced to perceive
the violent killer as a bad person and the afflicted as the victim. In addition, the play brings
another form of violence; domestic hostility. According to the women, Mr. Wright subjected his
wife to vicious emotional abuses. The females, in defence of Minnie, pointed out that the death

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of her husband was a retaliation.That is, she was defending herself from the assault and
unfortunately culminated in the death of her partner.
Furthermore, it is no secret that the play meets the attributes of a drama. In other words, it
is a dialogue brought to life by the actors and actresses. Trifles also has a protagonist (Mr. Wright
even though he is dead) and an antagonist (Minnie, the wife). The play is also a mystery; it is
obvious that from the start, Minnie takes the life of her husband. Her justification does not make
sense at all and is quite insubstantial. Compared to other mysteries, Trifles, is not a conundrum or
a puzzle. The primary thing that the audience would love to see is why she snapps and eliminates
him. Also, the play may be termed as a parable because it is a straightforward tale with a
powerful message. All through, Glaspell strikes the audience with how discourteous and
patronizing men may be towards women. Therefore, the use of drama in the play makes it
interesting to the audience and readers when watched and read respectively.
Additionally, while men consider women as inept even in their domains, the latter prove
them wrong. The women are depicted as having mastered the kitchen as seen in the way they
find everything they are looking for with relative ease. Without considering her situation, the
men are judgmental toward Minnie Foster. This is manifested in the way the county attorney
view Minnie as a lousy housekeeper. The county attorney says about Minnie after kicking his
foot against the pans under the sink, not much of a housekeeper (Glaspell, Trifles, Ch 35 1110).
Besides, the attorney accuses Minnie of possessing no home-making instincts (Glaspell,
Trifles, Ch 35 1110). However, there are several instances in the play that points to the contrary
regarding Minnie Fosters housekeeping skills. According to Pallaro, while the incomplete
works in Minnies Kitchen send a message of an incompetent housekeeper to the male character,
the women on the hand, interpret it as a sign of a disturbed consciousness. The discovery made

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by the female characters reveals that she was under duress following the murder of her canary by
her husband. Before the death of her husband, Minnie still executed her household chores
perfectly. For example, the spoiled fruits show that she had time to preserve food for her
familys future use. The incomplete work may also be a sign that Minnie did not plan for the
murder of her husband. Instead, her action of strangling her husband was as a result of John
provoking her by killing her bird. Throughout the play, the women do not refer to Minnie Foster
as Mrs. Wright. Instead, they refer to her by her name, yet they keep it official when referring to
each other. According to Pollaro,a social studies educator at Mariner Middle School, this may be
because the women subconsciously consider Minnie Foster a free person after the death of her
husband. This is supported by Mrs. Peters statement when she says, Oh, her fruit; it did freeze.
She worried about when it turned so cold. She said the fired for out and her jar would break
(Glaspell, Trifles, Ch 35 1109). The spoiled fruit symbolizes Minnie Fosters predicaments at the
hand of John Wright and the breaking of the jar depicts her getting the freedom to control her
life. This shows that Minnie was a patient and persevering woman and things only gets bad when
she is provoked or prevented from exercising her wishes which is to be free. This is not the
image the county attorney wants the audience to get about the female characters. As such, while
men consider Minnie a lousy keeper, the women reveal that she was mentally disturbed hence the
reason for the incomplete work in her kitchen.
Besides, other than judging Minnie as inept, the men are not interested in knowing her
situation while women reveal evidence that points to her lonely life that account for her action.
Even if the men do not have any evidence that connects Minnie Foster to the murder of her
husband, they seem convinced that she is guilty. Before Minnie married John Wright, Mrs. Hale
reveals, "She used to wear pretty clothes and be livery, when she was Minnie Foster"

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(Glaspell,Trifles, Ch 35 1111). According to Yi-Chi, this shows that she was changing in
personality. She underwent a metamorphosis that demonstrates that she is deteriorating mentally.
There are several images that points to the lonely life that Minnie lives. For example, Minnie
loved to sing as symbolized by the bird. According to Pallaro, the bird substitutes the unborn
children in Minnies marriage. It also helps to displace the silence of a coldly authoritarians
husband (Pallaro). As such, when the women see the bird canary, they sympathize with Minnie.
While Mr. Wright sees nothing wrong with killing the bird, the women view his action as
symbolic of him strangling his wife. For the women, the caged bird represents Minnie and its
strangling depicts her denial of the right to communicate with other women. Throughout the
story, there is no evidence that may suggest that Minnie was ever physically abused by her
husband. However, women unearth the other side of the story that reveals that she endured
emotional torture as manifested by the jar of cherries. The jar of cherries symbolizes the kind of
life that Minnie lived with her husband before she decided to kill him. In addition,the jar of
cherries conveys the message of the coldness of Minnies marriage as well as her general life.
Some of the emotional torture experienced by Minnie can be seen through a flashback of her life
before her marriage till when she murdered her husband. However, although the men have come
to investigate the motive for the murder of John, they seem to be convinced that Minnie
maliciously killed her husband. This notion is challenged by women as they find evidence that
shows that she did not plan to kill her husband. The women discover one of the pieces of
clothing that Minnie was making, but it seems that it is not nicely done at the end. Mrs. Hale
says why it looks as if she didnt know what she was about (Glaspell, Trifles, Ch 35 1113). This
shows that Minnie tried to fathom the killing of her canary by her husband but was overpowered
by emotions.

