Trifles by Susan Glaspell

Some Pointers for Essay #1 The “Play” section of your essay should strike a balance between your work and the original source. Follow the length requirements for the compare/contrast section of the essay. Play formatting: Use the plays in your book as guides. Begin with the title of your play and a list of characters. (You are not required to keep the title of the short story unless you wish to.) Names of characters who are speaking should be in ALL CAPS, followed by a colon, then the dialogue. Stage directions that interrupt dialogue are written in italics and parentheses. (like this) Otherwise, stage directions/scene descriptions are simply in italics and begin on their own line. Use scene breaks to indicate passage of time or a change in setting.

The “Real” Murder On Dec. 22, 1900, John Hossack was killed in his bed by two blows to the head from an axe. His wife, Margaret, claimed to have slept through it. She was arrested for murder on the day of the funeral, tried, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison. However, the Iowa Supreme Court overturned the life sentence, and a second trial resulted in a hung jury, so she went free. Susan Glaspell, who wrote "Trifles" was one of the only female reporters who covered the trial, and she used the Hossack murder as a loose inspiration for the play. There is a book called Midnight Assassin that discusses the real case, and if you are interested, it’s a fascinating read.

Context and Historical Setting This is one of those plays where historical context and setting are extremely important. What historical facts/circumstances are especially relevant to this play?

Historical Background In 1900, when the murder this play is loosely based on took place… Women in the United States did not have the right to vote. (This did not change until 1920.) Women were extremely unlikely to be chosen to serve on the jury of a criminal trial. (Why might we consider this to be a problem today, especially in a case where the defendant is a woman?) How are these historical facts pertinent to the theme of the play?

Discussion Questions (From your book, p. 798) What key events have occurred before the start of the play? Why do you suppose these events are not presented in the play itself? (From your book, p. 798) What are the “trifles” to which the title refers? How do these “trifles” advance the play’s plot? What are the connotations of the word “trifles”?

More Discussion Questions What are some of the symbols in the play? What does each of them represent? Notice the difference between how the women speak and act when the men are around and when they are alone. Find some places where this is especially noticeable. Why is this difference significant?

Difference between "quilting" and "knotting” One of the “trifles” in the play is whether or not Mrs. Wright was going to “quilt” or “knot” the quilt she was working on. As is the case for many of the “trifles” in this play, the question is more significant than it seems. The final stage of quilting is to attach the top, batting, and backing together. This can be done in two ways. One way (quilting) is to sew elaborate patterns on it. The simpler but just as effective way (knotting) is to sew a thread through the pieces using large stitches, cut the thread, and tie knots in it. The symbolism of the knotting is the fact that Mrs. Wright killed her husband by tying (and knotting) a rope around his neck. This is a simple, not elaborate, but very effective way to kill a man.