An Analysis of “Trifles’’ by Susan Glaspell (Essay Sample)

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An Analysis of “Trifles’’ a story about Women’s Rights by Susan Glaspell
“Trifles” was written by Susan Glaspell in the early twentieth century. She paints a picture of united women as a result of the many injustices they receive. The story is based on a story she covered in the year 1900 while working as a journalist. The tale she covered revolved around Margret, Hossacsk's wife, accused of murdering her husband. During this time, male prejudice was extraordinarily high, and women were treated with disrespect.
The author's intention of the play was to unite the women when men looked down upon them. The women characters in the story are connected to conceal the evidence leading to the murder of Mr. Wright, Minnie's husband. Through this play, Susan Glaspell tries to bring out the role played by these women who were seen as uneducated and petty members of society in unravelling the death of Mr. Wright throughout the play. She understands the plight women in society are going through under their uncaring husbands.
Mrs. Wright, the leading character in the play, displays the mysterious nature of women. It can be portrayed when the women characters in the act come together to investigate to unravel the death of Mr. Wright. They uncovered the truth leading to the end of Mr. Wright by analyzing the occurrence of events in the house kitchen. The dirty kitchen from their analysis symbolized a disturbed mind which signified her mental state of mind. It was in contrast to how the men viewed the kitchen; to them, it represented the incompetent nature of Minnie as a wife. (Glaspell, Trifles, Ch 351110).
Susan Glaspell brings out a significant distinction like gender roles within the society and how men and women interpret these differences. It is these differences that lead men and women to disagree on most insures. The men are left gazing at the mystery of the death of Mr. Wright. Despite all the efforts they put into the investigation, they never get to know what transpired even as the story ends. Interestingly, the women who unravel the death mystery are the wives of the men charged with the responsibility of finding the truth about the demise of Minnie's husband. They chose to remain silent about their discovery to save their own.
Minnie was subjected to social confinement with limited interaction with the outside world; this led her to experience mental torture. Mr. Wright, therefore, violated her rights of association and freedom of expression. The woman understood her frustrations on realizing the strangled bird, which was her only solace since she had no child.
The men are fast in making a judgment regarding Minnie's inability to take care of her home. Instead, they try finding clues that would link her to his husband's death. They do not consider the woman's information about her lonely state that gives rise to her actions. They appear persuaded of her being guilty. It is this mentality that annoys the women leading them to conduct their parallel investigations. They feel remorse for Minnie for having experienced unfair treatment from the husband and being judged prematurely by the investigating team. Susan tends to highlight the unjust treatment women encounter from their male counterparts. She fights this unfair treatment by ensuring her women characters in the play are united as they fight a common enemy. The common enemy, in this case, is the oppression of men.