Trifles

Choose two character foils and explain how the pair advances the themes of the play. Foils that are composed of opposing genders may work particularly well for this prompt, but you can also choose to analyze two women as foils. Mrs. Wright’s absence from the play, for example, can be seen as a foiling mechanism to either Mrs. Hale or Mrs. Peters. 

Using direct quotation and a careful parsing of each recurrence of Mrs. Wright’s unfinished quilt, write an essay that explains the quilt’s significance as a symbol in the play. 

Concisely name one of the play’s themes concerning patriarchy and the oppression of women. Then, perform a direct quotation and dramatic device analysis demonstrating how Glaspell forms and communicates that theme. 

Write an essay that explains the thematic and dramatic impact of Mrs. Wright’s complete absence from the play. Why might Glaspell have chosen to write her play in this way, and what thematic work does the character’s absence achieve?

Contrast the male characters’ presumptions of the women—including their notions of guilt, capability, intelligence, and worth—against the actions the women actually demonstrate. How do the sexist machinations of a patriarchal society handicap the perceptions and understandings of men?