Analysis_of_Trifles

Paper #2 Alexa Miller Final Copy Composition 1C/Darr October 29, 2010 Analysis of “Trifles” The beginning of a play, novel, or short story is one of the most important aspects of that piece of art; it is the first thing a reader reads and it must grab their attention, and paint a proper picture for what lies ahead. In Susan Glaspell’s one act play, Trifles, she paints a very clear picture using the exposition to help set a depressing, gloomy tone for the entire play, and to foreshadow events that will occur. This essay will be an analysis of certain elements in the exposition, specifically how the scene is set, how the characters are introduced, and how the background information is communicated. The play opens on an abandoned kitchen that is now in shambles. There are things strewn about as if someone hasn’t tidied up in a long time. Things like, “unwashed pans, a loaf of bread outside of the breadbox, a dish towel on the table, and other signs of uncompleted work.” Creating this disheveled scene causes the audience to be uneasy and anxious for what lies ahead. Also, it creates a gloomy atmosphere and foreshadows the overall feeling of the play. The fact that the play is set in the kitchen is also significant because in that time period the kitchen was the woman’s part of the house, thus foreshadowing the focus on the women throughout the play. The action begins when George Henderson, the County Attorney, Henry Peters, the Sheriff, and Lewis Hale, a neighboring farmer, enters the set; they have come to solve the murder mystery of John Wright. Immediately after walking through the door, the men go over to the stove to warm up from the cold outside. Next, two women appear in the doorway, both obviously nervous and uncomfortable with the situation. When offered to come over to the stove, the women respond by saying they aren’t cold and remain in the doorway. This space between the men and the women is the first sign of distance between the two genders, which becomes more relevant as the play progresses. When the women refuse Henderson’s offer of standing by the stove, they also refuse their responsibility to stand in the traditionally female area of the house, and stand up against the men without being aware of doing so. Temperature also plays a part in the setting of the scene. The exact time and place of the play is not known, but what is known is that it is very cold outside. The temperature outside foreshadows our interpretations of Mrs. Wright’s life and sets the mood for the play. At one point, the women find that Mrs. Wright’s jars of preserves have broken from the lack of warmth in the house. Only later do the women realize that Mrs. Wright’s mental “preserves” have shattered, not because of the physical coldness, but because of a forced emotional coldness after being trapped in her marriage for years. The introduction of characters plays an important role in whether the audience is going to like them or not, and it tells us exactly what they are like and essentially who they are. Mrs. Peters is the wife of Sheriff Henry Peters and therefore feels bound by the law, which she struggles with later in the play. She is described as, “a slight wiry woman, a thin nervous face.” Mrs. Hale, on the other hand, “would ordinarily be called more comfortable looking,” but like Mrs. Peters she is disturbed by the circumstances. Mrs. Hale would also be described as the more outspoken of the two women, especially when it comes to protesting against the men and their view of the world. This is demonstrated when Henderson makes a comment on Mrs. Wright’s kitchen and how it implies that she was not capable of taking care of a home. Mrs. Hale responds by turning his assumption around and saying that John Wright must have been the root of the problem, not his wife. Another technique used by Glaspell to show that the women are subordinate to the men is by not giving first names to the women; they are only referred to by their husbands’ last names’. This shows us that women are not as important as men, again causing the separation in gender, and it makes us believe that the women are less important in the play than the men are when in fact, as we find out later, it is the other way around. From the very beginning it is known that the women are not there for the same reason the men are; they are there to collect a few items for Mrs. Wright who is locked up at the local prison. They want no part in trying to solve the mystery as to who killed John Wright; they just want to help Mrs. Wright in any way possible. As the play develops, they end up helping Mrs. Wright more than they ever had intended to, but commit to helping her because they believe it is the right thing to do. Another critical part of a story is background information and how it is introduced to the audience. In this particular story, Glaspell uses Lewis Hale, the Wrights’ neighbor, and also the person that found John Wright’s body, to tell the story of what happened that day he came to the house and discovered a murder had been committed. This allows for the audience to receive only one side of the story. If many people had told the story, there would be much more to it than what Hale’s description was. Hale’s account of what happened in the house and his account of Mrs. Wright makes us feel uneasy about Mrs. Wright and makes us question whether Mrs. Wright had any reason to do such a heinous thing. This then allows the audience to connect more with the story and react as Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters do when they discover the truth of what happened. It makes for a more realistic play, one that people can relate to, rather than plays that people just come to watch and not gain anything from. Mrs. Hale explains Mrs. Wright’s background, telling the audience of how she used to be happy and vibrant, but after getting married, she was sad and miserable. She talks of how she should have been there for Mrs. Wright and blames herself for what happened to Mr. Wright. After receiving this information, the audience pities Mrs. Wright and almost finds it acceptable that she murdered her husband. They do not care that murder is a major crime, but it is more of a payback for what he did not only to her canary that she loved, but also to her. If Glaspell’s exposition was not written the way it was, the play could have had a completely different meaning, or tone to it. By using scenery, character introductions, and background information, she creates a unique story and helps the audience see things the exact way she wanted. She paints the perfect picture, the perfect building block for the rest of the story.