Gender Roles In Trifles

" Trifles" demonstrates the oppressive attitude usually acknowledged among men towards women. In the play, different scene in this play show how men don’t realize the little things that can help in solving this crime events mystery. Most of the play reflect on gender roles and power dynamics together with stereotypes of both men and women. In the play, men are stereotyped as strong and brave, hardworking as they have a professional positions while the women are seeing to be delicate and weak from the beginning of the play.

It depicts the social status of how men acted towards women during the 1900s. Minnie Wright’s character shows the marriage of a lower class, however, it had been unwoven because the marriage ended in the death of her husband. Susan Glaspell ’s play “Trifles”, was written in the context of American Literature, with its depiction of Minnie Wright’s plight and lower class status. Glaspell has similarities to Virginia Woolf’s writing in “Professions for Women” about the relationship of social status and women’s subordination and oppression.

The women searched the kitchen and the living area. As they were women, this was all they were qualified to look at. The men scoffed when the women talked about the quilt being knotted or sewn. They did not think that it held any significance, nor did they think that there was anything under the quilt. However, it was later found by the women that there was something under the quilt.

Observation In her story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” Flannery O’Connor shares the tragic experience of a grandmother and her son’s family during their trip to Florida. Although her son, Bailey, and his family act coldly and disrespectfully towards her, the grandmother maintains a positive, cheerful attitude and loves them all. When they stop by Red Sammy’s barbeque during the trip, she reflects on the golden years of the past when people would respect each other and trust in one another’s goodness (O’Connor 501). As the family continues their trip, the grandmother recalls a planation in the area that she visited as a young lady and influences the children to convince their father to take them to the house (O’Connor 502).

Many men seem to believe that women cannot comprehend and understand information the same way that they can. The story points more to the women’s thoughts and findings by proving that the women can find the evidence and come to a conclusion on their own. Male domination was the way of life when Susan Glaspell’s play “Trifles” was written. Men controlled most women throughout that time. In the play, Mr. Wright was made as a symbol of all the men in the community.

These people are at the house to investigate what happened in the murder of Mr. Wright. Mrs. Wright has been taken to prison and is thought to be guilty of the murder for Mr. Wright. The women are there to gather things that Mrs. Wright might want or perhaps need. Mr. Hale and Sheriff Peters are there to investigate the actual murder and determine who did it. As Mr. Hale and Sheriff Peters go up stairs to figure out what has happened the women stay in the kitchen to talk and to gather the things that Mrs. Wright asked for.

Throughout the play, the characters look at faith, race, opportunities, fatherhood and

          As soon as the group enters Mrs. Wright’s home, they notice the first, off-putting clue; the kitchen is a disaster. At the sight of the kitchen,

Wright’s belongings are incomplete and out of place, particularly in the kitchen. The women find this to be abnormal and begin speculating the significance of these items. During one point in the play, Mrs. Hale notices an uneven stitch in Mrs. Wright’s unfinished quilt. She asks Mrs. Peters, “’what do you suppose she was so nervous about?’” Because of the death of Mr. Wright, Mrs. Hale views the stitching in a suspicious manner.

Nevertheless, while using the play’s setting to first project the notion that men are superior to women in the society, the actual murder investigations depicted by the play goes to underline that indeed women are not inferior to men. Therefore, while placing the women’s intelligence over that of men, Trifles challenges the typical male-dominated detective story by deviating from the norm of men being superior, women only being good for the kitchen, and women paying attention to unimportant things like a jar of preserves busted. Although the men in the play, Trifles, are depicted most determined to resolve the murder by combing throughout the entire house to discover the clues related to the murder and the motive of the murder, women are keener in observing the small spaces they have been allowed to access. In the

In this way the ladies demonstrated to themselves, instead of their spouses, of their capacities and worth. Due to this, it is evident that Glaspell wasn't putting forth an unmitigated and clear articulation about ladies however a fairly humble one. Glaspell's unobtrusiveness makes her a to a great degree reasonable author worried with depicting ladies in a straightforward way as opposed to a clearly prevailing one. The ladies' subservient way can be seen reliably all through "trifles". For example, toward the start of the play the ladies get to be vexed and troubled by the men's remarks with respect to Mrs. Wright's disappointments as a maid.

Trophies are not always made of gold, or even placed on a high pedestal. That’s right, housewives can be trophies as well (at least, that’s what men thought during the early 20th century). Unless they wore an apron, had food in hand, and maintained an hourglass figure, society forced women to believe that this was the only way the could be housewives, and deserved to be married to a husband. Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie featured Amanda Wingfield, a housewife that is unfortunately a victim of societal pressures.

Patriarchy and murder, Susan Glaspell presents and balances these two ideas throughout her play Trifles. The play opens with a scene of “incompleteness”, presented through the vivid description of unfinished house work. However, this seemingly innocent scene quickly evolves into a crime scene following the entrance the Sheriff and County Attorney. The two characters begin to listen to Mr. Hale’s account of his visit to the Wright home, the crime scene. As Mr. Hale details his visit, the readers learn about Mr. Wright’s murder and more importantly Mrs. Wright’s odd and evidently suspicious behavior.

Sarahana Bajracharya Instructor: John Cole ENG 102- 01 May 1, 2016 Trifles “Trifles” is a one-act play by Susan Glaspell and is based on early 1900’s, in the time where men viewed women were underneath them. The play consists the characters of Mrs. Wright, John Wright, county attorney George Henderson, Henry Peters the sheriff, Lewis Hale neighboring farmer and witness. And the main protagonists female characters in story are Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, the wives of Henry Peters and Lewis Hale. The play contains elements that show the discriminatory mentality that was commonly accepted among men towards women as well as presents the women inequality portrayed through theme, dialogue, character and symbolization.

The men were the ones that took care of the financial aspect of living. Mrs. Wright, a friend Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, is being held accountable for the murder of her husband. They have taken the time to visit her house to locate some things for her while she is incarcerated. The women immediately sense something is amiss when they enter the house and see things that are out of place. However, the County Attorney, Mr. Hale and the Sheriff, decide to forego what the women have seen and draw their own conclusions about the scenario.