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Trifles was suitably short for its name. By this same description it managed to stuff plenty of material to analyze in its story. The analysis by Holstein was nearly as long as the play itself and took a different stance from what I had expected. Instead of a simple gender analysis it went deeper into the societal roles each character takes, including the Wrights. Since detective work is basically all about finding clues in the little details I found the detective work to be humorously faulty, although it does further differentiate the women familiar with the scene from the men that were basically blind to any potential leads. The fact that the men must be rummaging around upstairs throughout the play, finding absolutely nothing that could help in the case is great. Of course, they don’t need much more evidence than what they have already (a dead body with no other possible leads), but the mere fact that they can’t possibly empathize with Maggie’s plight means they could never comprehend the motive.
ReplyDeleteNaturally, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale slowly unravel the silent injustices in this house, forming their own conclusions. The empty cage was reminiscent of the empty home, helping them to better understand her state of mind. Minnie’s violent action seemed like its own form of justice, killing the bird killer. The play addresses justice and the way there are “crimes” that go unpunished, such as the abuse Minnie suffers and the fact that Mrs. Hale didn’t visit her when she had the chance. With the evidence firmly in the women’s hands they pass their own judgment, ruling in favor of Minnie. They themselves break the law so as to uphold what they see as just.
Enrique Perez
Through reading the deceptively short and seemingly simple Trifles by Susan Glaspell and the assigned article, “Silent Justice in a Different Key” by Suzy Clarkson Holstein, I realized that I was having a bit of déjà vu. The relationship between women and their oppressors made me realize that I had seen this dynamic before in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. In both works we are made aware of the subjugation of women. We are made to see women through the perception of men as trivial and intellectually inferior to men. However, it is this same attitude towards women that allows the women to get the last laugh, so to speak. You could say that Trifles and The Color Purple were written by women, for women, during times when women’s voices were silenced whenever and wherever possible. It is this same attitude towards women that allows the women in both stories to get the last laugh.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the play I came away thinking, “Well, that was short”. I had to re-read it because I felt that I might have missed something. It wasn’t until I read the article that I began to see how powerful this short, seemingly innocuous play truly was. That was when I started to see the parallels between it and The Color Purple.
In the play we have Mrs. Wright, who is accused of murdering her abusive husband in their cold, secluded farmhouse. When the county attorney (Mr. Hale) and the sheriff (Mr. Peters) come to collect evidence along with their wives, the plot begins to unfold. Soon thereafter we begin to see the patronizing, dismissive attitudes of the men towards their wives as well as Mrs. Wright. The men immediately begin to criticize Mrs. Wright’s housekeeping and their wives’ preoccupation with “trifles” as the women gather some of Mrs. Wright’s belongings to take to her in jail. In looking through Mrs. Wright’s belongings and remembering their own past experiences, the women begin to empathize with Mrs. Wright and start to stitch together the motive behind Mr. Wright’s murder. As it would turn out, Mrs. Wright had been living a miserable existence that was only made better when a canary was brought into the home. The canary is arguably a symbol of who Mrs. Wright used to be as she used to sing in the church choir. The canary’s death is symbolic of how Mr. Wright’s abusive behavior eventually ‘broke’ Mrs. Wright’s spirit, and ultimately Mrs. Wright gives her husband a taste of his own medicine when she takes a rope and strangles the life out of him the way he did to her canary. When the women finally discover the much sought-after evidence (the canary with a broken neck), they decide to keep it to themselves in an act of solidarity with Mrs. Wright.
In The Color Purple we have a similar situation, albeit more implied than symbolic. The Color Purple features the parallel struggle of Celie, in an abusive relationship with Mr., who ends up taking away the only thing that makes Celie happy when he kicks her sister Nettie (the canary) off his property after she refuses his advances. Nettie then moves away to Africa and begins to write letters to Celie, letters that Mr. keeps from her for years. With the help of Shug, a former lover of Mr. and local juke joint singer, the two women discover the many years’ worth of letters that were hidden from Celie. Both Celie and Shug remain silent about the letters and Celie continues to endure abuse at the hands of her husband. It is only after Mr. puts his hands on Celie while demanding a shave that Celie looses it and decides to murder Mr. while sharpening the blade to shave him. If it were not for Shug arriving on the front porch when she did, Mr. surely would have had his throat slit by Celie. Celie then finds her agency and leaves the house where she endured much violence and emotional abuse and leaves Mr. to live out his days in misery.
