Similarities Between The Yellow Wallpaper And Trifles

Although each story takes place in different settings, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Trifles by Susan Glaspell, both illustrate the traditional role of women during that era. In “The Yellow Wallpaper” the narrator introduces us to a wife, a submissive patient of her husband the doctor, who is being treated for a nervous disorder. Because of this she must follow a very strict seclusion treatment, severely limiting her ability to do anything but stay isolated in a room. This new environment becomes her obsession; her focus turns to freeing a woman she feels is trapped in the wallpaper, which I feel is symbolism for the way she feels trapped in her own mental and physical world. In the story Trifles, the women are brought to a crime scene for what the men feel is an insignificant purpose of gathering some belongs to bring to Minnie Foster. It is this view of them as insignificant that ultimately lead to them being able to collect and conceal the evidence that the men desire and not be questioned or suspected. Both women seem to be submissive towards their husbands who appear as the dominant role in their lives. Comparing these two works you can address the expected role of women in marriage, the limits that marriage put on women, and the symbolism that each author used to illustrate the feminist themes in the story.

Gaspell makes it evident in several instances what the men believe should define the role of a woman. Upon entering the home, the men make several comments on the upkeep of the house, “Not much of a housekeeper would you say ladies?” (775), leading the women to feel that they need to defend Minnie. The women are able to empathize with the condition of the home, because they are aware of the work that it takes to keep things up the standard that the men seem to