Identity In Trifles By Susan Glaspell

Susan Glaspell 's "Trifles" is a feminist piece of literature ←that depicts the life of a woman who is not ←only→ suppressed but oppressed as well by her husband. Minnie Foster is a kind-hearted woman ←that is pushed to kill her husband who molds her into a new person. Because Mrs.Wright follows the role her husband makes for her along with society 's expectations of appropriate woman behavior, Minnie loses her true identity. In contrast, both Mrs.Peters and Mrs.Hale preserve their true identities by protecting Minnie from the men who plan to convict her of murder. Because Susan Glaspell is a female, her play "trifles" depicts a male-dominant society where the women unify due to a set of common concerns. At first, Mrs.Wright is a very

In addition, the wife role in a male-dominate society is one where the women have no ability to make complicated decisions, think critically, or rely on themselves. The irony in a title such as "Trifles" shows the reader how the men in this story think of what society thinks as women work as much less important than a husband 's role in society. Mr. Hale makes a remark supporting the analysis by stating how "...women are use to worrying over trifles" (Glaspell 1040), while Mr. Peters remarks in agreement ←that "kitchen things" (Glaspell 1040) are not important. Men force the women into a domestic, oppressive role, while the men show no respect for the women. Women in a male-dominate society "...are subjected, oppressed, and have few rights..." (Elham and Maryam 3). All the men, Mr. Hale, Mr. Peters, and the county attorney, ignore all the words spoken between the women. In addition, both Mrs.Hale and the sheriff 's wife Mrs.Peters are going around the murder scene unsupervised due to Mrs.Peters being seen as ←just→ an extension of her

" I might have known she needed help! I know how things can be-for women. I tell you, it 's queer, Mrs.Peters. We live so close together and we live far apart. We all go through the same things- it 's ←just→ a different kind of same thing" (Glaspell 1046). In contrast, Mrs.Peters is initially reluctant to support Mrs.Wright. Not ←only→ is she married to the sheriff, but as the county attorney puts it,"a sheriff 's wife is married to the law" (Glaspell 1046). "A male-dominate society is one that benefits men in laws..." (Elham and Maryam 3); However, Mrs.Peters sides with Mrs.wright and Mrs.Hale while not revealing information about the dead bird or the knot to the men. Mrs.Peters, losing her first child, understands the meaning of a loss. In addition, Mrs.Peter also understands what Mrs.Hale means when she says that women "all go through the same things" (Glaspell 1046). To sum up, the women in "Trifles" cannot be trifled with. Although Susan Glaspell wrote "Trifles" a long time ago, it continues to be similar to modern day relationships between men and women. "Trifles" feminist perspective provides a convincing case for the necessity of women to move beyond descriptive stereotypes and oppressive assumptions in order to be true to their own significant