TRIFLESBy SUSAN GLASPELL

PREPARED BY : FARAH ADIBAHFARAH WAHIDA

NUR HANNANNUR MURNI

THE IRONY OF THE TITLE

-TRIFLES

Within this drama’s title, Trifles, there are a few ironies that we can find. To begin with, trifle means something that is not valuable and important. However, the trifles in this drama become a key to solve the mystery of the murder and reveal the motive behind it. The trifles here are the ruined fruit preserves, bread that has been left out of its box, an unfinished quilt and an empty bird cage. For instance, even though the empty broken bird cage is considered as a trifle, it eventually hides a story where it symbolizes Mrs. Wright’s freedom.

By choosing Trifles as the title, Glaspell also tries to highlight the unimportant role played by women in life. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters talk about the arrangement of things in the kitchen while waiting for the men to investigate. Upon hearing the conversation of the ladies, the men mock them. But then, since women are familiar with the domestic chores, they become more aware of every nook and cranny of the house. Ironically, the women, who know nothing about investigation manages to solve the mystery of the murder and succeed in hiding the evidence from those men. From here we can conclude that the women actually played the most important roles in solving the case.

THANK YOU