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Term Papers on All About Triffles
| Term Paper Title | All About Triffles |
| # of Words | 1092 |
| # of Pages (250 words per page double spaced) | 4.37 |
All About Triffles
Triffes of fate 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 controlling the outcome or the fate of all characters(Meak88). The information about the living condition of Wrights on the farm is supplied mainly by Mrs. Hale describes Mr. Wright as "a hard man," and she describes how she remembers Mrs. Wright when she was younger. She describes her as "kind of like a bird."(Glaspell571) She establishes the connection of Mr. Wrights's Involvement in the physical death of the canary and spiritual death of his wife. The way the men joke about the women's concern about Mrs. Wright's intention "to quilt or just knot" the quilt evokes a defensive remark from Mrs. Hale in which she hints that it is unwise to tempt fate; she asserts, "I don't see as it's anything to laugh about" (Glaspell571). Finally, by "just pulling out a stitch or two that's not sewed very good" and replacing it with her own stitching (Glaspell571), Mrs., Hale symbolically claims her position as the person who spins the thread of life. 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, M...This is ONLY a preview of the article. If you would like to view the entire document, you must subscribe to Digital Term Papers. Please register below now!
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