trifles

In Trifles,Susan Glaspell tells a story about a woman who murdered her husband. The plot of the story might speak loud and clear about the time period, but the setting and the details in the story plays the role of being a major catalyst in helping readers understand how men and women interacted. Through the scenes and conversations that are held in the kitchen, readers can tell that men and women, in this era were very distinct in the sense that women were more sympathetic,while men were more emotionally unattached. These scenes illustrate that in whatever situation a woman was in, she still harbored the feature of the stereotypical woman. One way that this can be proven is in the scene when the two men were speaking about how Mrs. Wright was not much of a homemaker.

"Seems mean to talk about her for not having things slicked up..." (Glaspell). Here, you Mrs. Hale coming to Mrs. Wright's defense when the men were criticizing her as a woman and as a homemaker. Mrs. Hale came to Mrs. Wright's defense because she knew what life was like on the farm, because she lived it. She does not think it is fair for two men to come in another woman's kitchen and criticize it especially if the two men had ignored the fact that Mrs. Wright was not able to clean up her kitchen, because she had gotten taken away in a hurry. This scene tells readers that in this era, women basically lived similar lives and were able to feel empathy and sympathy for each other. She feels like it is her obligation to take on the role of Mrs. Wright and help clean up the kitchen. Since that was the work that she had to accomplish, she did not feel bad about it. Since this era was that of which a woman was judged of her womanhood, through the cleanliness of her home, Mrs. Hale wanted to help Mrs. Wright's name not be dragged through the mud and not to make her less of a woman. " Dirty Towels! Not much of a housekeeper" (Glaspell). By saying this the County attorney represents how the men of that era responded to the women of that era. The men wanted the women to be submissive beings who kept the house clean and played the role of "homemaker" very well. They were very quick to criticize the women, despite of the situation that they were thrust in. Like was mentioned earlier, they showed features of emotional detachment. The fact that the two women were the ones to find the most significant part of the investigation proves that women in that time as well as now, thought in a different manner than men do. While the men were moving about trying to figure out a big piece of evidence, women were trying to help Mrs.Wright restore her kitchen. They did not really care about trying to prosecute her, but more about helping her. The women still had the mindset of "homemaker" and the men never swayed to having the mindset of "leader of the house". They just wanted to get the work done.

In conclusion, Susan Glaspell, in her play, "Trifles", explains exactly how gender roles were different then, in the 19th century, and now, in modern years. One aspect of this is in the way both sexes express their emotions. Women were more sympathetic and men were the complete opposite.