Feminist Message in Susan Glaspells Trifles - 891 Words

The Feminist Message in Susan Glaspells Trifles Susan Glaspells Trifles can be regarded as a work of feminist literature. The play depicts the life of a woman who has been suppressed, oppressed, and subjugated by a patronizing, patriarchal husband. Mrs. Wright is eventually driven to kill her hard (1178) husband who has stifled every last twitch of her identity. Trifles dramatizes the hypocrisy and ingrained discrimination of male-dominated society while simultaneously speaking to the dangers for women who succumb to such hierarchies. Because Mrs. Wright follows the role mapped by her husband and is directed by societys patriarchal expectations, her identity is lost somewhere along the way. However, Mrs. Hale and Mrs.†¦show more content†¦Mr. Hale remarks, Well, women are used to worrying over trifles (1174), and Sheriff Peters assumes the insignificance of kitchen things (1174). Hence, women are forced into a domestic, secondary role, like it or not, and are not even respected for that. Mr. Hale, Sheriff Peters, and the county attorney all dismiss the dialogue between Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale as feminine chitchat. Further, the county attorney allows the women to leave the Wrights house unsupervised because he sees Mrs. Peters as merely extension of her husband. Even so, the domestic system the men have set up for their wives and their disregard for them after the rules and boundaries have been laid down prove to be the mens downfall. The evidence that Mrs. Wright killed her husband is woven into Mrs. Hales and Mrs. Peterss conversations about Mrs. Wrights sawing and her pet bird. The knots in her quilt match those in the rope used to strangle Mr. Wright, and the bird, the last symbol of Mrs. Wrights vitality to be taken by her husband, is found dead. Unable to play the role of subservient wife anymore, Mrs. Wright is foreign to herself and therefore lives a lie. As Mrs. Hale proclaims, It looks as if she didnt know what she was about! (1177). Mrs. Hale, however, does ultimately understand what Mrs. Wright is about. She comprehends the desperation, loneliness, and pain thatShow MoreRelatedFeminist At Heart By Susan Glaspell Essay1294 Words   |  6 PagesFeminist at Heart Susan Glaspell is one of the less known backbones of American women writers. She was unconventional in a conventional time, and paved the way for respect in journalism, and then writing, for women. In a time when women were supposed to be quiet, obedient housewives, and not much else, she gave women a voice and challenged the stereotype while bringing common women’s issues to the spotlight. Glaspell started as a newspaper writer and evolved into a literary master, though she isRead MoreSusan Glaspells Trifles1479 Words   |  6 PagesSusan Glaspell’s 1916 play titled â€Å"Trifles† uses many elements of drama such as, diction and spectacle through the actions of the two women as they rummage through a unusually messy kitchen to develop complexity and hold the attention of the audience until the very end. Glaspell uses irony and common misconceptions to convey her powerful message â€Å"Trifles† is also a play that reflects a clear notion of gender and se x roles. Glaspell, a feminist writer, writes plays that are known for their developmentRead Moreâ€Å"a Doll’s Trifles† a Essay Comparing the Plays â€Å"Trifles† and â€Å"Dollhouse.†1937 Words   |  8 Pagesâ€Å"A Doll’s Trifles† A essay comparing the plays â€Å"Trifles† and â€Å"Dollhouse.† Joshua Long English 102 Amy Lannon Read MoreDrama Essay Trifles2158 Words   |  9 PagesAngel Parrett Professor Muller English 106/ Drama Essay 15 May 2006 Drama Essay Trifles Trifles, Susan Glaspell’s play written in 1916, reveal concerns of women living in a male dominated society. Glaspell communicates the role that women were expected to play in late 19th century society and the harm that can come of it to women, as well as men. The feminist agenda of Trifles was made obvious, in order to portray the lives of all women who live oppressed under male domination. John andRead MoreLangston Hughes and Countee Cullen: Perspective on Religion4176 Words   |  17 PagesAmerican Literature II Authors: Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen: Perspective on Religion Susan Glaspell and Charlotte Gilman: Roles of Women W.E.B Du Bois and Booker T Washington: Political View In the 1920s, the somewhat genteel world of American poetry was shaken to its foundations when the Harlem Renaissance started. During those times, all over the United States, there