Is it an effective technique that in Glaspell’s “Trifles,” Mrs. Wright is the central focus of the play but never appears on stage herself?  

Prompt

Is it an effective technique that in Glaspell’s “Trifles,” Mrs. Wright is the central focus of the play but never appears on stage herself?  

Parameters

You must make a substantive and thoughtful initial post of 250 words or more to one of the questions, incorporating MLA citation and a Works Cited. 

Readings

Meyer, Michael and D. Quentin Miller. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, and Writing, 12th ed., Macmillan Learning, 2020.

• “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell

Sample Solution

In Susan Glaspell’s “Trifles,” Mrs. Wright is a central focus of the play despite never appearing on stage. This is an effective technique because it allows the audience to form their own perceptions of her character based on the limited information they are given. According to Meyer and Miller in The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature, “the absence of a character can sometimes be as significant as their presence on stage” (275). By not physically putting Mrs. Wright on stage, Glaspell is able to control how the audience thinks about her, which adds to the tension of the play and keeps the audience engaged.

Furthermore, Mrs. Wright’s absence on stage allows the audience to focus on the reactions of the other characters to her, which reveals a great deal about their opinions and attitudes towards her. The conversations between the women and the men in the play give insight into the societal norms and gender expectations…Order a customized and more comprehensive answer here