Julietta Rivera
I gathered from both Holstein’s article and Glaspell’s Trifles the overarching concept of perceptions, which is something I would argue has been present in the few works we have covered in this course so far as well. I think, in many ways, that the likes of Hamlet’s perceived madness, Antigone’s perception of Creon’s authority, and the perceptions surrounding Nora and Torvald reflect the diegesis of Trifles.
ReplyDeleteHolstein’s article addresses these perceptions from various angles, going beyond the tired dichotomy of feminine vs masculine, much in the way that Antigone becomes more than a commentary on Antigone’s female empowerment through the use of familial duty vs the state. In similar fashion, while the troubles of Nora and Torvald can be dwindled down to the role of a wife to that of the husband doing so would be remiss of the complexity that ethics, morals, and values provide in relationships. Holstein identifies this complexity in Trifles by attributing Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters’s successful transversal of the events transpired at the Wright farm to their perception of the setting; this perception is a result of not solely their position as females, but rather, their willingness to view the situation beyond the limitations of criminal vs victim.
This interesting contrast in perceptions is evident in the play, Mrs. Peters points out that the men are looking for a motive, however, a motive here is limited to “something to show anger, or — sudden feeling.”. So, we see that the men are only interested in a singular object/piece of evidence that portrays passionate action. On the other hand, as Holstein argues, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters approach the setting as a home which allows them insight to the various elements surrounding them and what they mean for Minnie Foster’s life on the farm as a whole.
- Joaquin Castillo Jr
DeleteIn the article Holstein brings up how Mrs Hale and Mrs. Peters both put their minds inside of Mrs. Wright and ended up finding a vital clue in the farm crime scene. Mrs. Peters says that, “When I was a girl—my kitten—there was a boy took a hatchet, and before my eyes—and before I could get there—(covers her face an instant)If they hadn't held me back I would have—(catches herself, looks upstairs where steps are heard, falters weakly)—hurt him. She put herself in the mind of the culprit. This is something both Mr. Peters and Mr. Hale failed to do throughout the play. Holstein points out that, ““This evocation of memories compels the women to see Minnie Wright not as an abstract murderer but as a fully developed, complex victim who at last retaliated against the source of her pain.” While reading the play I noticed split between males and females in the play, both male characters go upstairs and both females go to the kitchen. Even the dialogue between the characters hints at the roles males and females took in society at the time. While laughing, the Sheriff said, “they wonder if she was going to quilt it or just knot it! [The men laugh, the women look abashed.]” A reader can easily see that the author of the play wanted to put a border or some line between men and females in the play. The victim in the play, Mr. Wright is dead since the start of the play. The presence of the male characters in the play is barely lively at all. We are put in the minds of both Mrs. Hale and Mrs Peters instead who think like the culprit and get more work done than their husbands. The wives found the quilt to be important while the husbands basically just looked the other way when it came to the quilt. Mrs. Hale brings up that being Mrs. Wrights house and going through her stuff while she’s being held by authorities isn’t right. Mrs. Peters leaves a remark to Mrs. Hale by saying, “the law is the law” This line reminds of “A Doll House”, where Nora felt like she wasn’t breaking any laws for forging her signature in an act of love.
ReplyDeleteDanny Olivarez
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After reading Susan Glaspell’s play and reading Holstein’s article, one thing that stuck me in particular was the power of silence, and how these two women, viewed as inferior and having frivolous concerns with “trifles”, use that debilitating weakness to their advantage.
ReplyDeleteSilence I think is a major theme throughout all of the story, such is the case within the very beginning of the play. Whereas the men just barge in through the Wright’s home, the two women Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters stay near the door. Here we notice how much power the men have in this scene. And it is made even more apparent how Glaspell uses silence every time a man or the men are in the room with the two women, for the women don’t speak as freely as they do when they are alone, only unless they are addressed by one of the men do they speak up, emphasizing the silence, even holding their tongue when mocked and ridiculed.
But the silence for women, though a weakness, also becomes their greatest tool as well. Even Mrs. Wright uses this to her advantage. When questioned about her husband’s strange murder, she remains indifferent, only spoken unless spoken to, but often cryptic and dismissive. Rather than question her further and possibly grill her for more information, she herself becomes dismissed and sent to prison, giving her a fighting chance. And of course, we already see how Mrs. Peters and Hale uses silence to their advantage as well, because the men think they have nothing of value to add to the investigation, anything say or do is put off by the men, no matter how suspicious or obvious it looks to the audience.
It’s a wonder if the men would’ve found any damning evidence to sentence Mrs. Wright if the women had not been there to find it first.
