Gender Differences In Susan Glaspells Trifles - 885 Words

Introduction Susan Glaspell’s Trifles is a play about the effect of gender differences on perceptions of duty, law, and justice. The early 1900’s is the setting, arriving at the Wright farmhouse on a crisp, cold morning. Mr. Hale, a neighbor, found John Wright murdered the morning before. Hale has brought his wife, the county attorney, the sheriff and his wife to the home so the men can investigate Wright’s death. With Mrs. Wright as the primary suspect, Henderson, the county attorney, is looking for her motive. While the sheriff and the county attorney are busy looking at the mess left in the kitchen, the women are noticing some of the smaller things, the trifles according to Mr. Hale. The men go upstairs, and that is when Mrs. Hale†¦show more content†¦In the play, Mrs. Hale discusses with Mrs. Peters the situation at Mrs. Wright’s home. Ultimately, both women immediately hit with compassion and empathy for Mrs. Wright start to put two and two t ogether. How Men and Women View Duty Differently One’s duty is something they must do as part of their job or something that is the â€Å"right† thing to do. Men, in general, tend to stick to a straight and narrow scope of things whereas women think with emotion and more along the lines of what is right and what is wrong morally. Furthermore, as seen in the play, the women feel a bond with one and other and tend to stick together to protect themselves. In this story, the men are there to do their jobs, and the women are only there to gather a few things for Mrs. Wright. Unfortunately, with arrogance, the men insult Mrs. Wright’s housekeeping and in turn offend Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, correspondingly, triggering their empathy for Mrs. Wright. Once the men retreat upstairs, the women settle in and begin discussing Mrs. Wright’s home life. While talking, Mrs. Peters notices a quilt Mrs. Wright’s making, and they start talking about that. Just then the men co me back downstairs and overhear them pondering whether Mrs.Wright would â€Å"quilt it or knot it† (Ronson 188). Of course, upon hearing this, the men break out in laughter further offending the ladies. Strike three, at this point it is fair to say the women feel belittled and think theShow MoreRelatedGender Differences In Susan Glaspells Trifles1158 Words   |  5 PagesGender Differences in Susan Glaspell s  Trifles Susan Glaspell s  Trifles  is a play about the effect of gender differences on perceptions of duty, law, and justice. The play takes place in the 1900’s, a time during which women had very few rights and were often seen as their husband’s property. Though during this time in history women were perceived as being inferior to men. The play has an unexpected twist which portrays a group of women going against social norms to solve the mystery surroundingRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Susan Glaspell s Trifles 1714 Words   |  7 Pagesfor Emily written by William Faulkner and Trifles written by Susan Glaspell loneliness, poverty and isolation consume the lives of the characters. Susan Glaspell’s play â€Å"Trifles† written in 1916. In this play the author’s talks of her preoccupation with culture- bound notions of gender and sex roles. Glaspell says women are considered trifles which mean they are not important to society which is carried out by men (Baym, p. 742). In Trifles written by Susan Glaspell the time is in the early 20th centuryRead MoreTiffles Annotated Bibliography1375 Words   |  6 PagesTrifles Annotated Bibliography Alkalay-Gut, Karen. Jury of Her Peers: The Importance of Trifles. Studies in Short Fiction 21 (Winter 1984): 1-9. 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The one act play depicts the conflict surrounding the murder of John Wright and his wife’s, Minnie Wright’s, involvement in his strangulation. While this drama appears to tell the simple tale of a murder investigation, Glaspell inte rtwines her feminist views into the plot. The male and female characters’ investigations of John Wright’s death reveal a deeper meaning. The stark contrasts between the men and women in the story displayRead MoreSusan Glaspell s Trifles : Gender Differences And Stereotyping Explored2016 Words   |  9 PagesSusan Glaspell’s Trifles: Gender Differences and Stereotyping Explored Susan Glaspell’s Trifles is a dramatic play with satirical content that points out gender differences and how stereotyping affects perceptions of duty, justice, and law. Glaspell wrote Trifles in 1916, a time in America where women were consistently expected to be housewives and nothing more. Women’s limitations were clearly a spark of inspiration and reason for Glaspell to write Trifles, criticizing society with feministic intelligenceRead MoreTrifles : Susan Glaspell s Trifles940 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is a trifle? A trifle is something that has little to no importance (dictionary.com). For instance, the color of your nails would be considered a trifle. In Trifles by Susan Glaspell, women are criticized and made fun of by men because of the little things they worry about, such as the color of their nails or their hair. This exhibits the gender role difference portrayed during the play’s time period. The central conflict is what the plot is centered around. In Trifles, the central conflictRead MoreWoman in Time Essay1414 Words   |  6 Pagescompelled by overwhelming societal expectations to obey their male counterpart, and preform a set of domestic duties specific to their gender. Today this is not the case, however certain gender related expectations remain intact, and for this reason gender roles are still a prominent aspect of everyday social dynamics. The play â€Å"Trifles† by Susan Glaspell exemplifies gender roles as they were practiced in the early 1900s, by identifying womens subordinate roles in their marriages, and domestic roles