English 1B -
Extra Credit Seminar - Susan Glaspell, "Trifles"
Answer one of the following questions in a 3-5 paragraph mini-essay. Make sure your mini-essay has a general answer to the question (your thesis) and quotes from the play to back up your ideas.
- How do Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters feel about what happened in the Wright household? Do their feelings remain the same, or do they change over the course of the play? What has each woman experienced in her life that might explain how she reacts to the incident?
- How would you characterize the relationships between men and women in this play? What, in this society, does it mean to be a man? What does it mean to be a woman? What are the expectations for each gender?
- Describe the setting of the play. When and where does it take place? Why is the setting important to the audience’s understanding of the play, and of the characters?
- What is the significance of the title of the play? How many different interpretations can you get out of the word “trifles”? Does the word mean different things to different characters? What might account for those differences in interpretation of the word “trifles”?
- Analyze the interactions between Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, both the dialogue and body language. What messages do they convey to one another in body language, or in subtle hints? Why are these subtle or unspoken messages just as important, if not more important, than what is said out loud?
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