Mirella Martinez
Holstein’s article scopes in on the tone of silence throughout Trifles. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters take a stance when they withhold the “evidence” they have come across. The fact that this play is based on true events creates a divide between those who sympathize and those who see things black and white. A crime committed deserves a just punishment, but life is not so black and white. Glaspell’s play is ambiguous in the sense that the women’s accidental investigation could be inaccurate. The reader is entirely dependent on the way Mrs. Hale and Peters perceive John Wright and the life Mrs. Wright fell victim to. Holstein’s investigation on the distinct difference between men and women’s ethics is worth delving into. Glaspell’s female characters are undoubtedly sympathetic, which has been a common assumption of women and disqualification as a suitable candidate for politics, law, etc. Whether Glaspell intentionally allows the reader to immerse themselves in identifying with the accused the reader/audience has no choice, but to experience from afar the life Mrs. Wight succumbed to in the subtlest way. Home life for Mrs. Wright is not described as unlivable and violent. Home life is very much like the birdcage hidden in a cupboard.
ReplyDelete-Samyra
I love the irony and symbolism that was used in Trifles. Holstein’s article quickly points out, “In her sewing box, they discover Minnie's dead pet bird, and this discovery would be the missing piece to the men's "puzzle (283)." Although the article explains the bird is a clue, I wish it would have further explored the meaning and choice of a bird.
ReplyDeleteIn Glaspell’s story, the bird parallels Minnie’s voice and Minnie herself. The husband killing the bird parallels how Minnie’s spirit and voice has also died due to her husband. Overall, the bird’s death is more than a clue. Instead, it shows how the women’s sharp attention to detail helps them figure out the murder motive. The fact that the bird has its neck, “choked the life out of him.” The mode of death is also used by Minnie Foster. The ‘poetic’ justice in a sense makes further what Holstein points out.
The story also uses a different animal, a kitten, help connect the murder. Mrs. Peters was able to understand the poetic justice of the murder since she was able to empathizes with Minnie because her kitten had been killed when she was younger (257). The women themselves also connect and associate Minnie with the bird in the lines, “She- come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself- real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and– fluttery. (256)”
A different cat, the one which the officers assume ate the canary, is also used more symbolically. Mrs. Peters knows that there is no cat which ate the canary. However, the fact that the officers assume there is a cat is interesting in how it can also be a parallel to what they are searching for in the crime scene. The officers are searching for a cold and obvious reason for murder. In a way, they are searching for the non-existent cat. Similar to how the officers quickly assume the cat killed the bird, the officers also want to find a quick explanation for the Mr. Wright’s murder. However, until they can understand the real underlying complex reasons for the bird’s death, and see past the cat, they will be unable to explain the murder.
Zugay Trevino
"Trifles" is yet another play where the core themes depend on gender. Set in the early twentieth century, this is another play which honestly only works within it's time period (at least I think so). In the article, Holstein states a couple things that are very evident in "Trifles." She says that the men and women both think differently throughout the play. The men see the home as nothing more than a crime scene while the women see it as someone's home containing objects of meaning. She later states that the men have a competitive approach in solving the mystery while the women work together and try to put themselves in the shoes of the "murderer." The overall idea is that the men and women are seeing the situation differently, all wrapped around the idea that men and women "think differently." I personally don't think this holds up very well, as there are plenty of compassionate men in today's society. I also feel that Mrs. Wright being a woman plays a large importance as well. Would Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters been as supportive had the murderer been a man murdering his wife? When it comes to stories with heavy gender themes, I always try to "flip things around" and see if it works from all angles. When it doesn't, I tend to write it off as "dated." And to be honest, I see "Trifles" as very dated. This is very evident with lines such as: "but you know the juries when it comes to women."
ReplyDeleteI tend not to touch upon the "domestic violence" topic since it's a very heavy topic and can be VERY offense when the wrong comment is made. But I still have no idea how to feel about the ending. Should Mrs. Wright be allowed to walk free because she's an abuse victim? I feel this is a topic that can lend to a large amount of discussion (that hopefully doesn't become too controversial).
