Jonhay Anel Rivera

Prof. C. Pittmann

INGL3104-134

7-May-2018

“Trifles” and “A Jury of Her Peers” comparison

            “Trifles and “A Jury of Her Peers” are the same story told in a different way. They are very similar in almost every aspect and all of the plot points are the same, with some insignificant differences. The titles are the main difference between them is the titles that let us know hints of some differences and the second one is the difference in characterization. First difference, the titles, “Trifles” for the play and “A Jury of Her Peers” signals the readers to two different focuses between the play and the story. The tittle “Trifles” seems to tell us that the play is going to focus on some objects that would show the meaning of the story and would focus on what they have to do with Mrs. Wright, the main character. The title “A Jury of Her Peers” let us know that the story will center around the characters, especially Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, the ones that helped and understood the life of Mrs. Wright. In that way we can tell that the women live in a masculinity society, were men were the ones that have all the rights and women have none.

 “SHERIFF: They wonder if she was going to quilt it or just knot it! (The men laugh, the women look abashed.) MRS. HALE: (resentfully) I don't know as there's anything so strange, our takin' up our time with little things while we're waiting for them to get the evidence. [...] I don't see as it's anything to laugh about. (75-77)” in this part we can see that the male is making fun of the women and they think “woman stuff” like quilt. But also, the women have to accept the opinion of the men, that is the case of Mrs. Peters, that she was always apologizing to his husband for almost everything. There is a line were Mrs. Hale blame for not helping Mrs. Wright before the incident of her killing his husband. MRS. HALE: I might have known she needed help! I know how things can be—for women. I tell you, it's queer, Mrs. Peters. We live close together and we live far apart. We all go through the same things—it's all just a different kind of the same thing. (138). This line is probably the play's most blatant call for solidarity among women. Mrs. Hale is recognizing that all women are oppressed in pretty much the same way. In this quote is the message that women most unite and support each other so they can change things to their favor.

The short story allows more description, especially of the characters interaction, it allows for more insight into the minds of the characters, as opposed to insight that the audience would gain by watching actors on a stage. We get more character development in the story than in the play. Also, the male characters have little depth in the story, but have more depth in the story than in the play. In the play “Trifles” the main object of which we finally discover why Mrs. Wright murder her husband was the bird. The bird was a symbol for Mrs. Wright as Minnie Foster. In an indirect way, he killed her joy of singing, her spirit, keeping her in her own "cage" which she can’t escape from. Unless she "got rid of" what was holding her prisoner. That lead her whit only that choice. In that moment Mrs. Hale understood everything and helped her undercover the evidence from men because she knew what Mrs. Wright was living, the same life that she does.

Women have been minimized on their opinion or on what they can do and that is not right. I think the short story delivers the message better than the play because of the usage of Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters as the ones on which the readers find the message on women oppression. Also helps the reader understand more easily what is happening and understand the message. The play is a good form to express and deliver her opinion to the people, but the short story is the best way to get her point of view, and her opinion on what women should do against this injustice. They should join and fight together, that what her message and that is what they did and today we can see the difference although it still parts of the world and families that still believe that women are inferior and they don’t have any valid opinion or importance.

Works Cited

Pittmann, Cynthia. Class Assignment “Comparison between a script and a story: “Trifles”

and “A Jury of Her Peers”. Intermediate English. UPRRP. 7 May 2018.