In a small Iowa farmhouse, surly and reclusive farmer John Wright was found murdered. His apathetic wife Minnie is the prime and only suspect, and sitting in jail for the crime. Now, a small group of people enter the home, looking for the clues that would explain why a woman would suddenly strangle her husband in the night. While County Attorney Henderson, Sheriff Peters, and neighbor Mr. Hale roam the house looking for clues, the women (Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale) examine the “trifles” of a country kitchen, such as frozen jars of preserves and a poorly sewn quilt. But as the women look closer at Minnie’s world, they make a bone-chilling discovery. Inspired by a true story, Susan Glaspell’s Trifles is a seminal play of early 20th-century American theatre and helped define American realism as we know it.
Trifles guide sections
