Susan Glaspell's Trifles and A Jury of Her Peers

Hale and Mrs. Peters find and withhold evidence that could convict Minnie Wright of murder. The women are reluctant to admit that they have found proof of motive for Wright’s murder; Mrs. Peters repeats “We don’t know who killed him,” to Mrs. Hale (502). The very last sentence of the story, spoken by Mrs. Hale, “We call it—knot it, Mr. Henderson,” plays on the women absolving Mrs. Wright of any guilt for her crime, deciding that she is “not it” and not guilty (504). With that in mind, readers may question what right Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters have to pardon Mrs. Wright from her crime. As Bendel-Simso states, “while the women can seek Justice for other women, the men in charge of the case .

Print. Hedges, Elaine. “Small Things Reconsidered: Susan Glaspell's ‘A Jury of Her Peers.’” Woman's Studies. 12 (1986): 89-110. Literature Resource Center.

“Small Things Reconsidered: Susan Glaspell's `A Jury of Her Peers. '” Women’s Studies 12 (1986): 89-110. Literature Resource Center. Galenet. WSCC Lib.

When Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters understood the reason behind the murdering they hid the evidence from their husbands, and kept quiet. Many readers would visualize this play as a feminist point of view due to women’s bonding in discovering Minnie’s oppressive life after marriage. However Glaspell, provokes two ethical paradigms that have different perspectives of justice. Glaspell uses symbolism to characterize women’s method in a subjective way, by empowering themselves through silence, memories of her and their own lives as well as having empathy about her sit... ... middle of paper ... ...women by making them look unimportant and what they do also insignificant which should be appreciated rather than made fun of. Works Cited Fisher, Jerilyn, and Ellen S. Silber.

Mr. Hale has found his neighbor, John Wright, strangled upstairs in the Wrights’ house with Minnie Wright, John’s wife, sitting calmly downstairs. With John Wright dead and his wife in jail, Mr. Hale, the sheriff, their wives, and the county attorney all crowded in the Wright’s house to try to find clues about the murder. While the men go upstairs, they leave the women downstairs “…worrying over trifles.” (“A Jury of Her Peers” 264) Unbeknownst to the men, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters find clue after clue that would convict Minnie Wright of the murder. Instead of telling the men about the clues, the women hide the clues and the men have no idea what the women have found. The clues are little things like a half cleaned kitchen, sewing that is messed up, and the sugar jar being left open.

The men totally ignored their wives'  thoughts and roles, and, therefore, they missed the entire point of the real motive behind Mr. Wright's murder. The social gap between men and women in the early 1800s provided the basis for Glaspell's story, "A Jury Of her Peers" and her play, Trifles. In 1917 when "A Jury Of Her Peers" was written, women were the homemakers. Although Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale fit the domest... ... middle of paper ... ...ll her husband will also be her salvation. Works Cited and Consulted Glaspell, Susan.

The title its self “Trifles” a pears to be one the more prominent uses of iron. Mr. Hale astertavly inultes his wife and her companion by saying that women wory about trifels, as a result the trifles they considered unimportant were the prolonged evidences they were looking for. In final analysis, Susan Glaspell techniques of using symbolism and stereotype to arise a disputatious topic of murder between spouses to show her view on women oppression can be observed with in the play. The manner the play writer uses literary techniques of stereotype to describe how women shun from society just for been the wrong gender for the time period. Symbolism saturates the production with meaning that create sympathy for women being oppressed by

Susan Glaspell lays out a unique set of circumstances involving a farmer’s murder in “A Jury of Her Peers.” She weaves the trifles of women with superiority of men at the time. Taking a closer look at the perceptions of the men and women, the disparities between their assertions in the investigation, the physical evidence the women produce, and the lack of motive the men provide, it appears Minnie Foster Wright warrants compassion in her case. Initially, Lewis Hale mentions he does not believe John Wright cares about what his wife wants (Glaspell 185). There is a rocker in disrepair, a “peculiar, ungainly” cupboard, and a stove with a broken lining that suggest Mr. Wright is not interested in maintaining the residence with the essentials of heating, cooking, or furnishings (185, 187, 190). In addition to his apparent laziness, further corroboration is a skirt that “bore the marks of much making over” points to Mr. Wright as stingy or never having any money (189).

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She kept her father’s body for a few days before accepting proper burial and detachment. Her lack of acceptance for her father’s death demonstrates a sign of psycho... ... middle of paper ... ... than leaving it alone. Many may argue that murder regardless of the situation is unacceptable and violates the social contract, therefore her death was an appropriate ending. However, through deep character analysis of Miss Emily and the town’s people, one can easily support the clause that Miss Emily’s actions are justifiable. The title is also significant because it shows sympathy for Miss Emily.