all about triffles
On the surface, Susan Glaspell's play Trifles focuses on a wife murdering her oppressive husband. The husband is abusing his wife emotionally out on a lonely secluded farm isolated from society in the Midwest. Under the surface, the behaviors of Mrs. Hale, Mrs. Peters, and Mrs. Wright in Glaspell's play to those of Clotho the Spinner, Lachesis the Disposer of Lots, and Atropos the Cutter of the Thread in Fate from Greek mythology(Meak86). Although Glaspell brings new meaning to the myth, the attention given to Mrs. Hale's resowing the quilt, the change in Mrs. Peter's perspective on law and justice, and the rope placed by Mrs. Wright around her husband's neck are part of the story of the Three Sisters who control the fate of men. Mrs. Hale's behavior is similar to Clotho the Spinner, the sister who spins the thread of life. Mrs. Hale subtly suggests that Mrs. Wright is not the sole agent in the death of Mr. Wright (Meak86). Mrs. Hale's reference to that event, "when they was slipping the rope under his neck," (Glaspell568) showing a plural pronoun and a singular verb suggests the involvement of more than one in a single outcome, and it suggests that the three women will be in conspiracy in the case con
Meak, Phyllis: "Trifles in Greek mythology": The Explicator Winter97 52: 88-90 The second member of the Three Sisters, Lachesis the Disposer of Lots, is personified by Mrs. Peters(Meak87). The importance of the thread spun by Mrs. Hale depends on the actions and reactions of Mrs. Peters. To claim her position as the member of the Fates responsible for assigning destiny, she must look at things further. Her objectivity is displayed in her assertion that "the law is the law" and her view on physical evidence as she tells Mrs. Hale not touch anything (Ben-Zvi158). The sight of the dead canary and the recognition that "somebody wrung its neck" marks Mrs. Peters's waking up to realize that Mrs. Wright is guilty. The discovery of the dead bird makes Mrs. Peters think about her childhood memories of rage toward the "boy who took a hatchet" and brutally killed her kitten. In her mind, the kitten, Mrs. Wright, and the bird become enmeshed. Mrs. Peters realizes that the dead bird will be used to stereotype Mrs. Wright as a mad woman who over reacts to her husband's behavior. At this point, Mrs. Peters emerges from the shadow of her role as the sheriff's wife and becomes "married to the law." Her new concept of law subjectively favors justice over procedure(Ben-Zvi161). She claims her position as the sister who dispenses that lots in life when she moves to hide the bird and denies the men "something to make a story about" (Glaspell573). Glaspell, Susan: "Trifles" Literature and Society 563-574 In Trifles, Mrs. Hale weaves the story or describes the circumstances, Mrs. Peters weighs
Some common words found in the essay are:
Disposer Lots, Glaspell565 Wright, Meak86 Hale's, Fate Greek, Wrights's Involvement, Susan Glaspell's, Atropos Hale's, Trifles Hale, Wright Hale, Clotho Spinner, susan glaspell's, dead bird, thread life, spins thread life, claims position, cutter thread, lachesis disposer, atropos cutter, dead canary, clotho spinner, lachesis disposer lots, atropos cutter thread, spins thread,
Approximate Word count = 1080
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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