Marie Shear said, “Feminism” is the radical idea that women are people. Susan Glaspell wrote the drama Trifles. This play focuses on the gender roles that women are expected to fulfill and shows the differences in society’s expectations for women. Glaspell uses dialogue and actions to show gender equality throughout the story. Men, who are supposed be in charge of investigating, overlook details because of their gender stereotype beliefs. Women, on the other hand, are more insightful and realize the bigger issue. This is the greatest plot twist.

The men begin by inspecting the house, while the women observe and follow. After starting in the kitchen, Mr. Wrights preserves jars had spilled and were broken, which led to an interesting exchange about gender stereotypes. The County Attorney then opens a closet door. He sits up and examines a shelf. His hand is sticky and he pulls it away.

COUNTY ATTTORNEY. This is a messy situation.

Women are getting closer.

MRS. PETERS. (to the woman in question) Oh, that fruit! It did freeze. (To County Attorney) She was concerned about the consequences of it freezing when it became so cold. She predicted that the fire would go out and that her jars will burst.

SHERIFF. The women are the best! Holded for murdering her and worrying about her spoils.

His stereotypical gender expectations are exposed by the sheriff’s use of language. He behaves as if Mrs. Wright’s concern about spilled preserves was trivial, even a joke. His male brain thinks that women don’t understand the real issues and are more concerned with trivialities like spilled preserves. In a pun, he refers to a woman being beaten and abused by him. Glaspell’s use dialect clearly shows Sheriff’s attitude toward the other gender.

After the discovery of the preserved jars, Hale, another male character in the drama, starts making negative comments about women. Hale says that women tend to be more interested in trivial, non-important things than the Sheriff. Glaspell’s extensive use of symbolization is also one of his credits.

SHERIFF. The women are the best! Holded for murdering and worrying about her preservations.

COUNTY ATTTORNEY. She may have more to worry about than just preserves, I suppose.

HALE. It’s not unusual for women to worry about trifles.

The title was in the text! Glaspell’s use here of diction is clear and concise. She wants to show how women are treated during this time, and Hale to state his view on the matter. He is also reaffirming earlier Sheriff’s opinion that women are not able to prioritize and don’t care enough about important things. Ironically, these men are constantly claiming that women worry about the wrong things. The main characters of the story are Mrs. Peters (and Mrs. Hale) who notice the most crucial details. Although the details that men sought were there, they were too focused on trivialities. Because men are not attentive to detail or able to see women as people, they can cover Mrs. Wright.

Finally, to further understand the expectations of women during this time, focusing on a statement by the County Attorney, it provides the reader with the idea that women are the sole housekeeper/caretaker in a home. This statement suggests that a woman who does not take good care of their home is less respected or valuable.

The women get closer to each other.

COUNTY ATTTORNEY. (with the gallantry of young politicians) What would we do without our ladies? (The women don’t forget. He takes a small amount of water from the pail to wash his hands. He wipes them with the roll towel and then turns it to clean. Use dirty towels (Kicks his feet against the sink pans. You wouldn’t call yourself a housekeeper, ladies.

MRS. HALE. (stiffly.) A farm is full of hard work.

The County Attorney made it clear that he doesn’t think women should be doing housework. His comment to the women that Mrs. Wright wasn’t a great housekeeper was met with a misogynistic joke/pun. The “stiffly” description that Mrs. Hale gave of the farm work involved lets the reader understand that the female characters find discontent with the men’s attitudes towards themselves and are willing to side with Mrs. Wright.

Trifles was written by Susan Glaspell and focuses on early stereotypical gender issues and women’s perceptions in the early 1900s. She uses dialogue, symbols, diction to explore gender equality through her characters. The men’s specific statements show how men treat women. They also reveal the play’s twist and plot. Women prove men wrong, being more knowledgeable and insightful than the men throughout the investigation and taking the gender-negative commentary of the men. Dramatically, this drama demonstrates the strong theme of gender roles.

michaellang

Michael Lang is a 33-year-old professor and blogger who is passionate about writing. He has been blogging for over 7 years and has written for various online publications. Michael is also a seasoned professor who has taught at the college level for over a decade. He is currently a professor of English at a community college in the Midwest.