Susan Glaspells Trifles - 1479 Words

Susan Glaspell’s 1916 play titled â€Å"Trifles† uses many elements of drama such as, diction and spectacle through the actions of the two women as they rummage through a unusually messy kitchen to develop complexity and hold the attention of the audience until the very end. Glaspell uses irony and common misconceptions to convey her powerful message â€Å"Trifles† is also a play that reflects a clear notion of gender and sex roles. Glaspell, a feminist writer, writes plays that are known for their development of deep, sympathetic characters that have strong principles that are worth standing up for (Holstein 288). â€Å"Trifles† opens up in its setting, which is a rural area of Nebraska in a newly abandoned farmhouse kitchen belonging to the Wright†¦show more content†¦The first trifle that was discussed was â€Å"a neighbor’s visit†, which Mrs. Hale has ongoing guilt about throughout the play. â€Å"Mrs. Hale observes, â€Å"We live close together and we live far apart. We all go through the same things—it’s all just a different kind of the same thing† (Holstein 287). Other examples of their trifles that are discussed are items such as the birdcage that no longer has a bird in it and the square of quilt that is not nearly as neat as the others. These â€Å"trifles† become major evidence in the murdering of John Wright, but are kept secret by the women. The women ironically become the main characters of this murder mystery, which was groundbreaking in the time that Glaspell wrote this play. The men seemingly disappear as the women inst inctively uncover the mystery for themselves piece by piece giving them a certain power over the men. In the beginning of the play, the women are quiet from â€Å"powerlessness†, but by the end â€Å"Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters ultimately find power in being devalued, for their low status allows them to keep quiet at the play’s end.† The women are much like â€Å"servants and other discounted groups†, for they are allowed to have knowledge of subjects â€Å"because it is assumed they will not be able to make intelligent use of it† (Holstein 284). By not turning Mrs. Wright in, Mrs. Peters clearly makes a change from the start of the play to the end. Mrs. Hale is luckily able to change Mrs. Peters’Show MoreRelatedSusan Glaspells Trifles810 Words   |  3 PagesSusan Glaspell’s one act play â€Å"Trifles† is based on an actual murder court trial that she remembered covering from her days as a newspaper reporter in Iowa. She wrote at a time when women were supposed to be submissive to men and especially to their husbands. This play takes a look at a common social problem during the early 1900s when Americans wanted to keep all of their relationship problems private. Many married couples would do anything to keep their lives free from scandal, and this murderRead MoreWomen In Susan Glaspells Trifles931 Words   |  4 PagesSusan 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-ZviRead MoreSymbolism In Susan Glaspells Trifles751 Words   |  4 Pagesintellectual, working human being. This is what writers like Susan Glaspell tried to change. â€Å"Tri fles† is a short play that takes place at a murder scene and entails how two intelligent women solve the murder by using evidence that is hidden from the men’s perspective. The creativeness of Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters reveal the ugly truth that Mrs. Wright, in fact, did kill her husband after years of emotional neglect and abuse. Glaspell’s showcases her righteous views on abusive relationships and howRead More Susan Glaspells Trifles Essay1156 Words   |  5 PagesSusan Glaspells Trifles Susan Glaspells Trifles explores the classical male stereotype of women by declaring that women frequently worry about matters of little, or no importance. This stereotype makes the assumption that only males are concerned with important issues, issues that females would never discuss or confront. The characters spend the entirety of the play searching for clues to solve a murder case. Ironically, the female characters, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, uncover crucial evidenceRead MoreSusan Glaspells Play, Trifles593 Words   |  2 PagesWhat are trifles? In Susan Glaspell’s play, Trifles, we look at a murder case that happens in an isolated farmhouse. Mr. Wright has been murdered while he was asleep. Someone has a strung a rope around his neck. That someone is Mrs. Wright. Trifles illustrates that men have substantially more power than women. They first start by going in to the kitchen. Everyone observes the kitchen to see that it is a mess. The men leaves the room. The ladies wonder about the kitchen. Mrs. Wright requested thatRead MoreSusan Glaspell’s Trifles Essay1242 Words   |  5 PagesThe first reading I enjoyed was Susan Glaspell’s â€Å"Trifles†. The main character in the plat is a sheriff, his wife, the county attorney, and Mr. and Mrs. Hale. The opening scene is all of them in John Wright’s kitchen. Mr. Hale tells the sheriff and attorney how he a visited the house on the day before day and Mrs. Wright greeted him but her demeanor was little suspicions. She told him that her husband was upstairs dead. She says she was asleep when someone choked her husband to death. All theRead MoreLiterary Analysis of Susan Glaspells Trifles1788 Words   |  7 PagesAn Analysis of Natures in Susan Glaspells Trifles A trifle is something that has little value or importance, and there are many seeming trifles in Susan Glaspells one-act play Trifles. The irony is that these trifles carry more weight and significance than first seems to be the case. Just as Glaspells play ultimately reveals a sympathetic nature in Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, the evidence that the men investigators fail to observe, because they are blind to the things that have importanceRead MoreGender Roles In Susan Glaspells Trifles935 Words   |  4 PagesAllya Henry Professor Hopkins ENC1102/CRN10807 4 October 2017 Gender Roles in â€Å"Trifles† Early twentieth century America is shaped by World War I , the effects of industrial growth, and a beginning of a new age in literature. Despite movements for progressive reforms like the prohibition of alcohol and the movement for women’s suffrage women’s rights were still limited by traditional gender roles. Women are a â€Å"detached portion† of their husbands and expected to submit to his every demand. As resultRead More Essay on Sacrifices in Susan Glaspells Trifles1146 Words   |  5 PagesSacrifices in Trifles When a woman marries she is expected to give up her family, her last name, and her virginity. In other words she is expected to give up the life she knew. Susan Glaspell’s play Trifles tells the story of a woman that gave up her all to please society and her husband. The story examines a woman who sacrificed her tranquility, her talents, and her individuality. In the end, the woman even gave up her freedom. A person’s home should be more than a place toRead MoreUnderstanding Feminism in Susan Glaspells Trifles1577 Words   |  7 PagesMelissa Prather English 102 Research Paper May 8th, 2012 Understanding Feminism in Susan Glaspell’s Trifles Susan Glaspell lived during a time where women’s rights were not fully acknowledged. The oppression of women during this time stretched to the point that they were not truly acknowledged as their own person. They were to be seen and not heard so to speak. Their sole purpose was to take care of their families by keeping house and performing their caretaker duties. Glaspell even demonstrates