Trifles Symbol Analysis

The title of the play refers to the concerns of the women in the play, which the men consider to be only “trifles.” This includes such things as the canning jars of fruit that Minnie Wright is concerned about despite being held for murder, as well as the quilt and other items that Minnie asks to have brought to her at the jail. Trifles symbolize the importance of the topics and items that concern the women in the story, as these concerns provide the women with the insight to understand the motive of Minnie’s crime. The men, who arrogantly assume that women’s interests are “trifling” and unimportant, are blind to the importance of these items in the investigation of John Wright’s murder and to the importance of women’s concerns and situations in general.