Gender Differences In Susan Glaspells Trifles - 1158 Words

Gender Differences in Susan Glaspell s Trifles Susan Glaspell s Trifles is a play about the effect of gender differences on perceptions of duty, law, and justice. The play takes place in the 1900’s, a time during which women had very few rights and were often seen as their husband’s property. Though during this time in history women were perceived as being inferior to men. The play has an unexpected twist which portrays a group of women going against social norms to solve the mystery surrounding a mans death. The title of the play itself holds a sense of irony that is demonstrated throughout the plot of the story and, in the end, proves to be a surprisingly appropriate title for the play. Historical Look at Gender Differences During the†¦show more content†¦After hearing a brief testimony from Mr. Hale, the first person to come upon the murder scene after the initial discovery made by Mrs. Wright, the county attorney and sheriff jump into action and begin looking for evidence at the Wright’s home. While the men are exploring the crime scene, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters stay downstairs and eventually stumble upon a box in which they find the remains of a yellow canary song bird that appeared to be strangled. In light of strangulation being the same means by which Mr. Wright was killed, the two women know that this discovery could possibly be a correlating link to the murder mystery. While piecing together what may have happened to the bird, the women hear the men making their way down the stairs. Quickly, the women hide the box with the bird’s remains and agree to keep this discovery between the two of them. When the Sheriff and the County Attorney return from the scene upstairs, they take care to stress the importance of legal duty to the women. This is shown when the county attorney states that, â€Å"a sheriff’s wife is married to the law. Ever think of it that way, Mrs. Peters?† To which Mrs. Peters replies, â€Å"Not—just that way,†. (192) Mrs. Peters response gives the audience a sense of the belittlement she feels from the County Attorney’s comment. Though Mrs. Peters doesn’t seem to entirely disagree with this remark, she is conflicted by the concept of solely basing her identity around being the Sheriff’s wife. MenShow MoreRelatedGender Differences In Susan Glaspells Trifles885 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Susan Glaspell’s Trifles is a play about the effect of gender differences on perceptions of duty, law, and justice. The early 1900’s is the setting, arriving at the Wright farmhouse on a crisp, cold morning. Mr. Hale, a neighbor, found John Wright murdered the morning before. Hale has brought his wife, the county attorney, the sheriff and his wife to the home so the men can investigate Wright’s death. With Mrs. Wright as the primary suspect, Henderson, the county attorney, is lookingRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Susan Glaspell s Trifles 1714 Words   |  7 Pagesfor Emily written by William Faulkner and Trifles written by Susan Glaspell loneliness, poverty and isolation consume the lives of the characters. Susan Glaspell’s play â€Å"Trifles† written in 1916. In this play the author’s talks of her preoccupation with culture- bound notions of gender and sex roles. Glaspell says women are considered trifles which mean they are not important to society which is carried out by men (Baym, p. 742). In Trifles written by Susan Glaspell the time is in the early 20th centuryRead MoreTiffles Annotated Bibliography1375 Words   |  6 PagesTrifles Annotated Bibliography Alkalay-Gut, Karen. Jury of Her Peers: The Importance of Trifles. Studies in Short Fiction 21 (Winter 1984): 1-9. In this deeper look into Trifles, Karen goes through the plot and discusses what you should pay more attention too. She describes the symbolism in some of the objects as well as explain the scenes and their little details. Karen finds the difference between male and female perceptions of judgment to be central to the play. She explains that youRead More Gender Roles in Susan Glaspells A Jury Of Her Peers and Trifles 1176 Words   |  5 PagesGender Roles in Susan Glaspells A Jury Of Her Peers and Trifles  Ã‚   Twentieth century society places few stereotypical roles on men and women.   The men are not the sole breadwinners, as they once were, and the women are no longer the sole homemakers.   The roles are often reversed, or, in the case of both parents working, the old roles are totally inconsequential.   Many works of literature deal with gendered roles and their effect on society as a whole or on an individual as a person.   A JuryRead MoreTrifles Analysis945 Words   |  4 PagesSusan Glaspell’s Trifles is a feminist drama that involves three women, a murder, and three over-controlling male counterparts. Although this play was published in 1916, some of the issues Glaspell introduces still plague our society today. Glaspell clearly introduces a divide between men and their masculinity and women and their femininity. Throughout the drama, there are three main conflicts that all support one main thesis; Mrs. Wright versus Mr. Wright, the lawmen bashing Mrs. Wright, and th eRead MoreSusan Glaspell s A Jury Of Her Peers1408 Words   |  6 PagesGrowing up in Iowa in the 1800s and 1900s, Susan Glaspell took inspiration for many of her stories from personal experiences. As a former courthouse reporter herself, Glaspell’s short story â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers† is based largely on her involvement with a murder case and a kitchen she recalled investigating. â€Å"A Jury of Her Peers,† a rendition of her early play, Trifles, focuses on the homicide of an abusive husband by his wife. While the men investigating the case overlook the various signs of abuseRead MoreSusan Glaspell s Trifles 1358 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Trifles† is written by the mid-1900s feminist author Susan Glaspell. The one act play depicts the conflict surrounding the murder of John Wright and his wife’s, Minnie Wright’s, involvement in his strangulation. While this drama appears to tell the simple tale of a murder investigation, Glaspell inte rtwines her feminist views into the plot. The male and female characters’ investigations of John Wright’s death reveal a deeper meaning. The stark contrasts between the men and women in the story displayRead MoreSusan Glaspell s Trifles : Gender Differences And Stereotyping Explored2016 Words   |  9 PagesSusan Glaspell’s Trifles: Gender Differences and Stereotyping Explored Susan Glaspell’s Trifles is a dramatic play with satirical content that points out gender differences and how stereotyping affects perceptions of duty, justice, and law. Glaspell wrote Trifles in 1916, a time in America where women were consistently expected to be housewives and nothing more. Women’s limitations were clearly a spark of inspiration and reason for Glaspell to write Trifles, criticizing society with feministic intelligenceRead MoreTrifles : Susan Glaspell s Trifles940 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is a trifle? A trifle is something that has little to no importance (dictionary.com). For instance, the color of your nails would be considered a trifle. In Trifles by Susan Glaspell, women are criticized and made fun of by men because of the little things they worry about, such as the color of their nails or their hair. This exhibits the gender role difference portrayed during the play’s time period. The central conflict is what the plot is centered around. In Trifles, the central conflictRead MoreWoman in Time Essay1414 Words   |  6 Pagescompelled by overwhelming societal expectations to obey their male counterpart, and preform a set of domestic duties specific to their gender. Today this is not the case, however certain gender related expectations remain intact, and for this reason gender roles are still a prominent aspect of everyday social dynamics. The play â€Å"Trifles† by Susan Glaspell exemplifies gender roles as they were practiced in the early 1900s, by identifying womens subordinate roles in their marriages, and domestic roles