Trifles By Susan Glaspell Gender Roles

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The play “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell shows how gender roles played a big part in world during the time period of the play. The play was written in the early twentieth century, which Susan Glaspell also lived through. As a result she knew the very defined roles that women played in society. Women were supposed to raise the children, clean house, and take care of their husbands. Glaspell adds elements to the play that speak up for women and shows how it is about your perception and not your gender. The title of the play also reinforces the one of the main themes of this play. Trifle means unimportant or insignificant. That was how women’s work was thought of. The men in the play missed several clues that clues that the women found because they pay attention to the work that women do. The county attorney mocked the women for talking about Mrs. Wright’s quilt even though unknown to him it was a clue. “COUNTY ATTORNEY: (facetiously) Well, Henry, at least we found out that she was not going to quilt it. She was going to—what is it you call it, ladies? “ (Glaspell 920).…show more content…
Hale and Mrs. Peters. Glaspell even give them a first name because at that they were only known has their husbands wife. When Mrs. Hale refers to Minnie Wright and gives her a first name she also gives her an identity separate from her husband. Another example is when Henderson the county attorney says, “No, Mrs. Peters doesn't need supervising. For that matter, a sheriff's wife is married to the law.”(Glaspell 920) Mrs. Peter’s response, “Not—just that way.”(Glaspell 920) shows that she doesn’t agree with his thinking. That is why the women have sympathy for Minnie Wright because their true identities are closer to their experiences as women then tied to their

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