Dec 30, 2020 · In Susan Glaspell's play Trifles, the sheriff, county attorney, and neighboring farmer arrive at the Wright homestead to investigate the murder of Mr. Wright. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters tag along to...
Mar 20, 2012 · They were belittling towards these women. They never once backed down, they had a remark for ever gesture the cop and attorney made. Women were still seen as inferior to man. Their thoughts were still seen as cute and not taken seriously. The women have no first names they only go by their last name.
Hale and Mrs. Peters describe him as a good man because he did not drink and paid his debts, but a hard man. He was not considered good company, and the other women imagine the loneliness of Minnie ’s life as his wife. Champlin, Nikola. "Trifles Characters." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 8 May 2015. Web. 25 Feb 2022.
"Trifles" is a one-act play by Susan Glaspell that centers on a murder investigation. The play was first performed in 1916, and it highlights the conflict between men and women at the time, particularly male dominance in women’s lives. What the men see as unimportant ...
Henry PetersHenry Peters, Sheriff in Trifles.
Peters and Mrs. Hale solve the mystery of why Minnie Wright killed her husband. As a final twist, the two women end up identifying with Minnie Wright's abuse at the hands of her husband and feel the murder was justified. They then conspire to conceal the truth from their ignorant husbands and the county attorney.
At the beginning of the short drama, “Trifles,” Mrs. Peters, the sheriff's wife, is painted as timid and submissive wife. She willingly submits herself to the responsibilities she has as a wife.
The play is loosely based on the murder of John Hossack, which Glaspell reported on while working as a journalist for the Des Moines Daily News. On December 2, 1900, Hossack's wife, Margaret, reported to the police that an unknown person broke into their house and murdered John with an axe while she slept next to him.
The canary represents Minnie Foster: that sweet, fluttery girl who was transformed into the lonely, depressed Mrs. Wright by years of her husband's neglect and emotional abuse.
The act of knotting a quilt is linked to the act of killing a man with a rope around his neck. The play ends with George Henderson asking the women how Minnie was going to finish the quilt. Mrs. Hale's certainty that she was going to “knot it” symbolizes the women's certainty that Minnie killed her husband.
Mr. Henderson may be the antagonist of Trifles, but that doesn't mean he's a typical mustache-twirling bad guy. He's a young, probably attractive County Attorney investigating a gruesome murder. Sounds like he could be the lead on like every cop show ever.
The sheriff assures him that everything is the same as it was the day before. He notes, though, that he had sent his deputy, Frank, to the farmhouse earlier to build the stove fire, “but I told him not to touch anything except the stove—and you know Frank."
-The bird represents peace; Mr. Wright destroyed the peace of the household by constantly fighting with his wife.
Susan Glaspell's one-act play, Trifles, is based on actual events that occurred in Iowa at the turn of the century. From 1899-1901 Glaspell worked as a reporter for the Des Moines News, where she covered the murder trial of a farmer's wife, Margaret Hossack, in Indianola, Iowa.
- Sheriff Henry Peters, local attorney George Henderson, and neighbor Lewis Hale enter the Wrights' farmhouse to investigate the murder of its previous owner, John. John's wife, Minnie, is suspected of the murder.
Trifles might be described as a kind of murder mystery. Yet a murder mystery usually ends with the criminal being brought to justice, and instead in this murder mystery it is the idea of justice itself that is complicated. ... They understand that Minnie's act was not just a murder, but an escape.
The wife of the sheriff. Mrs. Peters is more timid than Mrs. Hale and more aware of the responsibilities the women have to the law and to their husbands when they uncover the truth of… read analysis of Mrs. Peters
The wife of the neighboring farmer. Mrs. Hale is wracked by guilt at not having visited Minnie Wright more often to support her through the difficulties of living with her unkind husband. She leads Mrs. … read analysis of Mrs. Hale
The wife of the murdered John Wright, and his killer. Mrs. Hale remembers Minnie for her youthful innocence and happiness before she was married (when she was Minnie Foster). Back then, she sang joyfully… read analysis of Minnie Wright
CLASS. ... "Trifles" is a one-act play by Susan Glaspell that centers on a murder investigation. The play was first performed in 1916, and it highlights the conflict between men and women at the time, particularly male dominance in women’s lives.
Melissa McDonald has been writing about education since 2006. Her work has appeared in “AdjunctNation,” “JCW” and “Honor Cord” e-zine. She holds a Master of Arts in English from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and currently works in higher education as a writing consultant.
George Henderson. The county attorney, he has been called to investigate the murder of John Wright and will probably serve as the attorney for the prosecution in the event of a trial.
Henry Peters. The middle-aged local sheriff and husband of Mrs. Peters, he is at John Wright's house to examine the scene of the crime. Like Henderson, he gently teases the women about their interest in Mrs. Wright's quilt.
Born Minnie Foster, she used to be a happy, lively girl who sang in the local choir, but after she married John Wright, her life became unhappy and forlorn. Although she does not appear in the play, she is the main suspect in her husband's murder and sends Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale to collect a few minor items for her from the farmhouse.
John Wright. A local farmer, he was commonly considered a good, dutiful man, but he was also a hard man and neglected his wife's happiness. He paid little attention to his wife's opinions and prevented her from singing. The play centers on the motive for his murder.