Analysis of Susan Glaspells Trifles - Essay Example

Mrs. Peters made inferences on a loaf of bread left in there, as well as on the possibility that Minnie Wright was actually preparing a quilt and that she was actually making nervous sewing patterns on it, which was a sign of a possible mental problem or anxiety. The rising action continues until the part where both female characters find an empty birdcage and finally a bird in the sewing basket whose neck was wrung.

What section of the play constitutes its falling action?

The falling action is part of the play where the men return from their search while the women pretend not to know anything, especially about the dead bird with a broken neck. The men still make fun of the women as they overhear them talking about whether Minnie Wright was going to quilt it or knot it. The men thought that the women were just discussing trifles but what they did not realize was that it was the most important piece of evidence they needed.

How do the characters’ actions advance the play’s plot?

It is the female characters’ actions and curiosity that advance the play’s plot. Had Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters not been curious enough, they would not have started looking around the kitchen among Minnie Wright’s things for anything that could satisfy their curiosity. This eventually led them to the bird with a broken neck. Moreover, the indifference of the men towards the women – regarding them as merely interested in trifles – somehow helped advance the plot too, for, had they been different, they would have searched the kitchen first and the play could have ended there if they had found the bird first.