Would Trifles still appeal to modern audiences? Do you feel it was more powerful when it first came out many years ago? What was the most...

The decision about whether the one-act play Trifles would still appeal to modern audiences is a matter of opinion. Certainly, some people, like Mrs. Wright in the play, still feel crushed in their relationships and are unable to experience any degree of freedom or love. This situation could be true of women or men.

However, the play, first performed in 1916, spoke to the situation of women at the time and may be considered somewhat...

The decision about whether the one-act play Trifles would still appeal to modern audiences is a matter of opinion. Certainly, some people, like Mrs. Wright in the play, still feel crushed in their relationships and are unable to experience any degree of freedom or love. This situation could be true of women or men.

However, the play, first performed in 1916, spoke to the situation of women at the time and may be considered somewhat less powerful today than it was at that time. At the time the play was first produced, women in many states did not have the right to vote, and they were largely considered the property of their husbands. Their career paths were limited, and most were expected to simply be wives and carry out the drudgery of taking care of the house. In addition, houses lacked the conveniences we take for granted today, such as dishwashers and electric washing machines. Women, like Mrs. Wright, often lived very difficult lives. 

One of the most dramatic moments of the play is when the neighborhood women, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, find a dead canary in Mrs. Wright's kitchen. They immediately make the connection that Mr. Wright might have killed Mrs. Wright's pet, leading her to strangle her husband. However, the men in the play do not make this connection, and the bird is a potent symbol of the way in which Mrs. Wright has been put in a cage.