SUMMARY of TRIFLES (1916)Susan Glasspell

Raja Amsyar Nadiah

• CHARACTERS IN THIS DRAMA– George Henderson > county attorney– Henry Peters > sheriff– Lewis Hale > neighboring farmer– Mrs. Peters > sheriff’s wife– Mrs. Hale > farmer’s wife

• The story starts of with the characters entering the kitchen through the back door.

• The sheriff inquire to Mr. Hale what had happened when he visited Mr. Wright.

• Mr. Hale begins by telling the Sheriff that he planned on stopping by the Wright farmhouse to see if John was interested in going in on a party telephone, but he knew that if he asked Mr. Wright in front of his wife, his chances were better.

• Mr. hale entered the house and found Mrs. Wright in her rocker and pleating her apron. . Mr. Hale asks to see John Wright, her husband and she laughs and says Mr. Wright is dead while pointing upstairs. When he asks her what he died of, she says, “a rope around his neck”.

• Harry, who accompanied Mr. Hale went upstairs to confirm that Mr. Wright was dead.

• They came back downstairs and asked Mrs. Wright how the rope got around his neck and she claims she does not know, despite the fact that it happened while she was sleeping in bed next to him. She simply said she was a sound sleeper.

• Harry went out to call the coroner while Mr. Hale hang about the Wright’s house to keep tabs on Mrs. Wright.

• The county attorney goes over to a shelf in the kitchen and announces there is a mess where her fruit had frozen.

• Mrs. Peters stated that Mrs. Wright was worried that when the fire goes out her jar of preserve fruit would break.

• the county attorney goes around the kitchen, making comments on how the women worried about trivial things than the cleanliness of the kitchen. The women defended Mrs. Wright not because they were close but they understand the nature of farm life. The county attorney continues about Mrs. Wright’s apparent lack of housekeeping skills.

• After that the men went upstairs, meanwhile Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters decided to clean up the mess in the kitchen. They remembered who Mrs. Wright was back then, before she was married to Mr. Wright.

• They discussed about the murder by saying that it is rather strange way to kill by strangling Mr. Wright because there is a gun in the house according to Mr. Hale.

• They found a piece of quilt that Mrs. Wright made and they wondered whether she wanted to quilt it or knot it.

• The sheriff, Mr. Hale and the county attorney went downstairs. Then the county attorney asked the men to go to the barn to warm themselves.

• After that, Mrs. Hale pulled out an incorrect sew and try to fixed it but Mrs. Peters warn Mrs. Hale that they wasn’t supposed to touvh things.

• Mrs. Peters searching for a piece of paper and string but found a bird cage with a broken door.

• Then they make an assumption where the bird might be.

• Mrs. Hale said that she should have visited Mrs. Wright when she had the opportunities and talked about not having any children to live in together and having a busy husband like Mr. Wright and make assumption on why Mrs. Wright would want a bird to keep her companied

• After having conversations about the Wright’s, Mrs. Hale came up with an idea to Mrs. Peters about bringing the quilt to Mrs. Wright to clear her mind of the problem that are happening now.

• The ladies searched for Mrs. Wright sewing kits to bring to her when Mrs. Peters went to visit her later on.

• They found the sewing kits and a box that contained the remain of the bird wrapped in a silk cloth.

• The county attorney went back inside and saw the birdcage and asked has the bird flown from its cage? Mrs. Hale answered that maybe the cat ate it. The county attorney asked whether there is a cat in the house. Mrs. Peters reply that maybe the cat left the house after eating the bird.

• The county attorney said to the sheriff that they should go through everything again upstairs to look for everything again.

• The women continue to talk. Mrs. Hale said that Mrs. Wright was going to bury the bird in the box and Mrs. Peters remembered her cat that was killed when she was a child.

• Then Mrs. Hale talked about what is it like not having any children around and she said that John Wright would not like the bird because of his nature.

• They also proposed that John Wright had kill the bird

• The county attorney decided to stay back for a while.

• Then, the sheriff told the attorney that they should take a look at the windows.

• While, they were looking at the window, Mrs. Hale looked at Mrs. Peters and her eyes points at the concealed box containing the bird remains. Mrs. Peters took the box and tried to hide it in her bag but it was too big and Mrs. Hale took it and put it in the pocket of her big coat.