ipl-logo

Trifles By Susan Glaspell Research Paper

891 Words4 Pages

Women have battled to be recognized from ancient times since men have always been considered to be superior to them. The difficulties faced by women in the 1920s patriarchal culture are portrayed in Susan Glaspell's one-act drama "Trifles." Glaspell illustrates how women were treated unequally, disregarded, and dismissed by the men in their time. The play "Trifles" provides numerous examples of how women were mistreated. The men in the play refuse to take the women seriously, referring to them as "trifles" and disregarding their opinions. They also overlook crucial evidence that the women notice, such as a broken birdcage and a quilt that Mrs. Wright had been working on before her husband's death. The men assume that because these items …show more content…

Hale makes a comment about Mrs. Wright being lonely and trapped in her marriage, Mr. Hale quickly dismisses her opinion, stating that Mrs. Wright could have left if she wanted to without even considering what she might have gone through to get there. This is another example of how the men disregard any insight or feelings that the women might have had on the situation which ultimately leads to their failure in solving the murder mystery.
This is mainly seen in the scene where the women discover the dead bird in Minnie Foster's sewing box. While the men dismiss the bird's significance, the women understand that it symbolizes Minnie's lost freedom and happiness. Through this scene, Glaspell highlights the ways in which women's perspectives and experiences were often ignored or dismissed by …show more content…

Throughout the play, the male characters, including the sheriff and the county attorney, dismiss the women's concerns and belittle their intelligence, referring to them as "trifles." The attitudes of the males toward the women are a reflection of the gender roles prevalent at the time, where women were commonly considered less important than men and their concerns were frequently disregarded. Ultimately, “Trifles” serves as a powerful piece of the gender roles and power dynamics of the time and highlights the importance of valuing and respecting women's perspectives and

Show More
Related

Real Women Have Curves Play Analysis

865 Words | 4 Pages

In comparison to the movie, the play undermines male dominance by focusing on women’s efforts to solve their own problems. First of all, there aren’t even men in the cast of the play,

Read More

Gender Roles In Poof ! And Susan Glaspell's Trifles

709 Words | 3 Pages

Lynn Nottage's Poof! and Susan Glaspell's Trifles share themes of spousal abuse and gender roles. The plays are strikingly similar when it comes to their themes and the way they are conveyed yet they are set nearly 100 years apart. Poof! is set in the present and relies on the conversation of two women. Trifles is set in the early 20th century and involves two women and two men investigating a murder.

Read More

What Is Susan Glaspell's Perception Of Women In A Jury Of Her Peers

586 Words | 3 Pages

They want to find an indication that Minnie has been provoked into killing her husband. The men do not think that their wives will be much help to the case after getting there. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters

Read More

Comparing 'The Yellow Wallpaper And A Jury Of Her Peers'

1006 Words | 5 Pages

Authors, especially female authors, have long used their writing to emphasize and analyze the feminist issues that characterize society, both in the past and the present. Kate Chopin, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Susan Glaspell wrote narratives that best examined feminist movements through the unreliable minds of their characters. In all three stories, “The Story of an Hour”, “The Yellow Wallpaper”, and “A Jury of Her Peers”, the authors use characterization, symbolism, and foreshadowing to describe the characters’ apparent psychosis or unreasonable behavior to shed light on the social issues that characterized the late 19th century and early 20th century. Penning many stories that demonstrate her opinions on the social issues of the era,

Read More

Trifles And A Doll's House Analysis

897 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More

Trifles And A Jury Of Her Peers Analysis

1408 Words | 6 Pages

Even Mr. Hale was concerned about Minnie. The play, however, does not share the same emotions of how Mr. Hale's words could effect Minnie. The story has a greater influence than the play, invoking certain feelings about justice for abused women. The lack of details in the play "Trifles" is really an injustice to how the readers should feel about Minnie. The complex details that are lacking in the play are displayed freely in the short story "A Jury of Her Peers.

Read More

A Jury Of Her Peers Essay

679 Words | 3 Pages

Wright’s dominance and the chokehold of male superiority over women in society, described by Mrs. Hales, “Look at it! Its neck—look at its neck! It’s all—other side to” (Glaspell 607). His intrusion into the cage and killing of the bird symbolizes the control of Minnie’s character and the destruction of who she truly once was; “No, Wright wouldn’t like the bird,” she said after that— “a thing that sang. She used to sing.

