Question

MRS. HALE (examining the skirt). What does the word “examining” mean in the stage direction? checking for flaws looking very closely searching for clues seeking solutions

Answer 1

"Trifles" is a one act play that was written, and originally acted by, Susan Glaspell and it was initially presented in 1916, in Massachusetts. This play is one of the first displays of the great differences that exist between the mindset of men vs that of women, especially when it comes to such serious issues as the murder of a husband by his wife. In essence, "Trifles" tells the story of a group of both male and female characters: Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters and their husbands and the county attorney, George Henderson, who discover that Mr. Wright has been found dead with a rope around his neck. During the investigation, while the men, led by their prejudice against women and their "trifles", miss a lot of clues that point to Mrs. Minnie Wright being the killer, the women, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, find a dead canary, which becomes the evidence they need that their female friend was the perpetrator of the murder. However, driven by the also present evidence of spousal abuse on Minnie, by her husband, the women decide to hide the clues, particularly, the dead canary. When in the play, they say that Mrs. Hale (examining the skirt), what the word "examinin" means here is that Mrs. Hale is: "looking very closely", as in stage direction it tells the actors how close they must approach the object to perform the action the word refers to.  

Answer 2

Looking very closely