Trifles Group at eNotes

The overriding moral principle deals with the inequality of the sexes at...

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:14:54 PST

The overriding moral principle deals with the inequality of the sexes at the turn of the 20th century. Specifically, the play focuses on the isolation of a wife within marriage. Glaspell says that, once married, a woman loses her ties with the greater feminine community. Minnie Wright, who used to sing and socialize, is so held captive by Mr. Wright as a domestic servant, for so long, that she justifiably snaps. The men investigators in...

What is the moral principle of Trifiles?

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:11:01 PST

What is the moral principle of Trifiles?

Similarities: Both women, in the end by protecting Minnie Wright,...

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:25:16 PST

Similarities: Both women, in the end by protecting Minnie Wright, demonstrate a weariness of male condescension and a "stick-together" mentality. They are willing to keep information from their husbands if it means helping another woman. Both also are very familiar with domestic tasks and the consequences of isolation from other females. Differences: The two women are very different in their personalities. Mrs. Hale is much more outspoken,...

Compare and contrast Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters in the drama Trifles.

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:27:50 PST

Compare and contrast Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters in the drama Trifles.

Like most plays, Trifles depends on its dialogue and that does not...

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 11:15:00 PST

Like most plays, Trifles depends on its dialogue and that does not always leave a lot of room for figurative language. Most examples of figurative language show up in the the descriptions by the characters as similes- using things descriptions with like and as. "Minnie Foster was like a bird" is one simile that is used. One example of metaphor that is stated is the statement that John Wright "killed" Minnie Foster's (Mrs. Wright's)...

In "Trifles", what are the different types of figurative language used?

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:57:07 PST

In "Trifles", what are the different types of figurative language used?

The short play Trifles, also known as the short story A Jury of Her...

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:37:28 PST

The short play Trifles, also known as the short story A Jury of Her Peers, does in fact have as its main character Minnie Wright. The action of the story takes place after the strangulation death of her husband. Minnie has been arrested for the murder, and the sheriff, his wife, and two witnesses are inspecting the scene of the crime. Although Minnie never appears in the play/story, she is the main character because all of the action revolves...

Minnie Wright is the main character in Trifles, so why does Glaspell...

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:46:54 PST

Minnie Wright is the main character in Trifles, so why does Glaspell keep her offstage?

There are three women in Glaspell's Trifles. Minnie Wright--while the...

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:47:23 PST

There are three women in Glaspell's Trifles. Minnie Wright--while the audience never sees or hears Minnie speak through the whole play, she is a central character as the murderess. Through Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale's discoveries and dialogue about Minnie, the audience envisions Minnie's inner conflict. A once lovely, joyful woman who enjoyed singing, Minnie became a timid, isolated housewife under her husband's coldness. Her inner conflict...

I think that you could still stage the play in an area where the...

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:11:29 PST

I think that you could still stage the play in an area where the "traditional" roles of women are still evident. It would be a diluted form, and certainly not to the level of stereotyping as displayed by the men in the play. Yet, there are still some areas where the notion of how women are perceived and how they are to interact that has some reflections of the setting in the play. Part of the reason for it being diluted would lie in the...

Excellent topic! This is a fun one to think about. First, the idea of...

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:12:44 PST

Excellent topic! This is a fun one to think about. First, the idea of an isolated or stifled woman would still work. We continue to hear about current examples of women "sheltered" from society who eventually can't stand it and kill their oppressors (fathers, husbands, etc.). I think that the chauvinistic/sexist dialogue would also still be present. Today's men talk about women's petty interests, such as style, hobbies, and...

For a charcter to be round, you need to be able to identify with that...

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:24:33 PST

For a charcter to be round, you need to be able to identify with that character and be able to see that character as a person. Both Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are real women. Mrs. Hale is the gruff, older, more matronly women to Mrs. Peters' younger more dutiful wife. Are they stereotypes? Maybe, but as you read Trifles, you can identify with Mrs. Hale's remorse and guilt at not visiting Mrs. Wright more often. You can also identify...

Mrs. Hale believes the men are looking for evidence to support a quick...

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:37:36 PST

Mrs. Hale believes the men are looking for evidence to support a quick conviction. They don't see that Mr. Wright may not have been a innocent victim. Mrs. Hale reacts strongly to the county attorney when he attacks Mrs. Wright as a housewife. COUNTY ATTORNEY I shouldn't say she had the homemaking instinct. MRS. HALE. Well, I don't know as Wright had, either. COUNTY ATTORNEY. You mean that they didn't get on very well? MRS. HALE. No, I...

I think an updated version of the play would have some notable...

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:19:54 PST

I think an updated version of the play would have some notable inclusions that might impact plot developments. The first inclusion would be the addition of information technology. Examine the scenes and ask how would cell phones change some of the communication between characters? Would the women have discussed recent texts or posts on Myspace or even any recent Tweets they received? Maybe Minnie keeps a blog about her marriage. I...

if there were an updated version of trifles what details of plot,...

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:59:34 PST

if there were an updated version of trifles what details of plot, character, and setting would be different? what would be the same?

To what degree are each of the characters in the play "round", or well...

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:55:51 PST

To what degree are each of the characters in the play "round", or well developed? To what degree are they stereotyped?

The setting for Mrs. Hale's discovery is the Wright's kitchen. The men...

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:58:59 PST

The setting for Mrs. Hale's discovery is the Wright's kitchen. The men have left the women to their own devices downstairs while they go upstairs to investigate the murder scene. Of course, they feel free to leave the women downstairs because they do not believe that the women will do or say anything of significance. As the play opens, Glaspell describes the kitchen as "gloomy" and writes that it looks like it was "left without having...

Some of the "trifles" that the men miss are the arrangement of things in...

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:47:33 PST

Some of the "trifles" that the men miss are the arrangement of things in the kitchen, such as the breadbasket. The emptiness of the bird cage is another "small" thing that the men in the play, the detectives, actually discard. The cross stitching pattern that was disjointed and crooked, reflecting a sense of fear and a broken notion of attention span, was something that was dismissed. Additionally, the sewing box, and not paying...

What is the setting of Mrs. Hale's discovery inside the sewing basket?...

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:42:47 PST

What is the setting of Mrs. Hale's discovery inside the sewing basket? What are her facial and body expressions?

What are the Trifles that the men ignore and the two women notice? Why...

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:34:02 PST

What are the Trifles that the men ignore and the two women notice? Why do the men doesn't pay attention and why do the women see things as clues?