Read More

Gender Roles In Susan Glaspell's A Jury Of Her Peers

1339 Words | 6 Pages

Susan Glaspell’s short story “A Jury of Her Peers” acts as a commentary on early twentieth century American society, when considering gender-based biases in regards to community. In the story, the characters are divided into groups based on their gender, and must use their own experiences to understand each other, through the investigation of the murder of Mr. Wright. The wife of Mr. Wright, Minnie, is the primary suspect, and despite this, the women of the community come together to empathize with her circumstances despite finding incriminating evidence against her. The insight into Minnie’s struggles in her marriage are relatable to the other women, which displays Glaspell’s critique of oppressive gender roles. “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan

Read More

Perceiving Evidence In Susan Glaspell's Trifles

796 Words | 4 Pages

She sees it as vital information; something that could present them with Mrs. Wright’s state of mind around the time of her death. Mrs. Hale is currently mending the quilt when Mrs. Peters asks where she might “’find a piece of paper, and string.’” This leads Mrs. Peters to discover the empty birdcage inside of the cupboard. Instantly, they both start asking one another questions regarding the cage; they are unable to recall Mrs. Wright ever owning a bird. While talking back and forth, they notice that one of the door’s hinges is broken.

Read More

The Ideas Of Society In Susan Glaspell's Trifles

1454 Words | 6 Pages

Much of the preservations in the play are for men who have even denied the women their privacy. Susan Glaspell shows women as weak and only able to do weak responsibilities such as housekeeping and staying at their

Read More

Gender Roles In Trifles

1014 Words | 5 Pages

The play “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell is largely based on stereotypes. The most prevalent one explores the difference between gender roles. Glaspell exerts the repression of women in the 1900s. During that time, women were highly looked down upon by men, and were only seen as the housekeepers and child bearers. This example is displayed throughout the play with the men, however, the women in this play prove that the stereotypes of gender roles held against them are completely wrong, which is shown through the characters, set design, and symbolism.

Read More

Trifles By Susan Glaspell Research Paper

1065 Words | 5 Pages

The play 'Trifles' by Susan Glaspell uses modernism by highlighting feminism, irony, and justice. This play shed light on the societal oppression of women during this time period. One example of this is the title of the play itself. ‘Trifles’ means “to treat someone or something as unimportant” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.).

Read More

Trifles Gender Roles

823 Words | 4 Pages

The one-act play, “Trifles,” by Susan Glaspell, has several themes that are incorporated within it. There are several dominant ideas such as female identity, patriarchal dominance, isolation, and justice are themes that are all reflected in different ways throughout the play; however, gender is the main theme of “Trifles.” There is a considerable difference between the roles of the men and the women in this play. The men are expected to act in a more controlling, dominant way, while the women are expected to act in the typical ‘housekeeper’ fashion. The theme of gender is brought out through the play in many dramatic elements such as character, tone, and dramatic irony.

Read More

Trifles By Susan Glaspell Essay

1011 Words | 5 Pages

Is there truth behind “gender roles”? Susan Glaspell's “Trifles” indirectly addresses the stereotype and expectation behind gender roles. Glaspell’s story revolves around the murder of John Wright, and the tense relationship he had with his wife, Minnie. The story is set up and supported by the use of symbols, irony, as well as a descriptive setting. Throughout the short story many small details are revealed that ultimately lead to the underlying theme focused on the expected roles of women.

Read More

Gender Roles In The Play Trifles

1001 Words | 5 Pages

Nevertheless, while using the play’s setting to first project the notion that men are superior to women in the society, the actual murder investigations depicted by the play goes to underline that indeed women are not inferior to men. Therefore, while placing the women’s intelligence over that of men, Trifles challenges the typical male-dominated detective story by deviating from the norm of men being superior, women only being good for the kitchen, and women paying attention to unimportant things like a jar of preserves busted. Although the men in the play, Trifles, are depicted most determined to resolve the murder by combing throughout the entire house to discover the clues related to the murder and the motive of the murder, women are keener in observing the small spaces they have been allowed to access. In the

Read More

More about Trifles By Susan Glaspell Research Paper

Related Topics

Open Document