Introduction
Plays and other works of art are primarily created to highlight societal issues or areas that require further enlightenment. Creators, writers, playwrights, and authors employ various styles to achieve this, which may include the use of symbolism. In Trifles, Susan Glaspell attempts to portray the gender roles and stereotypes of her time. In the play, she appears to be encouraging the idea of feminism, where women are empowered.
Women often perform roles that men typically do and discover items that men often overlook. The trifles men ignore in the play are kitchen items that may serve as evidence of murder. The reason for this is that the kitchen at the time was identified as a place for females, as the Sheriff’s comments suggested they could not find anything important in there. The importance of the trifles lies in their ability to express the themes of gender and stereotypes in the play.
Role of the Setting
The play’s setting suggests that both men and women approach Mr. Wright’s house, similar to other situations, from different perspectives. This plays an important role, providing readers with a clearer understanding of the narrative (Mays 35). While the females easily see and “are used to worrying over trifles,” their male counterparts find it hard to notice (Guswanto and Husna 3; Jawad 25). This represents how society of the time viewed the two genders. It is pointed out that “they all go through the same things—it’s all just a different kind of the same thing” (Guswanto and Husna 8).
Trifles Overlooked by the Men
The trifles the men ignore are the little items that seem useless. It appears that they do not pay the trifles attention since society dictated that women were less than men, and thus, it was their duty to handle anything that was beneath the males. Trifles by Susan Glaspell is an excellent example of early feminist drama (Jawad 25). As a theme, feminism should not be comprehended as a call for women’s rights by the playwright or her characters (Jawad 25). Instead, it may be a statement concerning feminine consciousness, encompassing the perceptions and feelings associated with a female character’s identity as a lady.
How the Women Recognize the Clues
The two women, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, can sympathize with Mrs. Wright and comprehend her probable motive, which leads them to hide the evidence against her. In the meantime, the objective examination of material facts has blinded the men. The first female regrets not visiting Minnie Foster to probably aid Mrs. Wright with her situation and prevent the desperation that resulted in the murder, since both women are undergoing similar circumstances (Jawad 28). The two women must decide whether to inform the guys why Mrs. Wright was killed or whether to defend her since they believe she is a victim after piecing together the murder. Their decision raises questions about solidarity among females, the meaning of justice, and the role of women in society as a source of justice.
Gender Factor of Crime Perception
In Trifles, men and women view the nature of Mrs. Wright’s crime differently. The former in the play are blind to the emotional abuse that the offender underwent at the hands of her husband. When it was initially published, females were not permitted to serve as legislators, vote, or be on a jury or as judges (Jawad 30).
In the United States, the Sixth Amendment guarantees that accused individuals have the right to a jury of their peers (Jawad 30). In 1917, if a woman were involved in criminal activity and had to undergo trial, she would not be surrounded by her peers (Jawad 30). Nevertheless, the women act, in this instance, as Mrs. Wright’s unofficial jury in the kitchen. They find proof of abuse and recognize that it might be the reason behind her murdering her husband, and choose to hide the evidence.
Mr. and Mrs. Peters investigate the case and find evidence, but decide differently based on emotions. Mrs. Peters’ role reversal in conducting her husband’s duties as Sheriff and investigator demonstrates that women are not their husbands’ property and are free to act as they deem proper (Guswanto and Husna 9). Her investigation results in various leads compared to what her husband was able to produce. This further implies that her decisions do not align with those of her husband or with the male hegemony (Jawad 32).
Analytically speaking, and according to developmental psychology, women’s moral growth differs from men’s (Saei Dibavar and Saei Dibavar 4). A female’s moral judgment is linked to compassion and empathy, while a man’s judgment is independent of emotional origins.
Conclusion
Glaspell intended to convey empowerment to women who had been discriminated against or whose voices had been silenced. However, instead of achieving this, the play shows the emotional side of females, which fails to be objective. A man has been killed by her wife, and thus, it is the role of the investigators to find any evidence that would help the prosecution’s side in court. This is no longer possible since the two females involved chose to conceal proof as they have compassion and empathy for the woman offender.
Using trifles and showing that women and men react differently to them is an indication that there are gender roles due to capability. Generally, females have a better understanding of their environment and easily notice the most trivial items. On the other hand, men pay less attention than their female counterparts to unimportant issues they feel have little value, as expressed by the Sheriff’s comments about the kitchen.
Works Cited
Glaspell, Susan, and Reuben A. Hornstein. Trifles. Kernerman Publishing Limited, 1992.
Guswanto, Doni, and Lailatul Husna. “Psychological Conflict Between Men and Women in Susan Glaspell’s Trifles.” Jurnal Ilmiah Langue and Parole, vol. 2, no. 2, 2019, pp. 26-35. Web.
Jawad, Enas Jaafar. “The Dilemma of Domestic Violence in Susan Glaspell’s Trifles.” Journal of the College of Education for Women, vol. 31, no. 1, 2020, pp. 25–36. Web.
Mays, Kelly J. The Norton Introduction to Literature. WW Norton & Company, 2015.
Saei Dibavar, Sara, and Sanaz Saei Dibavar. “Privileged Empathy in Susan Glaspell’s Trifles.” ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews, 2022, pp. 1-7. Web.