Rodriguez Vega 1

Alexandra Rodriguez Vega

Professor Phillips

ENGL 1302

29 June 2022

Femininity vs. Masculinity

Susan Glaspell composed the play Trifles in the early twentieth century, long before

women got the right to vote. During the 1900s, the treatment and position of women in America

was exceedingly diminished compared to their male counterparts. Wives relied on their husbands

for financial support and were only seen as being capable of doing domestic duties. Women were

considered properties owned by their husbands, upholding the role society has created for them.

This play questions the importance of the contributions and opinions of men versus women and

how women’s contributions carried little to no weight. Susan Glaspell utilizes the theme of

femininity versus masculinity to further express the inequalities and restrictions on women.

Throughout this work, the theme of women in this era is prominent. Mrs. Hale and Mrs.

Peters, the female characters in the play, discover evidence that plainly proves Mrs. Wright is

guilty of murdering her husband and devise a scheme to conceal the evidence that would

otherwise condemn their female friend. These two women have been together since the

beginning. When they are introduced, the description reads, “the women have come in slowly,

and stand close together near the door” (Glaspell). Mrs. Hale, like other women during these

times, copes with persistent and accepted discrimination, yet unlike most women, she speaks up

for her gender. Mrs. Peters, on the other hand, is the polar opposite. She is the stereotypical,

conforming lady of the time, making excuses for the men's sexist actions throughout the play.

When Mrs. Hale criticizes the men of snooping in Mrs. Wright’s kitchen, Mrs. Peters responds
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with, “of course it’s not more than their duty” (Glaspell). Later, when Mrs. Hale gets upset at the

men for laughing during a very serious situation, Mrs. Peters apologetically defends the men,

saying, “of course they’ve got awful important things on their minds” (Glaspell). Though Mrs.

Peters begins the play as an obedient, law-abiding woman, she is the first of the two women to

attempt to conceal the dead canary, the sole evidence that would lead to Mrs. Wright's

conviction.

The concept of men and masculinity, on the other hand, appears to be the polar opposite

compared to the women. The male characters are presented first in the play, followed by the

females. This refers to the time period in which Trifles is set, pointing to the reality that men

came before women in most facets of life. The male characters in the play are overtly sexist

toward the female characters, with the most obvious evidence being the plot's catalyst: Mr.

Wright murdering Mrs. Wright's canary bird. When John Wright is first described, the audience

can see his opinion towards women. Mr. Hale explains in the play, “I didn’t know as what his

wife wanted made much difference to John” (Glaspell). While the other men in the play are not

as bitter as Mr. Wright, they nonetheless have a terrible tendency of communicating with sexist

remarks. Through the utilization of these male characters and their interactions with their female

equivalents, Susan Glaspell correctly exposes the unacceptable manner men treated women.

Susan Glaspell emphasizes the theme of gender inequality through the character’s

dialogue and actions. When the men find out that Mrs. Wright’s preserves had gone bad, the

sheriff exclaims, “Well, can you beat the women! Held for murder and worryin' about her

preserves” (Glaspell). This quote from the play reveals the sheriff’s traditional gender beliefs and

expectations. He acts as though Mrs. Wright's concern over spilled preserves is insignificant,

perhaps a joke. This means that he feels that women do not comprehend actual, practical
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problems and are more concerned with petty matters like spilled preserves. Furthermore,

immediately after the broken preserve jars are discovered, Mr. Hale begins to make disparaging

statements about women. Like the Sheriff did beforehand, Mr. Hale argues that women are

preoccupied with little, inconsequential matters. “Well, women are used to worrying over trifles”

(Glaspell). Glaspell's choice of words here clearly indicate that she intends to demonstrate the

unequal treatment of women during this time period. Mr. Hale is reiterating the Sheriff's earlier

opinion that women do not have their priorities in line and are preoccupied with trivial matters.

The fact that these men constantly claim that women are preoccupied with the wrong things is

ironic. Throughout the play, the female characters, Mrs. Peters, and Mrs. Hale, are the ones that

notice the most crucial information, the elements that are necessary to solve the case. The

information the men were looking for was there in front of them, but they were more

preoccupied with trifling matters. Because of the men's lack of attention to detail and capacity to

process women as human beings, looking past stereotyped expectations and gender roles, the

women are able to cover for Mrs. Wright.

In conclusion, the play Trifles could be considered one of the first feminist play ever

written. Susan Glaspell depicts the horrifying manner women were abused, ignored, and

trivialized not only by men but also by society. The men constantly joke and mock the women

about their roles as housewives, their "trifles," and their quilt work, but no one disputes it. In the

end, their ridiculing is their downfall, as while they are preoccupied with making jokes, the

women conceal the vital evidence that would incriminate Mrs. Wright of the murder.
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Work Cited

Glaspell, Susan. Trifles. Project Gutenberg, Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation,

www.gutenberg.org/files/10623/10623-h/10623-h.htm, Accessed 29 Jun. 2022.