Trifles and A Jury of Her Peers are both versions of the same narrative by Susan Glaspell. Trifles is a play, while “A Jury of Her Peers” is a short story. The following text will review the differences in perception between the two works, contrasting the experience of a reader and a viewer. The narrative form causes significant stylistic differences in how characters’ actions are contextualized.
In “A Jury of Her Peers”, the author develops the ‘atmosphere’ outside the characters’ dialogues. For example, at the beginning of the investigation, the county attorney asks another man about the case: “Well, Mr Hale,” said the county attorney, in a way of letting what was past and gone go, “tell just what happened when you came here yesterday morning” (Glaspell, “A Jury of Her Peers” 2). By introducing the author’s explanation of the attorney’s intention – ‘letting go’ of the past – the author establishes the dynamic of men being bored by the seemingly mundane case. Hence, the reader may explicitly pick up on the tone and context through verbal additions.
In contrast, Trifles relies on the content and attitude of the characters to present the interaction dynamic. For instance, while men glance over the untidiness in the kitchen, women notice and discuss minor details of unfinished housework. The response of Mr Hale to that is, “Well, women are used to worrying over trifles” (Glaspell, Trifles 3). Although the author does not openly describe his tone, Mr Hale’s arrogance ‘transpires’ through his remark. Ironically, the arrogance of Mr Hale regarding female ‘trifles’ turns out to be wholly unjustified since the women uncover the murderer due to their observations. Thus, Trifles develops the perspective not through the author’s detailed commentary but rather through subtle character interactions.
Both the story and the play are remarkable; however, I find Trifles more intriguing. Its subtlety allows the reader to interpret the key dialogues independently and fully enjoy uncovering the hidden meanings. I believe that this approach allows the ironic ending, with Mrs Wright being the murderer, to develop in a much more striking manner. The nature of the irony is to leave some things unsaid – hence, I prefer the play over the short story.
Works Cited
Glaspell, Susan. “A Jury of Her Peers.” Images of Women in Literature, Cengage Learning, 1917, pp. 370–385.
-. Trifles: A Play in One Act. Baker’s Plays, 2010.