Protection must be protected, justice must be done, and relationships must be frightened. In “Trifles,” Susan Glaspell addresses all three. Using the conflict of law and justice, it explores the social struggle between man and woman as well as the separation between public and private affairs. Each aspect is fully developed in the work and allows divergences to be assessed throughout the story. Forced to deal with a dramatic murder, a group of individuals are faced with a complicated situation. News of a murder involves Mr. Henderson, the county attorney, and Mr. Peters, the sheriff. Mr. Hale, a neighboring farmer, reveals what he witnessed. Mrs. Wright, the deceased's wife, rocked nervously in her chair and mentioned her deceased husband lying upstairs. Mr. Hale then called the sheriff who called the county attorney. As they begin to look for evidence, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale move around the kitchen gathering items to take to Mrs. Wright in prison. The women begin to talk about the unhappy life Mrs. Wright seemed to have lived and the unpleasantness that was introduced into the air. Upon finding a broken cage, they become curious but assume nothing. When they search through a sewing box to find more things for Mrs. Wright, they find the dead bird that has been strangled. Fearing the worst, the bird was then hidden by the women while the men returned and decided that Mrs. Wright preferred to knot rather than quilt the quilt she was making. “Trifles” examines the contrast between men and women. Mr. Hale commented that “women are accustomed to worry about trifles,” implying that men do not worry about such things (433). He also seems to be saying that women don't think about much else. By the end, however, it is clear that the meaning is different from the middle of the paper, especially when she asks for "an apron and her little shawl" (436). It is only when they discover the dead bird that their suspicions become almost limitless. The tone changes dramatically, from the mysterious beginning of wondering what happened to suspicion. This then ends with panic and the need to protect the woman. The last scene ends with a false closure as Mrs. Hale concludes with “We call it – tie it,” leaving the reader wondering what would happen next (443). “Trifles,” by Susan Glaspell, focuses on three points; between men and women, the intimacy of family life and the justice that the law must find. Using play structure, powerful diction, meaningful symbolism, and a tense tone, she successfully achieves her goal. The classic progression plot only allows the reader to be captivated by what the story is about..