Trifles & A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell PDF

Preview

Summary

Lecture notes...

Description

Questions for "Trifles" and "A Jury of Her Peers" 1. What attitudes toward women do the Sheriff and the County Attorney express? How do Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters react to these sentiments? The Sheriff and the County Attorney believe that they are superior to the women. They make fun of the women for paying attention to small things, or trifles. they felt that women were supposed to be housekeepers. They criticized the bad housekeeping of Mrs. Wright, and Mrs. Hale expressed how she would hate if men came around her kitchen, snooping and making comments. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters do not like the comments the men make, especially the one about “being loyal to their own sex”. Mrs. Hale said that there is a lot of work to do on a farm, kind of defending why the housekeeping isn’t exactly perfect. 2. Why does the County Attorney care so much about discovering a motive for the killing? There was a gun in the house but it was not used. Instead, Mr. Wright was hung. The County Attorney doesn’t understand what the motive is, but if he figures it out, it could lead to more of a confirmation of who may have killed Mr. Wright. He doesn’t know why Mrs. Wright would have done it, especially in the way that her husband was killed. There needs to have been a sign of anger or sudden feeling. The men couldn’t find actual evidence that Mrs. Wright committed the murder so if he had a motive, it would prove that she did it. 3. What does Glaspell show us about the position of women in this early twentiethcentury community? Women were basically tied down to doing housework and farm work. They were in the house most of the time and weren’t taken seriously. They weren’t in charge of most things, and men had the most power. Women lost most of their rights when they got married, and they were expected to have kids and take care of the home. Women were seen as inferior to men and that their jobs were to cook, clean, bake, and housekeep. Men view those jobs as unimportant and irrelevant compared to what they did, and they believed that women had easy jobs and they should do a good job. 4. What do we learn about the married life of the Wrights? By what means is this knowledge revealed to us? Mrs. Wright (Who used to be Minnie Foster) used to sing in the choir and wear very pretty dresses and be very happy 20 years ago. She used to be bird-like. After she got married, Mr. Wright made her stop singing and he seemed to ignore her needs, such as her need for nice clothes instead of shabby ones and a good, working stove. The women said that they couldn’t

see Mrs. Wright baking there. Baking: cheerful, sweets, rewards. He should have provided a working stove for her since he believed she should be working in the kitchen. He provided her 1 dress and a stove that worked enough so that she could feed him and nothing extra. He was a good man in general, but he did not tend to her happiness or basic needs that much. The house was gloomy and Mr. Wright was a hard man and very controlling. He didn’t like birds and singing and made Mrs. Wright stop singing. 5. What is the setting? How does it help us to understand Mrs. Wright's deed? Divorce and separation was not done. Women had to suffer thru bad marriages. It happened in an American agricultural society in the 1900s. The setting is the now abandoned farmhouse, and a gloomy kitchen. The house is in a valley so the house wasn’t accessible or seen from anywhere else. The kitchen was left without having been put in order. There are unwashed pans under the sink, a loaf of bread outside the breadbox, a dish towel on the table, and other signs of uncompleted work. The rocking chair is shabby, and it helps us to understand Mrs. Wright’s deed because her home looked miserable. She was probably very depressed in her home, where she spent most of her time, and that may have caused her to follow through with what she did. There’s no fluffy pillows or comfortable things. As the men go from room to room, the sheriff deputy had to put up a fire in the morning before they went bc there was no heat in the house and it was very cold. The men complained that the house was freezing cold. this implies how mr wright was cheap and would only heat one room at a time. he didn’t wanna pay for heat what gave her pleasure in this life? what is the evidence of the things she did or had for pleasure? -the bird; she prob took some money from him to pay for it -she like to sew and quilt the women say that her quilting is so good, but one square is messed up. it’s a log cabin style of quilting. they describe her sewing as very neat, tiny stitches -fruit and fruit preserves; first u have to have a garden ,cultivate it, collect fruit, then preserve it. the preservation is the culmination of months of work and preparation. minnie was so concerned when she was carted off bc she didn’t wanna lose them. the jars broke the women said that mrs wright never went out into town bc she felt embarrassed and that brought up the convo about how she used to dress before 6. What do you infer from the wildly stitched block in Minnie's quilt? Why does Mrs. Hale rip out the crazy stitches? She was probably very nervous or anxious while she was stitching the quilt. Mrs. Hale rips out

