Gender Conflict In Susan Glaspell's Trifles

Women would not talk back to the men because of the fear of being thrashed at and even being hit by the men. That is why they just stood there and let the men say whatever they wanted to. In conclusion, the men's prejudices about women causes them to have a weak case against Minnie. The women know this; they are smart, depicted as much smarter than the men. The men got punishment for their mistreatment of the women by not being able to find the evidence that would convict Minnie.

And by the men always hassling the women about their trifles, they are actually working against themselves because the women decide not to give them the information needed to solve the case. The first view that Glaspell gives in Trifles is that the men are far superior or higher than the women. The men in Trifles show the expected character as we would hear about in the past before women had the rights they do now. The attorney displays this past male figure the best. He is always looking down on the women.

Men’s hands aren’t always as clean as they might be [said Martha]”(7). Women in the story are not passive towards the oppression, but they resist by covering Minnie’s erratic stitching and taking the strangled canary, two important evidence that could supply the motive against Minnie. The women think it is unfair how the men go to Minnie’s house to criticize and find evidence against her, when Minnie has worked hard in the farm and in her house throughout her 20 year-long marriage. Women are treated unfairly in society, and once they stand for each other as women, and defend themselves, men continue to disrespect them: “‘Ah, loyal to your sex, I see’, he laughed” (7). Although the men see the women’s acts as loyalty to their own sex, for the women it is more than just being loyal.

This agenda deals with a woman’s struggle against the “male-centric thinking and societal norms” (Ames). In the story, there is a domineering husband who drives his wife mad in an attempt to help her, but the story illustrates how established protocols of behavior could have devastating effects on the women of Gilman’s time. John, the husband, is eerily inappropriate and restrictive but this was considered normal, while Jane is the mistreated woman. The primary focusing point of the short story is ‘the yellow wallpaper’ which conveys many detailed and vivid metaphors for the astute mistreatment and oppression of women. Steadily and methodically, Gilman is able to expose more insight into the meaning of the wallpaper.

They do not like when people are touching and searching without their permission because it is disrespectful to them. The wives were upset with their husbands for being rude in the Mrs. Wright house, but they did not express their opinions to their husbands. Another thing that the ladies dislike is the fact that Mrs. Wright was sent to jail. Mrs. Hale states “Locking her up into town and them coming out here and trying to get her own house to turn against her” (750). The ladies dislike it because they think that is unfair to Mrs. Wright.

Other subordinate characters in the novel express their sentiments towards Ignatius as an obese, hypocritical, and lazy human being that critiques every aspect of life that does not correspond to his larger than life standards. The other characters only appear to be subordinate because of Ignatius berating other characters for their lack of common sense or even for no apparent reason whatsoever. Ignatius constantly ridicules her mother for attempting to care for him, but it is evident that he does not appreciate the life that she has given him. When Ignatius and Mrs. Reilly crash the car into the side of a building and destroy the balcony, Mrs. Reilly panics because of the fine that they have to pay for damages. She knows that her “husbands Social Security and a little two-bit pension” will not cover the fine (52-53).

Move a little closer together Susan Glaspell’s play, Trifles, was written in 1916, reflects the author’s concern with stereotypical concepts of gender and sex roles of that time period. As the title of the play implies, the concerns of women are often considered to be nothing more than unimportant issues that have little or no value to the true work of society, which is being performed by men. The men who are in charge of investigating the crime are unable to solve the mystery through their supposed superior knowledge. Instead, two women are able decipher evidence that the men overlook because all of the clues are entrenched in household items that are familiar mainly to women during this era. Glaspell expertly uses gender characterization, setting, a great deal of symbolism and both dramatic and verbal irony, to expose social divisions created by strict gender roles, specifically, that women were limited to the household and that their contributions went disregarded and underappreciated.

Men never appreciate the little in details in life and men think they are superior over women. Unlike the men predicted, the women figure out the murder mystery. The men never expected the outcome because they were being stereotypical over the women. A person must never be judged by their appearance. Works Cited Glaspell, Susan.

Held for murder and worryin' about her preserves. County Attorney: I guess before we're through she may have something more serious than her preserves to worry about. Hale: Well, women are used to worrying over trifles. These lines show the attitude toward women prevalent throughout the play. It is the men's nonchalance toward the small details t... ... middle of paper ... ...imple things in life, things of little or no significance to the important, male world in which they live.

Lady Macbeth displays no sign of the stereotyped tenderness of Elizabethan women. When the murder was complete, Lady Macbe... ... middle of paper ... ...time came. As Macbeth began to feel nervous and uneasy about his task, Lady Macbeth scolded him, claiming a “beast… made [him] break this enterprise to [her, and] when [he] durst do it, then [he was] a man” (1.7.52-54) Lady Macbeth challenged Macbeth’s masculinity, which allowed her to regain dominance in her relationship and convince Macbeth to follow through. With Lady Macbeth’s constant manipulation and commands, it is evident that she, the woman, possesses dominance over Macbeth, altering the gender roles and stereotypes of a husband and wife. Lady Macbeth was able to manipulate not only Macbeth, but the gender stereotypes imposed upon women of Elizabethan culture through her personality, actions, and her relationship with Macbeth.