The plays, "Trifles" by Susan Glasspell and "A Doll 's house" by Henrick Ibsen portray the way women were treated throughout the nineteenth century using the literary tool of symbolism. In Susan Glaspell 's "Trifles" she uses the bird cage and the dead bird to present the role and life of women in marriage and society, whereas Henrik Ibsen uses the dollhouse as a way for the reader to recognize the plays main similarities in the treatment of women. Even though the women in these plays share different lifestyles, they all face the same issues in their lives.
In "trifles" Mr. And Mrs. Wright 's relationship can be described as abusive and lifeless. Given the information from the play we can conclude that Mr. Wright was a good man because he did not drink and paid his debts, but he was also a hard man who was not considered good company.“But he was a hard man, Mrs. Peters. Just to pass the time of day with him - Like a raw wind that gets to the bone." (Glaspell) pp. 21-22 He neglected his wife 's happiness and was focused on keeping her isolated. He also neglected her opinions and kept her from singing. Not much is known about Mrs.Wright but we do know that she used to be a happy outgoing girl who sang in the church choir and wore beautiful dresses. But after she married John Wright, she became timid, unhappy and isolated. "I wish you 'd seen Minnie Foster when she wore a white dress with blue ribbons and stood up there in the choir and sang" "how-she- did-change" (Glaspell)