Woman in Time

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Recommended: American women after World War 1

The average woman’s role in society today, starkly contrasts that of the female social norm expressed in eras predating the current; however, similarities do exist. Women once existed in the background, limited to lives of household responsibilities, compelled by overwhelming societal expectations to obey their male counterpart, and preform a set of domestic duties specific to their gender. Today this is not the case, however certain gender related expectations remain intact, and for this reason gender roles are still a prominent aspect of everyday social dynamics. The play “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell exemplifies gender roles as they were practiced in the early 1900s, by identifying women's subordinate roles in their marriages, and domestic roles in their households. Multiple Historical accounts, which document women's social and domestic experiences, express similar instances of female inferiority. Even more examples of these gender roles can be observed from literary works of the time. "Trifles" is one such work, throughout which many examples of women's assumed social roles are portrayed. Ultimately Glaspell's play invites the audience to recognize the difference between women's societal role in the past and that of the present and then relate the two by identifying their similarities.
Throughout the entirety of "Trifles" the social norm for women of the era is made apparent and the everyday life of the average 1900s woman is distinctly depicted. One example of the influence of gender roles can be seen in the first two lines of the play when the men call to the women, asking them to come to the fire, this served as an example of the power the men had over their women. In this time period women did not possess the independe...

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...History, and the play "Trifles", were given very little credibility and we're denied what we in modern times consider to be unalienable human rights. The play reflects the struggles that women experienced in past eras, and the book exhibits the social practices which limited women to the subordinate roles they held in the past. History has shown the progress that women have made from being nothing more than chattel to the prominent and independent members of society they are today. Society has changed and with it women's responsibilities and rights. Women are no longer objects, they're people, and thanks to progress, they are being treated as such.

Work Cited
Bock, Gisela, and Allison Brown. Women in European History. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2001. Print.
Glaspell, Susan, Donna Haisty Winchell, and Susan Glaspell. Trifles. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2004. Print.

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