Trifles

Shannon Jones

Professor Johnson

ENG 1102

07 August 2011

The reasons why Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters covered up the evidence they discovered

Trifles by Susan Glaspell, is a murder mystery play based on true events in Iowa. In the opening scene of the play the reader is introduced to the leading characters who are all gathered in the Wrights kitchen. Mr. Henderson, a young, judgmental county lawyer. Mr. Peters is the county sheriff. Mr. Hale, a neighboring farmer. Mrs. Peters is the sheriff’s wife and a new face in the small town. Mrs. Hale is the wife of the farmer and neighbor to the Wrights. The Wrights are the topic of the discussion in the small town. The town’s people are all at the Wrights house to attempt to find clues of Mr. Wright’s death, and to figure out if Mrs. Wright had anything to do with the death. When Mr. Hale arrived to the Wrights house he planned on talking to Mr. Wright about buying a telephone when he entered the house he found Mrs. Wright, who was acting very oddly and was playing with her apron as she rocked in her chair. Mr. Hale asked to see Mr. Wright but Mrs. Wright explained to him the he was murdered with a rope around his neck as they slept. While Mr. Hale was at the Wright’s house, he found Mr. Wrights’ body. Mrs. Wright was taken to jail then the main characters came to the house. The author used a lot of wording that showed suspense and kept the reader wondering what happened to Mr. Wright. The imagery of the play was bland, being that the main setting of the play was in the kitchen only. While the men searched around the house, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters cleaned up the Wrights kitchen finding clue of what may have happened the night before. The ladies began contemplating on if Mrs. Wright was unhappy, how she had changed throughout the years, and how the discovery of the bird cage could have been used as evidence.

As the women cleaned the kitchen Mrs. Hale told Mrs. Peters how she didn’t really enjoy coming...