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Similarly, while the men perceive Minnie as the criminal, the women view her as a
victim. For the women,John subjected Minnie Foster to social isolation and psychological torture
that makes him a criminal for ruining his wifes life. For example, he failed to consent to the
party-telephone that would have connected her to the rest of the society. For Mrs. Wright, the
party-line telephone is unnecessary expenditure. John is considered a good man in the way he
does not drink, pays his debts and keep his words. However, the women have a different view of
him as upon the further investigation of the crime scene, the women reveal that Minnie is
restricted within the private without a social life (Yi-chi 245). Mrs. Hale reveals to the women
the true nature of John as she says, But he was a hard man, Mrs. Peters. Just to pass the time of
day with him. Like a raw wind that gets to the bone (Glaspell,Trifles, Ch 35 1111). This
information helps shape the events that happens at the end of the plays. Throughout the play,
Mrs. Peters is depicted a strict follower of the law as seen in her statement the law is the law
(Glaspell, Trifles, Ch 35 1112). She does not condone or sympathize with Minnie Foster.
However, towards the end of the play, she seems to have changed her position on the issue of
justice. This is after she learns of the strangled canary. The dead bird makes the women to view
Mr. Wright as the greatest criminal for preventing Minnie from communicating with other
women (Pollaro). Besides, Mrs. Peters resonates with Minnie Foster even if she did not know her
prior to the incidence. When she sees the strangled canary, Mrs. Peters recalls her kitten that was
killed by a boy while she was young. She shows her understanding of what a person can do when
provoked or angry as she says that was it not for people who restrained her, she could have
murdered the boy who killed her kitten. Besides, Mrs. Peters shows that she understandsMinnies
lonely life when she recounts the death of her first baby (Yi-chin 245). After unveiling the cruel

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nature of Mr. Wright as well as the lonely life that Minnie Foster lived, the womens perception
of her changes. They are convinced that she is a victim while her dead husband is the criminal.
Finally, the play Trifles by Susan Glaspell is centered on the exploration of the social
division brought about by the strict gender roles that allow both men and women to have
competing perspectives on almost every issue. This is seen in the way the men disregard the
kitchen as they consider it as not having anything of value. From the beginning, both women and
men occupy different positions. For example, the women are mere visitors to Minnie Fosters
house while the men have come for official duty. Additionally, the men are convinced that
Minnie is responsible for the murder of her husband, but women view her as a victim and the
dead husband as the criminal. This is based on the events that resulted in Minnie actions. The
women reveal that Minnie was provoked when she decided to kill her husband. The dead bird
symbolizes Minnies only companion. As such, by strangling it, John Wright was inviting
trouble, and as such he is the victimizer and not Minnie. From the title, the men consider women
as unimportant. They even disregard the women's role in the society in the way they challenge
Minnie's housekeeping skills. Besides, throughout the course of their investigation, they do not
ask the women if at all they have found anything of value. However, Glaspell elevates the
position of women by depicting them as more thorough and intelligent in the way they analyze
the crime scene and come up with a plausible explanation. Besides, the women challenge the
notion held by the men that Minnie was a lousy housekeeper by depicting her as someone who
was mentally disturbed by the events surrounding the death of her canary. As such, Trifles has
demonstrated that Susan Glaspell was interested in portraying the competing perspectives of men
and women in their approach to different social issues.

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Works Cited
Glaspell, Susan. Trifles. New York, NY : Frank Shay, the Washington Square Players, 1916. Print
Holstein, Suzy Clarkson. "Silent Justice in a Different Key: Glaspell's" Trifles."The Midwest
Quarterly 44.3 (2003): 282.
Pollaro, Cindy. "Glaspell". Itech.fgcu.edu. N.p., 2016. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.
Yi-Chin, Shih. "Place and Gender In Susan Glaspells Trifles and Womans Warrior". N.p., 2016.
Web. 10 Oct. 2016.