Different Standards Of Women In Trifles By Susan Glaspell
Women have always been held to different standards than men. Both sexes have different predetermined accounts of what they should do and who they should become. For example many people think women are sensitive and innocent due to their femininity. Meanwhile men are expected to be tough and provide for their wives. Over time however these standards are slowly changing and become less relevant. In Trifles by Susan Glaspell the husband John Wright is found murdered in his bed. The first and only suspect is his wife. There are many reasons why she looks guilty. For instance she is in the bed when he is strangled and said she did not wake up. Also little clues around the house such as things being out of place lead the reader to believe the
wife Minnie Foster was interrupted by something, killing her husband. She is also found pleading her apron when the cops come into question her and observe the house. The women Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale do not believe she is capable of the crime at first. In their eyes she is an innocent old little lady. That is until they come across a dead bird wrung by the neck in a cabinet. They immediately relate this to the fact that John was wrung by his neck as well and know it does not look good for Minnie. However they choose to protect her and not show the dead bird the their husbands knowing that if they do she will be convicted. This story is based on the real life murder of John Hossack who was bludgeoned in the head by an axe while his wife was in the house. The wife was however convicted of the crime and sentenced to life in prison, that is until she was later released in her sixties due to a change of mind by the court. One of the main reasons she was convicted the first time was the simple fact that she had a child out of wedlock. This made her look not trustworthy to the jury. This falls in line of the certain standards women are held to. It is unfair to judge someone on one simple mistake. In both the play and the real life story women are portrayed as fragile yet they are just as capable of everything a man can do. If it had been a man murdering his wife in this time period people would easily believe it. Pre accusations lead to false misconceptions.
wife Minnie Foster was interrupted by something, killing her husband. She is also found pleading her apron when the cops come into question her and observe the house. The women Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale do not believe she is capable of the crime at first. In their eyes she is an innocent old little lady. That is until they come across a dead bird wrung by the neck in a cabinet. They immediately relate this to the fact that John was wrung by his neck as well and know it does not look good for Minnie. However they choose to protect her and not show the dead bird the their husbands knowing that if they do she will be convicted. This story is based on the real life murder of John Hossack who was bludgeoned in the head by an axe while his wife was in the house. The wife was however convicted of the crime and sentenced to life in prison, that is until she was later released in her sixties due to a change of mind by the court. One of the main reasons she was convicted the first time was the simple fact that she had a child out of wedlock. This made her look not trustworthy to the jury. This falls in line of the certain standards women are held to. It is unfair to judge someone on one simple mistake. In both the play and the real life story women are portrayed as fragile yet they are just as capable of everything a man can do. If it had been a man murdering his wife in this time period people would easily believe it. Pre accusations lead to false misconceptions.