Inequality And Feminism In Susan Glaspell's Trifles

In the early twentieth century women did not have much of a role in society. Women were not allowed the right to vote, not allowed to sit on a jury, were not allowed a voice in politics, or to have a voice in any matters. To men, women were seen as someone that would clean their house, cook their food, and to bear their child. Women’s purpose during this time was simply to be there for their husbands. Many people during this time did not talk about the difference between the roles in men and women, but one woman did. Susan Glaspell tackled on gender inequality and feminism in many of her short stories and plays. Her most famous play that is now considered to be a feminist masterpiece is, Trifles. Within Susan Glaspell’s play Trifles she portrays
The viewers witness the men within Trifles being sexist towards the women: Mr. Hale: “Well, women are used to worrying over trifles” (Glaspell 871). While most women did not speak up towards sexism during this time, Mrs. Hale certainly did. When County Attorney questions Mrs. Wright’s housekeeping skills, Mrs. Hale fires back saying: “There’s a great deal of work to be done on a farm…Those towels get dirty awful quick. Men’s hands aren’t always as clean as they might be” (Glaspell 871). After the Sheriff and the County Attorney mocks and laughs at Mrs. Hale for wondering if Mrs. Wright was going to either quilt or just knot a quilt that they found, she expresses her annoyance with the men to Mrs. Peters by saying: “I don’t know as there’s anything so strange, our takin’ up our time with little things while we’re waiting for them to get evidence. I don’t see as it’s anything to laugh about” (Glaspell 874). From the beginning of the play to the end of the play, the viewers of Trifles can observe Mrs. Hales character showing femininity by not only standing up for herself but also for other
Peters character evolve throughout the play. In the beginning of the play the viewers witness Mrs. Peters being the “good wife” by standing up for the men. When Mrs. Hale expresses her frustration about how the men criticizes Mrs. Wright’s housekeeping skills, Mrs. Peterson responds to her by saying, “Of course it’s no more than their duty” (Glaspell 872). Even when the men mock the women over wondering about Mrs. Wright’s quilt, Mrs. Peters still portrays the “good wife” by standing up for the men. When Mrs. Hale expresses her annoyance with the men to Mrs. Peters, she responds to Mrs. Hale by saying, “Of course they’ve got awful important things on their mind” (Glaspell 874). Towards the end of Trifles is when Mrs. Peters character evolves into a “good-bad wife”. Once Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters discover the dead canary, Mrs. Peters relates to Mrs. Wright’s rage over the dead canary. This is because a similar situation happened to Mrs. Peters when she was a girl: “When I was a girl-my kitten-there was a boy took a hatchet, and before my eyes-and before I could get there- If they hadn’t held me back I would have-hurt him” (Glaspell 878). Mrs. Peters feels empathy for Mrs. Wright and therefor helps hide the evidence from the men. Now becoming a worthy partner in crime, evolving her character into a “good-bad