The Value of the Unimportant

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Abdelhak 1

Sarah Abdelhak

Professor Priscilla Dedeyn

Lit 100

29 March 2005

The Value of the Unimportant

Little things matter. Something of little importance or value is exactly how women are viewed in the early twentieth century, which is when the play took place. Susan Glaspell, the author of 'Trifles' uses the character John Wright, a farmer, to express the views of this time period by using him to dominate his wife Mrs. Wright, formally known as Minnie Foster. He dominated her by making her lonely and not showing any love toward her. The house in which they created was a prison to Mrs. Wright, depressing and gloomy. This murder mystery shows the difference between the sexes and reveals truth as trifles really do matter. In 'Trifles' Mr. Wright commits three crimes against Mrs. Wright. He took away her youth and imprisoned her, second he isolated her from family and friends and showed her no love, and lastly he killed her only friend the singing Canary.

Minnie Foster was a character that we notice changes dramatically from Flashbacks to the present time in the play. In her youth she was kind, sweet and a laughing beautiful sought after girl. After her marriage to Mr. Wright she was kept in an isolated home, away from her family and away from her friends. A most important note is that Minnie Foster stopped singing in the choir when she made the transition to Mrs. Wright. Because she was alone in the gloomy home, she made friends with her pet Canary. Together they sang and Mrs. Wright found small delights in the gloomy loveless

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home. Mr. Wright was cold and a miserly man, or in Mrs. Hale's words, "Wright was close," her meaning that he was cheap and rough.