The wife of the sheriff. Mrs. Peters is more timid than Mrs. Hale and more aware of the responsibilities the women have to the law and to their husbands when they uncover the truth of Minnie Wright’s murder of her husband. However, she is unwilling to expose the uncovered evidence to the men.
Mrs. Peters Quotes in Trifles
The Trifles quotes below are all either spoken by Mrs. Peters or refer to Mrs. Peters. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Baker's Plays edition of Trifles published in 1951.
Trifles
Quotes
“Well, women are used to worrying over trifles.”
Related Characters:
Lewis Hale (speaker), Mrs. Peters, Mrs. Hale, Minnie Wright
Related Symbols:
Trifles, Canning Jars of Fruit
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Get LitCharts A+“I’d hate to have men coming into my kitchen, snooping around and criticizing.” “Of course it’s no more than their duty.”
Related Characters:
Lewis Hale (speaker), Mrs. Peters (speaker), George Henderson, Henry Peters
Related Symbols:
The Dirty Towel
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“They say it was such a—funny way to kill a man, rigging it all up like that.”
“That’s just what Mr. Hale said. There was a gun in the house. He says that’s what he can’t understand.”
Related Characters:
Mrs. Peters (speaker), Mrs. Hale (speaker), Lewis Hale, John Wright, Minnie Wright
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“Mr. Henderson said coming out that what was needed for the case was a motive; something to show anger, or—sudden feeling.”
Related Characters:
Mrs. Peters (speaker), George Henderson, John Wright, Minnie Wright
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“But he was a hard man, Mrs. Peters. Just to pass the time of day with him—[Shivers] Like a raw wind that gets to the bone.”
Related Characters:
Mrs. Hale (speaker), Mrs. Peters, John Wright
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“When I was a girl—my kitten—there was a boy took a hatchet, and before my eyes—and before I could get there—[Covers her face an instant] If they hadn’t held me back I would have—[Catches herself, looks upstairs where steps are heard, falters weakly]—hurt him.”
Related Characters:
Mrs. Peters (speaker)
Related Symbols:
The Dead Bird
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“We all go through the same things—it’s all just a different kind of the same thing.”
Related Characters:
Mrs. Hale (speaker), Mrs. Peters, Minnie Wright
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
“No, Mrs. Peters doesn’t need supervising. For that matter, a sheriff’s wife is married to the law.”
Related Characters:
George Henderson (speaker), Henry Peters, Mrs. Peters
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Mrs. Peters Character Timeline in Trifles
The timeline below shows where the character Mrs. Peters appears in Trifles. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Trifles
...Henry Peters and the neighboring farmer Lewis Hale. The wives of two of the men, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, both of whom appear disturbed and fearful, follow the men inside.
(full context)
...describe the scene he discovered at the farmhouse the previous day. Before Mr. Hale begins, Mr. Peters reassures the attorney that nothing has been moved in the house since he saw it...
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George Henderson asks Mr. Peters if there’s anything in the kitchen that could point out any motive for killing John...
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Mr. Peters asks George Henderson if his wife can collect a few items to bring to Minnie...
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...activities. She remembers the lively girl Minnie used to be when she wore pretty clothes. Mrs. Peters says that Minnie also requested to have an apron brought to her, and thinks this...
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Abruptly, Mrs. Hale asks Mrs. Peters if she thinks that Minnie killed her husband. Mrs. Hale says she doesn’t think that...
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...quilt that Minnie Wright was in the process of making. The men reenter and, overhearing Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale discussing the quilt, laugh at the women for wondering about whether Minnie...
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Mrs. Peters looks for paper or string to package up the clothes they’re taking to the jail...
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...she didn’t like the place, not because she was too busy to make the trip. Mrs. Peters attempts to console her. Mrs. Hale asks her if she knew Mr. Wright, and while...
(full context)
Mrs. Peters did not grow up in the neighborhood and so Mrs. Hale starts to tell her...
(full context)
...asks if they’ve decided whether Minnie was going to quilt or knot her quilt, and Mrs. Peters says they think she was going to knot it. The attorney acknowledges the birdcage and...
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Mrs. Peters says that she remembers a kitten she had as a young girl, and that a...
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Mrs. Peters comes to her senses and reminds Mrs. Hale that, “the law has got to punish...
(full context)
...way. The attorney says he’ll stay at the house longer and go over everything again. Mr. Peters asks if he wants to look over what Mrs. Peters is taking to Minnie in...
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The men leave the room momentarily and Mrs. Peters tries to hide the box with the dead bird in her too small bag and...
(full context)