the crazy stitches because she wanted to fix the bad stitching. She said that she sews weirdly too when she’s merely tired, and she wanted to fix it. Mrs . Hale said that messed up stitching agitates her, and she wanted to help Mrs. Wright out. Mrs. Wright prob stitched this block right after her husband broke open the door then killed the bird. mrs. hale prob fixed it to cover up the motive of mrs. Wright and cover up the evidence since usually she does everything perfectly. this poorly tiched block is a trifle to the men but if the men noticed, it would prove that she had some sort of episode. when mr hale discovered her, she was pleating an apron (she was wearing it) and was pleating it nervously and doing nothing. she was very off. mr hale laughed and didnt rlly wanna talk to him. she was completely indifferent when she said he was dead 7. What is so suggestive in the ruined birdcage and the dead canary wrapped in silk? What do these objects have to do with Minnie Foster Wright? What similarity do you notice between the way the canary died and John Wright's own death? The bird cage’s door was ruined, as if someone had been very rough with it. It seems as if Mrs. Wright had cared about the bird with the snapped neck and had wanted to bury it in the pretty box it was in. She had no children, and she bought the bird, which would sing. But, Mr. Wright wouldn't have liked the bird because it sang so much (just like he didn’t like when she sang and he killed that off too). Mrs. Wright’s spirit was broken and damaged, and the cage was representative of her home and marriage. She was a prisoner. The canary’s neck had been wrung, just like John Wright’s neck. Mrs. Hale was convinced that Mr. Wright had killed the bird. That may have explained the aggression that Mrs. Wright had for him. The county attorney was looking for a motive and the dead bird was a very obvious motive for mrs. wright to kill her husband. 8. What thoughts and memories confirm Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale in their decision to help Minnie beat the murder rap? Mrs. Peters recalled the memory in which when she was a young girl, a boy took a hatchet and killed her kitten, and that made her want to hurt him. She also remember when her 2 year old baby died how quiet and lonely the house was. Mrs. Hale also explains how she didn’t want to visit the house previously because it was sad, gloomy, and depressing. This justified the ladies’ decision to help Minnie beat the murder rap, because they understood the mindset that she must have been in.

Mrs. Peters go thru the change in this story, she comes to understand and accept what was

done and defended Mrs. Wright. WHen Mrs. Peters first went into her house, she thought she was guilty. when mrss. hale touched the quilt and rips out the stiches, mrs peters didnt want her to touch it bc it’s evidence. she was on the side of the law and of the men but as mrs wrights mariage was revealed for what it was, mrs peters finds a grey area in black and white and tries to hide the bird box, which mrs hale takes. mrs hale says the last sentence. The women are Mrs. Wright’s peers. “knot it” the deed is done. mr wright was hung. mrs wright is “not it”

so mrs wrights case wont be pursued after this bc the men couldnt find any evidence. mrs wright seems out of it once the case happened, she wasnt minnie wright anymore. she also changed after her marriage and now she rlly wasnt herself

mrs hale talks about how minnie is so withdrawn and not cheerful and happy anymore as a result of her marriage 9. In what places does Mrs. Peters show that she is trying to be a loyal, law-abiding sheriff's wife? How do she and Mrs.Hale differ in background and temperament? Mrs. Peters go thru the change in this story, she comes to understand and accept what was done and defended Mrs. Wright. WHen nrs. Peters first when into her house, she thought she was guilty. when mrss. hale touched the quilt and rips out the stiches, mrs peters didnt hant her to touch it bc it’s evidence. she wason the side of the law and of the men but as mrs wrights mariage was revelaved for what it was, mrs peters finds a grey area in blac an d white and tries to hide the bird box, which mrs hale takes.

