Question

Discuss any five symbols used in the play "Trifles?"

Answer 1

Answer:

-The title of the play refers to the concerns of the women in the play, which the men consider to be only “trifles.”

-Canning Jars of Fruit. The canning jars of fruit represent Minnie's extreme concern over her role as wife and her household responsibilities. ...

-The Dirty Towel. ...

-The Quilt. ...

-The Dead Bird.

Answer 2

Answer

1. Mrs. Wright's dead bird. This symbolizes the treatment that Minnie Wright's husband, John, had given her that led to her killing him. Over the years, John did several abusive things such as when he wrung the neck of Mrs Wright's canary - this shows how he stifled Minnie's spirit.

2. The broken birdcage. This symbolizes John and Minnie's marriage. Minnie feels as if she is trapped in their marriage, and she feels confined it it.

3. Canning jars of fruit. This symbolizes Minnie's concern over her role as a wife, and over her household responsibilities.

4. The dirty towel. This is among many out-of-place things in Minnie's kitchen that causes George Henderson to accuse her of being a bad housekeeper. However, the state of Minnie's kitchen simply represents Minnie's distressed mind. Minnie is held responsible for the state of the kitchen, not John, and is therefore pressured to fulfil the role of a pleasing housewife, and to do everything a housewife should - perfectly.

5. The quilt. When Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters bring Minnie the quilt when she's in jail, which is another one of the trifles that the men think would only concern women. Minnie decided to finish it in one of two styles - quilting or knotting. This is developed as a metaphor for her innocence, or her guilt. The act of knotting, just to let you know, is also directly linked to the act of killing a man with a rope around his neck. The play ends with George Henderson asking the two women how Minnie is going to finish the quilt. Mrs. Hale is certain that Minnie would 'knot it', which symbolizes the women's certainty that Minnie killed her husband. The men, however, are too foolish to realize that the women aren't talking about the quilt, because they think that the women's interest is only a trifle.