'Trifles' Symbols

In Trifles, there are props that take on symbolic significance as the play progresses.

The canary symbolizes happiness or the way Minnie Foster used to be before she got married. It’s the fluttery, sweet, calm side of her or her inner spirit. When the bird died, Mrs. Wright’s sanity went with it. The life of the canary symbolizes what made her lively with her trying to live with her husband.

The bird cage represents, wanting freedom or being trapped. It was the part of Mrs. Wright’s spirit that she kept buried because of her husband. She couldn’t be herself because he didn’t like that side of her and killed it (the bird). She changed and bottled up a part of who she was because of him.

The rocker symbolizes peace, like a baby being put to rest through rocking. It’s what Mrs. Foster used to keep calm.

The quilt represents knot tying. Mrs. Wright tied a knot to kill her husband and she made the quilt herself. It can also be seen as her disturbed mental condition because of the way it was sewn.

The barn represents a lot of things that needed work in the relationship between Mrs. Wright and her husband.

The preserves symbolized a break in work. In ‘Trifles’ one of them was broken which could represent Minnie's mental well-being. The jar that remained intact seems to symbolize the amount of sanity left of her.

The stove represents things heating up, I believe. Minnie and her husband seemed to have issues people didn’t know about until it was too much for the wife to take. It represents their marriage.

Pots and pans seem to symbolize rising emotions, meaning things being cooked (emotions starting to boil under the surface).

The dirty towels represent Mrs. Wright’s relationship with her husband. The dirty towels show that the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Wright had failed as the housekeeping did, and became 'dirty' or lost what makes a relationship alive and healthy. 

The kitchen table represents unfinished business in a way which is weird since Mrs. Wright didn’t seem to like things being half done. Her bread was ready for mixing and she left her housework so something might have caused her to stop what she was doing.