mrs hale goes into whatever she does without a second thought. she wants to help mrs wrght and feels guilty about not visiting her. she feels responsible for not visiting her and is more independent. mrs peters at first was siding with the law and her husband and felt the need to bc she was “married to the law” when the men were making fun of the women, she stuck up for herself. mrs hale is described as a big woman (overpowering) and mrs peters is described as small. mrs hale is independent. when she starts to fix up the house and fix the quilt and mrs peters tells her not to, she still does she doesnt like hwo her husband speaks mroe than he has to say, she thinks its obnoxious

she didnt wannna stay at the house all day bc he speaks too much

10. What ironies are contained in the play and the story? Comment on Mrs. Hale's closing speech: "We call it -- knot it, Mr. Henderson." Why is that little hesitation before "knot it" such a meaningful pause? the hesitation shows that she’s thinking about what shes saying andd is choosing what she’s saying. the knot it shows that she has made the decision to go further and help mrs wright. alliance w women against the men 11. Point out some moments in the play when Glaspell conveys much to the audience without needing dialogue. lots of symbols in play like bad stove, broken cage and dead bird. (implied mr wright killed bird) the phone- foreshadowing when mr hale went over to see if mr wright wanted a phone and mr wright didnt, mrs wright wouldve loved one but her husband only wants peace and quiet. john only did what he wanted to od. anything his wife wanted inlife didnt matter to him, so when he killed the bird he took away her happiness. 12. What do you think is the major theme? women are more capable of men think. the women soved the case by looking at small aspects of the case and trifling while the men looked at the bigpicture anotehr theme is how women are treated as a while. the men dismissed everything they did as inferior 13. "Trifles" is a lousy mystery. All the action takes place before the curtain went up. Almost in the beginning we find out 'who done it' so there isn't really much reason for us to sit through the rest of the play." Discuss this view. the readers want to know WHY it was done, how this point was reached, how the women related to mrs wright more and unlocked the puzzl.e its teh study of a marriage, and its resultsl. the battle between men and women and the change in mrs peters from weak to more independent. 14. Discuss why Glaspell felt a need to rewrite her play as a short story.

to get across certian things she couldnt get across in the play

in the play, the owmen were described more physically, the men just by age

in the h=short story, mr peters was described as a big guy of middle age with his bird-like wife:thin wiry nervous

mr hale tends to give more information than needed when given a question , and this annoys mrs hale the county attorney isnt likeable. he had a nb and pencil ready to write whatever hale said

the protagonist is mrs hale in the short story ; main character in the play, there was no clear protagonist. both women were equal but in the short story it was v cleaar that mrs hale was the main character the short story opened up w mrs hale and the story follows her and how she interprets things fron the begnning mrs peters is reacting to mrs hael. mrs hale is looking at mrs peters to see what she'll say and do int eh play u see them otgether all the time

in the play, mrs hale was going to the house to keep mrs peters company (the sheriff's wife) bc she didnt wanna be the only woman so mrs hale drops everything to go (making bread) she was sifting flour, it was half sifted. flour gets everywhere no matter how clean u are. her big concern was that her kitchen is untidy . she makes the statement what if someone comes in here and sees this and i don't come back. what r ppl gonna think abt me bc my kitchen looks like this? this is foreshadowing mrs wright’s kitchen mrs hale was mad that the attorney was usin minnie wright’s kitchen against her as evidence

mrs hale never visited minnie bc the house felt uncomfortable and gloomy her excuse: she was busy taking care of children and taking care of chores and cleaning she feels v guilty and selfish that the reason she didn't go was bc she felt uncomfrtable and she was upset that she never visited minnie and she was like well wow now i have time to go after all this has happened and felt v guilty

title of play: trifles title of short story: a jury of her peers

mr wright was described as a good man and his qualities technically were good but when it came to providing for her, like when the women went to get mrs wright her clothes, they saw very shabby clothing and it showed how he ignored her needs. he was cheap . he was “close”. he kept his money close he was a goo man by what ppl would say was good but his character wasnt the stove was broken and the women were like how did she bake and make food and cook with something like this

trifles has a negativ connotation bc its like silly little nonsense that people worry aabout

the men disregarded the small details and the women were looking up close. hen the women saw the quilt and broken fruit preserves, the women wondered if she quilted or knotted it the only reason Mr. Hale discovered the body is bc he went over there to ask if they wanted a phone. they lived in the middle of nowhere. he believed that it would be cheaper if most people got phones, and also he believed that it would make mrs. wright happy since women like to talk on the phone. initially, mr. wright told mr hale that people talk too much, he just wanted peace and quiet

Mrs wright wanted the women to bring her her shawl and apron to the jail for her...