Michael McCormick
In “Trifles”, Glaskell attributes stereotypically gendered qualities such as silence to women, but insists these binary qualities are instead a hidden strength. The sterile and calculating methods of the men characters associated with masculinity highlight the women characters’ empathy and concern with trifling details, traits which carry feminine weight in this play. As with “A Doll’s House”, we meet with another heavy-handed caged bird metaphor. Glaskell seems to almost not trust in her audience; the women characters directly comment on how Mrs. Wright used to sing, and how much she is like a bird herself. This hand-holding through the symbolism of the cage almost insults the reader, who should be trusted to come to their own conclusions with a more subtextual observation and interpretation. Mr. Wright strangling the bird therefore foreshadows for Mrs. Wright, who has been deemed caged herself, what might be soon done to her, therefore reinforcing her fear and need for immediate action. We come to understand and even along with the women characters empathize with Mrs.Wright’s motivation because we ”see her as an individual and not simply a participant in a criminal action” (Holstein 286). As a prison abolitionist and an anarchist who doesn’t believe in the death penalty, I find it absolutely necessary to humanize and rehabilitate people who engage in action deemed criminal by empire’s social laws. Is murder ever justified? I think, such as in this case of self-defense, it can be understood -- but reciprocal violence without immediate or implied threat, in cases of anything apart from self-defense, might just further our cultures vicious cycles of pain and abuse. I don’t feel the play explored the concept of justice deeply, but perhaps it never intended to. I feel this was more a play about women bonding.
ReplyDelete-Linda Gonzalez
My first introduction to “Trifles” was not through Susan Glaspell’s play, but it was through her short story, “A Jury of Her Peers”. From what I can remember of the short story, both of the works roughly play out the same in terms of chronological events. Anyways to refrain from summarizing the two pieces, one of the dichotomies that I take from the story is the placement of the characters within the play itself.
ReplyDeleteYes of course, it is evident after reading the play and Holstein’s scholarly article that Mrs. Wright or women are supposed to be represented by the caged bird. For example, Mrs. Hale states, “She — come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself — real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and — flutterly” (256). Thus, on a surface level we see how women are not seen as equal to men. In the play, the women observe and somewhat investigate their surroundings in the kitchen and the main/living room. Here, the women have found the clues in what men perceive to be the most trivial places in a household.
Furthermore, going back to the placement of characters, the men spent the majority of the play upstairs in the bedroom. So, in a subtle but kind of “in your face” manner, the men are physically standing above the women. This is just another notion that I have taken a note of that exemplifies how men viewed themselves compared to women. They, in a sense, literally viewed themselves as above their counterparts.
In addition, the professor in class mentioned that silence can be a tool that is utilized in works themselves. Here, even though Mr. and Mrs. Wright are not listed as characters, their silence still speaks for themselves. Also, some of the dialogue helps mold their personalities a bit as well, which I thought was interesting. An example is when Mrs. Hale describes Mr. Wright as a good man who didn’t drink and paid his debts (256). Even Holstein’s comment on this piece of dialogue can show a glimpse of social commentary that a man is considered “good” if he possessed these qualities (285). Mrs. Wright technically does not say a word in the play, she is only quoted by Mr. Hale and yet, the women solve the murder from the household. Mr. Wright on the other hand, is silent as well since he is well, murdered, but even then, the men are unable to pick up any clues. This may be somewhat of an abstract observation but to me, it still seems that the silence of both of Mr. and Mrs. Wright still play a role.
P.J. Hernandez
Glaspell’s aptly titled "Trifles," though the shortest of the plays we’ve read so far, employs a narrative structure that’s at its surface straightforward and modest, though packs an abundance of weight in its seemingly simplistic trappings. Teeming with symbols that characterize the unseen housewife Minnie, Glaspell makes expeditious use of the setting of a kitchen, creating a stark contrast in perception between the men—whose dogged pursuit of a motive blinds them from what’s directly in front of them—and the women—whose astute observations are deemed trivial by the men. Glaspell also economizes exposition, opting to rely instead on the “trifling” details that preoccupy the women to fill in the blanks, from the frigid landscape that parallels Mr. Wright’s demeanor (“Just to pass the time of day with him—(shivers) Like a raw wind that gets to the bone”), to the rural isolation that confines Minnie in her own version of the bird cage they later find, to an uneven stitching on a quilt that hints at Minnie’s breaking point in an oppressive marriage. Holstein further interprets some of the play’s other metaphors, such as the symbol of the cat, noting that because “The attorney seeks only information about the visible evidence of the murder…neither the bird nor the fictitious cat arouse his suspicion” (285). The non-existent cat thus carries a variety of meanings, including but not limited to the men’s inability to look beyond the facts, the dominion Mr. Wright held over Minnie, to finally the women’s decision to keep the motive hidden from the men. To the men, the law has no grey area, just right and wrong, and in the case of Minnie, it’s the women who have the awareness to realize it’s much more complicated than that.
ReplyDelete- Christian Martinez