Susan Glaspell's Trifles Response

Susan Glaspell’s “Trifles”

Plays tell a story with the use of characters, actions, and visual elements. These aspects are used in plays to emphasize a setting, a personality or perhaps, a behavior. In Susan Glaspell’s “Trifles,” the use of such elements are used to set the mood for this crime story. In this story, a woman is being accused of killing her husband, and what better than a play to act out such an occurrence. Through the use of actions, costumes, and props, the visual elements in this play help to bring out this murder mystery to life.

In the beginning of the play, the scene starts out with the description of the house and its kitchen. This “abandoned farmhouse” [pg 3] is given the depiction of loneliness and gloom. The portrayal of the kitchen gives “signs of incompleted work” with “unwashed pans under the sink, a loaf of bread outside the bread-box, a dish-towel on the table.” [pg 3] All these visuals give off this feeling of a deserted and vacant home, implying its inhabitants’ need for a sudden escape. As the people begin to enter the home, the order in which they come in gives this notion of importance. The men: the COUNTY ATTORNEY, HALE, and the SHERIFF, are “followed by the two woman.” [pg 3] As always, the women are the secondary characters and just play the roles of “extras” as their characters importance is diminished by their sex. Later on, when the men go upstairs to look for evidence at the crime scene, “[The women listen to the men’s steps on the stairs, then look about the kitchen.]” [pg 12] Once again, the women are left behind and are of little concern to the men. These two women are not of importance so therefore, do not have the right to step into the room. This notion of inferiority is portrayed throughout the entire story as the men laugh at the women and the “unimportant” things that they do. This idea is later emphasized when the COUNTY ATTORNEY “[Kicks his foot against the pans under the sink.]” [pg 9] This action shows the carelessness that this man has for the woman’s house and or work. This is just another way that he is diminishing the woman’s house work as he disturbs it much more than it already is. Overall, the COUNTRY ATTORNEY shows nothing more than disrespect to the woman’s work by performing such an action. Following this, MRS. PETERS “[arranges the pans under the sink which the LAWYER had shoved out of place.] [pg 12] This action shows the woman’s concern for the pans, in a form of respect to the widow‘s home. It also brings about a connection between the women who seem to understand one another in what really concerns them in the home. What may seem of little importance to the men, may be of immense value to the women. This then brings about the difference of thought and behavior between the two sexes.

Overall, the visual elements in the play helped to bring out the characters and issues that came along in this story. With the use of actions, props, and costumes, the story’s plot as well as its setting was thoroughly depicted in the play and given a sense of life. This probably would not have been possible without the use of such elements in the story. Visuals did more than enough to add to the readers comprehension of the play with the laying out such issues that became the key parts in the story. Without the use of such elements, the readers would most likely not feel as connected with the story in regards to the lack of imagery that would usually be provided with such devices. That is why visuals are so vital to a play’s success.