Gender Stereotypes In Susan Glaspell's Trifles

In the play, “Trifles,” gender stereotypes are grave issues that play a major part in society. However, due to its detrimental effects between males and females, it leads to envy towards each other. Trifles is a play written by Susan Glaspell. The moral of the play was to bring women together in a time where they were discouraged by the beliefs of men. As demonstrated, a husband and a wife named Mr. Wright and Mrs. Wright who apparently had a wobbly marriage. Mrs. Wright is particularly not happy with how Mr. Wright treats her with trifle. Therefore, she rebels and strangles him with a rope which is followed by investigation by a sheriff and a court attorney. In addition, an essay published in 1971 called “I want a Wife” by Judy Brady also

They are specifically mocked and given little to no value. The court attorney in the play mocks women of worrying over trifles, “COURT ATTORNEY: Dirty towels! (kicks his foot against the pans under the sink) Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies?” (Glaspell 63). Men in this case believe have more respect in themselves because they do much of the hard intense sweaty labor, such as farming. Farming is what provides food and money which can only pay for a families hunger and sustainability. Hunger and sustainability defeats the purpose of women’s duties because without men, the family will suffer if the women don’t rely on men doing their jobs. Women are “housekeepers.” They do house duties such as cleaning the house, cooking, washing clothes and dishes. Women are viewed as loyal to their husbands which can lead to gender discrimination. In this case, women do the dirty work to please their man, like cleaning “dirty towel.” In addition, since the towels would get dirty quickly because of constant use at least twice a day, it agitates women of their equal rights as they are not treated with this level of respect which can also be demonstrated when the court attorney, “kicks his foot against the pans under the sink.” This absolutely shows no respect for women because they should when women cook for them. Cooking usually brings a warming and joyful and lovely mood. Without women they are

They are treated unfairly because men believe they are more important. Therefore, they are deprived in status and are isolated in doing housework. For instance, in the story trifles, Mr. Hale describes how he enters a house and saw Mrs. Wright sitting and rocking her chair back and forth, wearing an apron, and pleating, “She was rockin’ back and forth. She had her apron in her hand and was kind of- pleating it” (Glaspell 60). The idea that she was rocking back and forth in her house by herself, gives you chills. As readers approach this scene, they immediately sense Mrs. Wright is unusual and her background is dark as it presents a frightening and uncomfortable mood. However, the scene also mentions Mrs. Wright with an apron which accentuates the female role as she obviously cooks. In addition, she pleats it which sums up her roles as a woman. For this scene, Mrs. Wright is accentuating a couple prominent roles which is presented prominently at the beginning of the story where investigation begins. As result, it allows readers to understand that feministic roles or stereotypes were part of her motive of killing her husband. Since her husband had abused her mentally by making her feel valueless, she is left lonely and sad and enduring her feminine roles. However even after the murder, Mrs. Wright holds on her feminine roles and therefore allows readers to understand the women are not receiving what they want which is equal