Play details
| Playwright | Susan Glaspell |
| First published | 1916 |
| Period | Early 20th century |
| Location | American Midwest |
| Format | One-act play |
| Cast size | 5 (3 M / 2 F) |
| Genre(s) | Feminist Drama, Mystery Play |
Introduction to Trifles
Susan Glaspell’s one-act play Trifles (1916) is a powerful work of early American feminist drama. Set in a rural farmhouse in the American Midwest, the play centers on the investigation of a murder: John Wright has been found dead, and his wife, Minnie Wright, is the primary suspect. While the male characters—sheriff, county attorney, and a neighboring farmer—search for obvious evidence, the women quietly piece together the truth through what the men dismiss as “trifles.” Through this contrast, Glaspell critiques both the justice system and the rigid gender roles of her time.
The play was inspired by a real-life murder case that Glaspell covered as a journalist in Iowa in 1900. A woman named Margaret Hossack was accused of killing her husband, who had been abusive and controlling. Although Hossack was convicted, the circumstances of the case raised questions about fairness, domestic violence, and the treatment of women by the legal system. Glaspell later reimagined this case in Trifles, shifting the focus from the crime itself to the emotional and psychological conditions that might lead a woman to commit such an act. By doing so, she highlighted how the law often ignored women’s suffering.
The historical context of Trifles is crucial to understanding its themes. The play was written during the Progressive Era, a time of social reform in the United States when women were increasingly advocating for political and social rights. Women did not yet have the right to vote nationally—this would not occur until 1920 with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. As a result, women were often excluded from formal power structures such as the courts and law enforcement, a reality reflected in the play when Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are not taken seriously by the male investigators.
Additionally, women in this period were expected to focus almost entirely on domestic life. Housework, sewing, and cooking were seen as their natural responsibilities, while men occupied the public sphere of work, law, and politics. Glaspell uses this division to make a deeper point: the men overlook the kitchen, the sewing, and the small details because they consider them insignificant, yet these very details reveal Minnie Wright’s loneliness, emotional abuse, and eventual breaking point. What the men call “trifles” are actually key pieces of evidence.
Through its subtle but sharp critique of gender inequality, Trifles remains a relevant and thought-provoking play. Glaspell shows that justice is not only about laws and facts, but also about understanding human experience—especially the experiences of those who have long been silenced.
