Triffle's Response

The little things that are expressed or not expressed are sometimes the key vital aspects that shape an individual and who they are. Sometimes, it is the things that are not spoken that reflects and impact the most. Little things can never be disregarded as useless. What proves to be nothing to one individual means everything to another. In Susan Glaspell’s play “Trifles”, the author exemplifies that the little things are what mean the most and leads to determine who a person truly is. The plot of her play illustrates a woman put on trial for supposedly killing her husband. As the characters search for evidence around the house which will to lead to the motive murder, readers are given the impression by the author that sometimes it is the little things that are ignored and neglected that leads to the mysteries and truth about a person’s feelings when it comes to certain actions and events.

In her selection, “Trifles”, the author sets in the places, events, elements, and props, based on the mood of the scenes being acted out. Each characters behavior and movements attributes to the message the author is attempting to portray. In her story line, as the men go upstairs to search for evidence, the author changes tone where readers get a glimpse of the women’s thoughts about the occurrence of events. “Starts to speak, glances up, where footsteps are head on the room above in a low voice” (Glaspell). As Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, wait for their husbands, they begin to talk among themselves about the unfortunate event that has taken place. Though the women are down stairs, the author’s use of stage directions gives a glimpse into the role of women and place of women during the time period this selection was set for. The men are upstairs about their business, and though downstairs, the women still have to whisper. The way the author sets this scene ultimately places women in an inferior role. Their intelligence and input is not valued which exemplifies why the men are able to be upstairs. Readers must also take close not of this scene because the men brought the women along with them. During the course of investigation, it seems rather irrelevant to bring the women to the crime scene and just leave them downstairs. Readers must take not why the author chose to include them in this scene. It is not directly voiced, but women really are under dominant rules which are the men. Also, the fact that these women are whispering proves highly that the intelligence of a woman is considered an insult compared to thus of a man’s. Mrs. Hale, and Mrs. Peters are both use low voice, and the author stages them in the lower part of the house. This scenario should say something to readers about the roles of women and what is expected of them. “She puts her hand on the dish towel which lies on the table, stands looking at the table, one half of which is clean, the other half messy, makes a move to finish work, then turns and looks at loaf of bread outside the breadbox. Drops towel. In that voice of coming back to familiar things” (Glaspell). Glaspell’s use of actions and visual elements play a key role in understanding this scene very well. One significant aspect of this scene is the stage which is a kitchen. With ideals and perspective of some individuals that a kitchen is the place for women and that is the exact place that we find our characters Mrs. Hale, and Mrs. Peters. Also, as these women are in the kitchen, their actions become easily noticeable for readers. Mrs. Hale begins to clean the kitchen, put things in place and tidy it up a bit though it is not her house. It is so intensely placed in these women where their place is that even when they don’t have to, they are still playing the part that was instilled in them. A dirty kitchen suggests that a woman is not assuming her domestic duties, and that definitely make for a good woman. Another illustration, the author makes evident is Mrs. Hale’s sudden drop of the towel when she heard the voices of the men upstairs. Throughout this selection, whenever the men make a movement, there is a different tone and behavior within the women. Nothing paints the perfect picture that indeed, these women have to know and assume their place based on the authors use of visual elements and actions.