Glaspell's Trifles Short Essays

1. Titles are important and prepare the reader to pay attention for some kind of a connection between the title and the content of the play. Describe what the title Trifles means and what it has to do with the main theme of the play.

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2. This play contains symbolism that might lead the reader (or audience) to form conclusions. Provide possible meanings for the following items in relation to the story.

• The soiled roller towel (how did it get dirty ... read carefully for this information)
• The frozen cherry preserves (with only one jar unbroken)
• The quilt project Minnie was working on-and the erratic stitching on the last quilt block she worked on
• The empty birdcage with the broken door
• The dead canary, wrapped in silk and hidden

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3. In this play, the women use their powers of observation and intuition to solve the mystery. What assumptions do they make about Minnie and her relationship with her husband? What do they think probably happened? What do you think happened? Describe how you feel about what they do with this information (tell the men, or not).

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4. Describe influences from Glaspell's life that appear in her writing. Explore your text, APU's library and electronic databases, and other academically credible sources to build background for answering this question. Be sure to cite your sources.

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