Susan Glaspell was only twenty-four years old when, as a journalist, she covered the Hossack murder in Indianola, Iowa. It would be many years before Glaspell wrote his play Trifles, a work that bears striking similarities to the real-life murder of farmer John Hossack. Inside the wooden doors of the Indianola courthouse, young Glaspell had witnessed an event that would affect the rest of her life. For the residents of Warren County, the event that took place inside that courthouse was a trial to determine a woman's innocence; for Glaspell, it was a testament to American injustice towards women in society. When he sat down to write Trifles, there is no doubt that it was modeled on the events that occurred during that Hossack trial. The line is drawn when Glaspell the journalist becomes Glaspell the artist, and she makes careful omissions and additions to her work. Trifles is not simply a retelling; instead, to better exaggerate her concern about sexism, Susan Glaspell made several changes to her work. The addition of Mrs. Hale, the dirty towel roll, and the canary emphasizes Glaspell's focus on the injustice of men's feelings towards women and their work. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Glaspell starts first with the true story of Hossack with the introduction of Mrs. Hale. In the play, Mrs. Hale is the strict wife of Mr. Hale, the man who inadvertently discovers the crime scene. When men rummage through the house belittling Minnie Wright, it is Mrs. Hale who retorts. She is the voice of reason, “true to her sex” (Glaspell 5). Although she is aware of the men's sarcastic comments, she does nothing but mutter under her breath. No parallels to Mrs. Hale appeared in the real Hossack murder case, in which very few women were called to testify. Ms. Hale represents Glaspell herself, the only female reporter, who quickly noted the unequal treatment women received in the courtroom. When the women began to express their opinions in court, they were quickly silenced, based on the claim that "She [the witness, Mrs. Keller] was not answering the question that was asked" (Bryan and Wolf 146) . The end of Trifles recalls the silence observed by Glaspell; however, “their refusal to speak resonates with the power of intention and choice” (Holstein 284). Like Mrs. Keller, they do not answer the question posed, but in this case the conscious choice to remain silent suggests that, contrary to men's opinion, women actually have something important to say. Another change Glaspell made to his work is the addition of the dirty roller towel. This seemingly inconsequential detail does much to further the story's concern with sexism. The rolled up towel creates the opportunity for the county attorney to make the condescending remark, “not much of a housekeeper, would you say, sir?” (Glaspel 4). This observation expresses the county attorney's expectation that all women serve as housekeepers. Of course, there were no dirty towels on the Hossack farm in real life, because John Hossack was a stern man and often susceptible to fits of rage, at the worst of which he would threaten Margaret with "bodily harm," calling her a "bitch" and a "whore." ” (Bryan and Wolf 114). Perhaps intimidated by these tantrums, Margaret Hossack had to pull her weight in carrying out household chores. Glaspell changed this aspect of Margaret when she created Minnie>.