Trifles Essay
Bryan Dunn
Dr. Shibert
July 25, 2012
Gender Roles
Throughout history there has always been gender roles between men and women. People viewed men as the workers who bring home the money and are more powerful and capable of doing things. Women were viewed as housekeepers, basically to stay home all day, clean the house, prepare food, and take care of the kids. In Susan Glaspell’s play “Trifles” Gender roles were shown through how men and women think, their “capabilities”, and intelligence. All of the action in the play takes place in the home of the former Mr. John Wright and his wife Minnie Wright, who is being held as the suspect for her husband’s murder. The way the men and women think in this play is displayed when they enter the house after the crime occurred. They both see totally different things in the same setting. For most of this play both the men and women were separated physically, and also had separate thought processes and intentions. The women who were underrated become very quiet detectives and figure out the murder of Mr. Wright and the motive behind his death. Meanwhile the men arrogantly ignore all the clues that the women find. They clearly show a different way of thinking as the men were viewing things from an outside perspective and the women were looking inside, at the small things. The women were looking in small private areas and find a sewing box and an empty birdcage. The men completely overlooked these items because of their arrogance. They thought these private areas and small clues were worthless in offering clues about the crime. County Attorney- “ I guess we’ll go upstairs first and then out to the barn and around there. (To the sheriff) You’re convinced that there was nothing important here- nothing that would point to any motive.” Sheriff- “ Nothing here but kitchen things” (Trifles PG 9). This gives us insight that the men really weren’t careful with gathering information. The men and women’s thinking was
Dr. Shibert
July 25, 2012
Gender Roles
Throughout history there has always been gender roles between men and women. People viewed men as the workers who bring home the money and are more powerful and capable of doing things. Women were viewed as housekeepers, basically to stay home all day, clean the house, prepare food, and take care of the kids. In Susan Glaspell’s play “Trifles” Gender roles were shown through how men and women think, their “capabilities”, and intelligence. All of the action in the play takes place in the home of the former Mr. John Wright and his wife Minnie Wright, who is being held as the suspect for her husband’s murder. The way the men and women think in this play is displayed when they enter the house after the crime occurred. They both see totally different things in the same setting. For most of this play both the men and women were separated physically, and also had separate thought processes and intentions. The women who were underrated become very quiet detectives and figure out the murder of Mr. Wright and the motive behind his death. Meanwhile the men arrogantly ignore all the clues that the women find. They clearly show a different way of thinking as the men were viewing things from an outside perspective and the women were looking inside, at the small things. The women were looking in small private areas and find a sewing box and an empty birdcage. The men completely overlooked these items because of their arrogance. They thought these private areas and small clues were worthless in offering clues about the crime. County Attorney- “ I guess we’ll go upstairs first and then out to the barn and around there. (To the sheriff) You’re convinced that there was nothing important here- nothing that would point to any motive.” Sheriff- “ Nothing here but kitchen things” (Trifles PG 9). This gives us insight that the men really weren’t careful with gathering information. The men and women’s thinking was
Cited: 1. Glaspell, Susan. Trifles, a Play in One Act,. Boston: Walter H. Baker, 1951. Print. 2. Paterson, Amanda Z. "Little More Than a Mere Trifle." Little More Than a Mere Trifle. Cocino Community College, 2010. Web. 27 July 2012. <http://oldsite.coconino.edu/oncourse/2010/peterson_amanda_littlemorethan.html>.