The misjudgment of women’s inferiority to men date back as far as 451 BC; the ancient Roman civilization created a Code of Law called, The Twelve Tables (Adams 1). In table five, under legal guardianship, the decree stated, “Our ancestors saw fit that “females, by reason of levity of disposition, shall remain in guardianship, even when they have attained their majority” (Adams 1). Levity of disposition meant that women lacked the ability to think intelligently about serious matters. One definition defines the word levity as “trifling gayety” (Babylon 1). The term, “remaining in guardianship”, fated women to be in their husbands control without the legal ability to make their own decisions, much like children. The phrase, “attained their majority”, was the age at which women would normally be in control of their own lives. This early patriarchal viewpoint was a shared belief throughout many cultures and ages that followed. During the early history of the United States, husbands owned his wife and children much like possessions. Women had not greatly improved their status by the early twentieth century, where a male-dominated society had a similar perspective as they did in colonial days; learning to be a suitable wife was to be a woman’s principal education (NWHM 1). This primitive attitude toward women is continuously reflected throughout the play Trifles, as the men persistently express …show more content…
Glaspell stresses the importance of unity and the power it yields. The irony of the play’s title, Trifles, stems from the men’s perspective of what they consider important information. As a result, the men disregard the most valuable evidence, which they considered trifle. This key evidence would have proven Mrs. Wright’s motive. In the end of the play, the Sheriff asks the County Attorney if he wants to look at the items Mrs. Peters is removing from the home. The County Attorney lightly moves a few pieces around and then