Trifles: Women
Vincent Pagley
Mrs. Needham
English 102
29 November 2012
Women Significance Imagine a world where a female’s opinion is respected the same as a child’s. This is a world where men deal with all the “real” problems in society and petty problems were left to the woman at home. Susan Glaspell describes this world in her drama “Trifles,” written in 1916. Throughout the story, Glaspell uses both a male and female perspective to help illustrate the difference in importance in male and female work and respect. Susan Glaspell’s drama “Trifles” is more than a murder investigation; it is an attack on the gender inequalities of the time period. When the women are called to the scene of the crime, they are not called to solve the crime; they are called to gather items for the prisoner. Regardless of what the women say, it will not really have an affect on the investigators’ thinking. This is not a secret though, the women are well aware of their status. But when a vital piece of evidence is found, the women use this to their advantage. Throughout history, men have been notoriously known for belittling women. The Japanese culture, for example, treats women as nothing. They cannot own property or inherit any land or possessions. This play was written in the beginning of the 20th century, which is near the end of women inferiority with the introduction of women’s rights. Glaspell makes a statement in the drama by using the stereotypical views of 19th century men to the woman’s advantage. When the women find the bird, which is a vital piece of evidence, they neglect to tell any male official about it. In this society, it would appear that much of society is male vs. female, and the females did not want to incriminate one of their own. The social ties of women provided a perfect rout for a murderer to get away clean. In many ways “Trifles,” by Susan Glaspell, represents the struggle of women inferiority in the 20th century. Women of today’s period are arguably respected
Mrs. Needham
English 102
29 November 2012
Women Significance Imagine a world where a female’s opinion is respected the same as a child’s. This is a world where men deal with all the “real” problems in society and petty problems were left to the woman at home. Susan Glaspell describes this world in her drama “Trifles,” written in 1916. Throughout the story, Glaspell uses both a male and female perspective to help illustrate the difference in importance in male and female work and respect. Susan Glaspell’s drama “Trifles” is more than a murder investigation; it is an attack on the gender inequalities of the time period. When the women are called to the scene of the crime, they are not called to solve the crime; they are called to gather items for the prisoner. Regardless of what the women say, it will not really have an affect on the investigators’ thinking. This is not a secret though, the women are well aware of their status. But when a vital piece of evidence is found, the women use this to their advantage. Throughout history, men have been notoriously known for belittling women. The Japanese culture, for example, treats women as nothing. They cannot own property or inherit any land or possessions. This play was written in the beginning of the 20th century, which is near the end of women inferiority with the introduction of women’s rights. Glaspell makes a statement in the drama by using the stereotypical views of 19th century men to the woman’s advantage. When the women find the bird, which is a vital piece of evidence, they neglect to tell any male official about it. In this society, it would appear that much of society is male vs. female, and the females did not want to incriminate one of their own. The social ties of women provided a perfect rout for a murderer to get away clean. In many ways “Trifles,” by Susan Glaspell, represents the struggle of women inferiority in the 20th century. Women of today’s period are arguably respected