An Analysis of the Central Theme of Trifles Essay

Kitchen Trifles The central theme of Trifles is that small, insignificant things (trifles) are often very important, as the title suggests. They may not be important themselves, but they certainly are to others. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters pay close attention to all they encounter while in the Wright residence. Even though they were restricted mainly to the kitchen, they were able not only to determine Mrs. Wright murdered her husband, but also what caused the murder and subsequently Mrs. Wrights motive From the beginning of the play we can see a difference in how the women approach the ordeal and how the men handle their investigation. From the get go the men, who are supposed to determine guilt and motive, handle their investigation sloppily. The day before the investigation the Peters, the Hales, and the attorney visit the Wright home. This loose way of investigation is already apparent. The police department was unable to secure the murder scene because of a man who went crazy. The men and women also enter the Wright home differently. The men head straight to the kitchen stove to warm up their hands, as if they thought that warming themselves up is more important that the investigation. The women on the other hand came in slowly possibly out of fear and not wanting to disturb anything significant to the investigation. The difference in approaches between the men and women is most clear in the treatment of the kitchen. The only one of the men to pay the slightest attention to this room is the attorney. He criticizes the dirty dishtowel, kicks the pans under the sink, and questions Mrs. Wrights housekeeping ability. Then he asks the Sheriff, Youre convinced there was nothing important here nothing that would point to a motive? The Sheriff replies with Nothing her but kitchen things, and with that the attorney concludes his inspection. While critical of Mrs. Wrights housekeeping, the men were not critical...