Trifles

The Dynamic Mrs. Peters

In the play, Trifles, by Susan Glaspell, there was one character that stood out the most. Throughout the play, Mrs. Peters's character was continually developing. She was the most dynamic character in the play. Mrs. Peters entered into the Wright's house as a timid and hesitant woman who did not see a need to stand up for herself, and later she became strong enough protect Mrs. Wright almost as a way of standing up for women who were in oppressed situations as she was. Mrs. Peters went from a woman who made no excuse for breaking the law to withholding evidence from the law.

Mrs. Peters was introduced as a frail woman who submitted to every condescending remark said by a man. She seemed to be dependent on other people because the men that surrounded her made her feel she was inferior and not able to do tasks other than household duties. This dependent attitude is shown when she asks Mrs. Hale to accompany her to the Wright's house even though they hardly knew each other. An example of how the sheriff viewed her was when he said, "The sheriff came running in to say his wife wished Mrs. Hale would come too--adding, with a grin, that he guessed she was getting scary and wanted another woman along" (Glaspell, "A Jury" n.p).

As Mrs. Peters's husband, the sheriff, and the other men searched for clues about who killed Mr. Wright, they occasionally made a rude comment about the women only concerning themselves with insignificant things such as the quilt. The women found a quilt that Mrs. Wright was piecing together. The stitches that were made at the start of the quilt were even, but last stitches made were a mess. The quilt made Mrs. Peters start to wonder why a woman start to stitch in such a way, but when the men would say something condescending, Mrs. Peters would make excuses for their behavior by saying, "Of course they've got awful important things on their minds" (Glaspell, Trifles 1769).

When the two women found Mrs. Wright's pet bird with a broken neck, Mrs. Peters became sympathetic towards Mrs. Wright. She was reminded of when her own pet was killed and how angry she got at the boy who killed it. She also started to relate to Mrs. Wright while Mrs. Hale was telling her how Mrs. Wright must have been so lonely in her quiet house with nothing but the bird to listen to, and even the bird was taken away from her. Mrs. Peters was starting to sympathize with Mrs. Wright by saying, "I know what silence is...my first baby died--after he was two years old, and me with no other then"