Women In Susan Glaspells Trifles - 931 Words

Susan Glaspell’s â€Å"Trifles† attempts to answer a single question for the public. Why do women, a stereotypically quiet and submissive group, turn to murder? The male dominated society of the 1900’s found answers by simply branding them as insane; men were never to blame because only a crazy women would turn on a man. However, Glaspell empowers the women of her play in their submissive roles by utilizing the oppression by men to point out the holes in the male-dominated legal system. Linda Ben-Zvi also points out the underlying, and largely ignored, abuse of the accused character within Glaspell’s play to further empower the women of â€Å"Trifles:† â€Å"the brutality of their lives, the lack of options [...] one of the first modern arguments for†¦show more content†¦While the men purposefully look at one event, the women unknowingly connect themselves to a lifetime of pain in the same amount of time and begin to understand the murder was partially self inflicted. Not only do the women identify with Minnie, but they also blame themselves for not adhering to the sisterhood of women: â€Å"It’s a lonesome place, and it always was. But I sure wish I’d come to see Minnie Foster sometime† (Glaspell 15:48-15:56). By calling Minnie by her maiden name, Mrs. Hale acknowledges the person Mr. Wright created is separate from the person who resembles the beautiful little bird. The men’s blatant disrespect for the empathy of women directly leads to their â€Å"refusal to endanger a sister† (Holstein 290). The line between morality and law wavers in the eyes of the two sexes in this way. The argument Susan Glaspell addresses in â€Å"Trifles† between what is morally just and what is legally correct has been going on for centuries. As established, women are more emotionally driven than the oftentimes stricter mindset of men. This difference creates a different philosophy regarding what is right, and Glaspell highlights the variations between the sexes in many ways: investigation tactics, approach, priorities, and outcome of each perspective. To the men, morality and law are one and the same. However, the women believe that a lawful crime often stems from a combination of previous moral and lawfulShow MoreRelatedEssay on Susan Glaspells Trifles Men vs. Women872 Words   |  4 PagesSusan Glaspell’s one-act play, Trifles, weaves a tale of an intriguing murder investigation to determine who did it. Mrs. Wright is suspected of strangling her husband to death. During the investigation the sheriff and squad of detectives are clueless and unable to find any e vidence or motive to directly tie Mrs. Wright to the murder. They are baffled as to how he was strangled by a rope while they were supposedly asleep side by side. Glaspell artfully explores gender differences between men andRead MoreThe Changing Roles of Women in Susan Glaspell’s Trifles Essay1994 Words   |  8 PagesIn Susan Glaspell’s Trifles, the theme of contrasting roles between men and women is magnified by the setting of a lonely, Midwestern farm isolated from the public. This play demonstrates how different the roles between men and women were, and how women were treated. Trifles, also illustrates the changing times in the late 19th century to early 20th century. During this time period, women become more independent and wanted to be equal to men instead of inferior to them. TriflesRead More Perceptions of Men and Women Revealed in Susan Glaspells Trifles1985 Words   |  8 PagesPerceptions of Men and Women Revealed in Susan Glaspells Trifles Human beings not only live in the physical world but also survive in the emotional world. Frequently, ones emotional world actually controls the actions one commits in the physical world. Perception plays an enormous part in what one feels is important and what one feels is unimportant. Is there a difference between perception of men and women? In Susan Glaspells story Trifles, she examines the difference of perception betweenRead MoreSusan Glaspell’s One-Act Play, Trifles: Men Vs Women1190 Words   |  5 Pagesliterature is Susan Glaspell’s one-act play â€Å"Trifles.† Some see it as an example of early feminist drama, others the idea of the way small towns deal with issues like murder, still others the gender differences in both the interpretation and analysis of facts surrounding a mysterious crime. In general, the play is based on the murder of a Mr. Wright, and the title of the play comes from the critique from the men of the town, who berate the women for spending time â€Å"worrying over trifles† (Glaspell 918)Read More Comparing the Powerful Women in Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House and Susan Glaspells Trifles941 Words   |  4 PagesPowerful Women in Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House and Susan Glaspells Trifles      Ã‚   Throughout history, a womans role is to be an obedient and respectful wife. Her main obligation is to support, serve, and live for her husband and children. In Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House and Susan Glaspells Trifles, two different women make a decision to take matters into their own hands by doing what they want to do, no matter what the outcome may be and in spite of what society thinks. These two women comeRead MoreTrifles981 Words   |  4 PagesReview of â€Å"Trifles† Susan Glaspell play, â€Å"Trifles†, revolves around Mrs. Wright, a woman who seeks revenge on her husband for oppressing her through their years of marriage. During the time of Glaspell’s play, early 1900’s, men are the dominant figures in society and women are expected to cook, clean, raise children and care for their husbands. Glaspell’s play, â€Å"Trifles†, main goal is portraying a theme of women being oppressed through marriage by the use of symbolism through a canary and a birdRead MoreEssay on Feminist Themes of Susan Glaspells Plays1558 Words   |  7 Pages Susan Glaspell was one of the first great American female playwrights. Her plays are often short, one or two acts, but they tell a story greater than just what appears on the page. Three of her plays, Trifles (1916), Women’s Honor (1918), and The Verge (1921), have feminist themes that show the consequences of the oppression of women, as is the case with many of her plays. All three plays were written during the first wave of feminism, during which there was a push for women to have jobs and opportunitiesRead MoreTrifles Analysis1273 Words   |  6 Pageswork of literature. Author Susan Glaspell is no exception to this rule. She uses her own dramatic technique in order to discuss the politics of gender, the unnoticed and repressed value of the role of women, the social and gender conventions in a male dominant society, freedom of speech, and the belief in womans rights. The technique she uses is the impact of being invisible. The use of one invisible character serves well t o this purpose in one of Glaspells plays, Trifles. The invisible heroine controlsRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Trifles By Susan Glaspell1016 Words   |  5 PagesPerspective: Readers Response Criticism to â€Å"Trifles† by Susan Glaspell The play written by Susan Glaspell in 1916 is based on the murder of John Wright where the prime suspect is his spouse; Minnie Foster. â€Å"Trifles† is fixated on the investigation of the social division realized by the strict gender roles that enable the two men and women to have contending points of view on practically every issue. This is found in the way the men view the kitchen as they consider it as not having anything of significantRead MoreFeminist Criticism Of Susan Glaspell s Trifles 1512 Words   |  7 Pagespsychological oppression of women† (Critical Theory Today, 4 Feminist Criticism, pg. 79 Tyson, Louis). This theory shows us how patriarchal our society is and that’s how Susan Glaspell’s shows her work in her life time where women only had a few roles. They were to have house chores done, cook, and reproduce. Women in the early twentieth century felt it is time to stand up against patriarchal oppressions and which is why Glaspell’s work critiques the society we live in for restricting women. One of her most