Trifles, written by Susan Glaspell, is the unique perspectives of the two different genders on the same issue. As suggested by its title, the central theme of Trifles is that things dismissed by some as trivial and insignificant ("trifles") often are very important. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, restricted mainly to the kitchen, pay close attention to all they encounter while in the Wright residence. Through this careful attention they are able not only to determine Mrs. Wright did indeed murder her husband, but also the events leading up to the murder and subsequently Mrs. Wright's motive. .
From the beginning of the play, a difference is seen between how the women approach the Wright home and how the men, who are "supposed" to determine guilt and motive, handle their investigation. The men's handling of the investigation is sloppy. The day before the Peters, the Hales, and the county attorney visit the Wright home, this loose way of investigating and interpreting police procedure is already apparent. The sheriff explains to the county attorney that because of a "man who went crazy," the police department was unable to properly secure the Wright residence upon the discovery of the murder. .
The men and the women also enter the Wright home differently. The men head without pause to the kitchen stove to warm their hands. The women, more cautious, "come in slowly" possibly out of fear and not wanting to disturb anything significant to the investigation. The difference in approaches between the men and the women is perhaps most clear in the treatment of the kitchen. The county attorney is the only one of the men who really pays any attention to this room. He criticizes the dirty dishtowel, kicks the pans under the sink, and questions Mrs. Wright's housekeeping abilities. Beyond this, he only asks the sheriff, "You're convinced that there was nothing important here - nothing that would point to a motive?" Satisfied with the sheriff's reply of "Nothing here but kitchen things," he concludes his inspection of the kitchen.
