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Introduction
In order for a play to be convincing and lively, it should not only consist of an exciting plot, but also incorporate believable and diverse characters. They serve as driving force for any scenario, helping readers and viewers to live out their story. Moreover, strong and well-written characters serve for more precise delivery of the message intended by the author. This essay will examine “Trifles”, a play by Susan Glaspell, and its characters’ contribution to conveying the main point of the piece. The characters of Mrs. Hale and George Henderson will be compared in regard with disclosing the topic of the women’s visibility.
Comparison of the Characters’ Traits
Attention to Details
The plot of the play unfolds in a small town, where an investigation of a murder takes place. The deceased is Mr. Wright, whose wife is the main suspect. The men visit her house to find evidence against her, and the women are invited to collect things that Mrs. Wright asked to bring to her, while she is in the custody. Mr. Henderson is a county attorney, who leads the process of investigation. While looking for the clues, he intentionally ignores the messy kitchen, since he is convinced that there was “nothing that would point to any motive” there (Glaspell 3). His prejudice towards kitchen being a space of solely women’s trifles demonstrates his insolence towards females and their common activities.
On the other hand, Mrs. Hale manages to examine a lot of small details in the kitchen, which allow her to make assumptions about Mrs. Wright’s lifestyle and her possible motives for the conducted crime. For instance, when she finds a quilt that Mrs. Wright was working on, they notice uneven stitches that are uncommon for other hand-made pieces in the house. Mrs. Hale understands the reason behind that, asking her companion, Mrs. Peters: “What do you suppose she was so nervous about?” (Glaspell 6). Ladies find crucial evidences of the way the suspect was abused by her husband, and the whole picture of what has happen emerges to them. Thus, in the play Mrs. Hale is shown as a person who is extremely attentive to the details and conscious of other women.
Attitude
Another contrast of the examined characters is their overall attitude. Mr. Henderson is shown as a flat character, since his behavior is predictable along the plot (Mays 212). He arrives at the scene of a crime being self-assured and confident and keeps this attitude until the end of the play. In addition, his interactions with women in the play seem presumptuous and almost rude. When looking through the kitchen he repeatedly mentions Mrs. Wright’s untidiness and scornfully calls her “not much of a housekeeper” (Glaspell 3). On the contrary, Mrs. Hale is a round character, since her attitude along the play is dynamic (Mays 212). First, she acts fearful in front of the men, letting their misogynistic comments slide. However, after finding out the truth behind the case of Mr. Wright’s assassination, she becomes balder and assures her companion to conceal the found evidences. Mrs. Hale believes what Mrs. Wright did was not a crime, but her what her husband did by suppressing her was, stating: “She used to sing. He killed that, too” (Glaspell 8). Therefore, the attitudes and dynamics of Mr. Henderson and Mrs. Hale were distinct, as well.
Conclusion
To sum up everything written above, it can be stated that the contrast of the characters of Mr. Henderson and Mrs. Hale, portrayed in Glaspell’s “Trifles”, allows to pinpoint the vital topic of women’s visibility. Mr. Henderson, that represents the men, is ignorant and insolent towards women and their interests. At the same time, Mrs. Hale represents the neglected female who gains power after realizing how mistreated she and her fellows are. The distinction of the described characters helps to get a better understanding of a normalized misogyny that took place in their society.
Works Cited
Glaspell, Susan. Trifles: A Play in One Act. Boston, Walter H. Baker, 1924.
Mays, Kelly J., editor. The Norton Introduction to Literature. Shorter 13th ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2018.
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