Essay on Susan Glaspells Trifles Men vs. Women - 872 Words

Susan Glaspell’s one-act play, Trifles, weaves a tale of an intriguing murder investigation to determine who did it. Mrs. Wright is suspected of strangling her husband to death. During the investigation the sheriff and squad of detectives are clueless and unable to find any evidence or motive to directly tie Mrs. Wright to the murder. They are baffled as to how he was strangled by a rope while they were supposedly asleep side by side. Glaspell artfully explores gender differences between men and women and the roles they each fulfill in society by focusing on their physicality, their methods of communication and vital to the plot of the play, their powers of observation. In simple terms, the play suggests that men tend to be assertive,†¦show more content†¦While each proses a serve of justice and determination to do the right thing; the men approach the crime scene emotionless, indifferent and determined to go in and get to the bottom of the mystery as quick as possib le, and push aside the little details. Little do they know that the things they are putting off could be very essential to their case? For example, in a conversation between the attorney and Mr. Hale who remarks, â€Å"..I said to Harry that I didn’t know as what his wife wanted made such a difference to John..† who was interrupted by the attorney in mid conversation and interjects, â€Å"Let’s talk about that later, Mr. Hale. I do want to talk about that, but tell now just what happened when you got to the house.† (1127) Meanwhile, while the men are out on their hunt for clues, the women stay in the kitchen to look through Mrs. Wright’s things and discuss a motive for why she killed her husband. Glaspell proposes a plan that by looking deeper into circumstances, you may in turn fully understand its true meaning; leaving no stone left unturned. Glaspells suggests that men tend to assume that nothing of importance occurs in the kitchen, where the wo men are at work, and this can be related to their negative attitudes towards women. For example, the attorney says, â€Å"I guess well go upstairs first and then out to the barn and around there. Youre convinced that there was nothing important here nothing that would point to anyShow MoreRelatedSusan Glaspell’s One-Act Play, Trifles: Men Vs Women1190 Words   |  5 Pagesliterature is Susan Glaspell’s one-act play â€Å"Trifles.† Some see it as an example of early feminist drama, others the idea of the way small towns deal with issues like murder, still others the gender differences in both the interpretation and analysis of facts surrounding a mysterious crime. In general, the play is based on the murder of a Mr. Wright, and the title of the play comes from the critique from the men of the town, who berate the women for spending time â€Å"worrying over trifles† (Glaspell 918)Read MoreCritical Analysis Of Trifles By Susan Glaspell1016 Words   |  5 PagesPerspective: Readers Response Criticism to â€Å"Trifles† by Susan Glaspell The play written by Susan Glaspell in 1916 is based on the murder of John Wright where the prime suspect is his spouse; Minnie Foster. â€Å"Trifles† is fixated on the investigation of the social division realized by the strict gender roles that enable the two men and women to have contending points of view on practically every issue. This is found in the way the men view the kitchen as they consider it as not having anything of significantRead MoreSusan Glaspell s Trifles : Gender Differences And Stereotyping Explored2016 Words   |  9 PagesSusan Glaspell’s Trifles: Gender Differences and Stereotyping Explored Susan Glaspell’s Trifles is a dramatic play with satirical content that points out gender differences and how stereotyping affects perceptions of duty, justice, and law. Glaspell wrote Trifles in 1916, a time in America where women were consistently expected to be housewives and nothing more. Women’s limitations were clearly a spark of inspiration and reason for Glaspell to write Trifles, criticizing society with feministic intelligence