"A Jury of her Peers" and "Trifles" Comparison

Valeria R. Martinez Soto

Prof. Pittmann

INGL 3104-134

7 May 2018

Comparison between “A Jury of Her Peers” and “Trifles”

   Susan Glaspell wrote the same story in different ways; one is a short story and the other she wrote in the form of a play. Even so, they have an almost word-for-word similarity in the dialogue and the narration. One of the biggest most noticeable difference between the two is the perspective and feelings of who is telling the story. Mrs. Hale perspective and feeling are the primary point of view in the short story while on the other we get a narrator.

   Having a narrator’s only point of view limits our perspective from the characters feelings and personal thoughts. I felt like “A Jury of Her Peers” was most effective to me as a reader. The short story form allowed me to see one of the character’s perspective which made me feel integrated into the story. Mrs. Hale's detailed description of the situation and the people surrounding her brought the story to life. For example, when she describes Mrs. Peters, “Mrs. Peters, at last, ventured, as if she felt they ought to talking as well as the men.” At the beginning of the story, we also read a brief description of Mrs. Hale’s personality: “she hated to see things half done...”.

   With “Trifles” I did not feel integrated into the story. I was conscious that I was reading a play. It was not as entertaining as the short story because the constant description of the surroundings and every pause to describe what the character was doing or what facial expression they were making, zoned me out of the story. “Hale: Well, women are used to worrying about trifles [ The two women move a little closer together ]”. When I read a play and have to stop to identify who is saying what, the natural flow of the story is lost. I enjoy short stories the most because their mood is felt better and I create a better and stronger connection to the characters.

Work Cited

Literature for Composition: An Introduction to Literature 10th edition chapter 17: Reading and Writing about plays “Trifles” and “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus