“Trifles”, a 1916 play written by Susan Glaspell, centralizes around the death of Mrs. Wright’s husband, John. Her neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Hale, as well as the local sheriff and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Henderson, start off the play by entering the Wright’s empty farmhouse to investigate the murder. While the men look for evidence, the women begin to search for seemly insignificant clues that end up revealing the motive behind Mr. Wright’s crime. Overall, Glaspell’s use of subtle commentary on gender roles as well as the social divide between men and women influenced several analytic essays about her work, including one by the award-winning poet, Karen Alkalay-Gut. Moreover, in Alkalay-Gut’s article, “Murder and Marriage: Another Look At Trifles”, she begins by discussing Glaspell’s criticism of the legal
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She claims that, “women are trapped by a social system that may lead them into crime and punishes them when they are forced to commit it” (Alkalay-Gut p. 51). She believes that women are driven to commit crimes similar to Mrs. Wright, due to the stifling patriarchal society that was once practiced in America. Furthermore, she claims that the reason Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Henderson withheld evidence was due to the lack of understanding that they would receive from the men. Although Alkalay-Gut makes a strong argument, it does not seem completely plausible. Throughout the entirety of the play, the women are sympathetic towards Mrs. Wright and work to understand her motive behind killing her husband. For example, when Mrs. Peters find Mrs. Wright’s beloved dead bird, she recalls a childhood experience with a boy who killed her kitten and says that, “[i]f they hadn’t held me back I would have hurt him” (Glaspell). The women are able to grasp the strong feeling of anguish that comes with loss, which ultimately influences their decision to withhold vital
She claims that, “women are trapped by a social system that may lead them into crime and punishes them when they are forced to commit it” (Alkalay-Gut p. 51). She believes that women are driven to commit crimes similar to Mrs. Wright, due to the stifling patriarchal society that was once practiced in America. Furthermore, she claims that the reason Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Henderson withheld evidence was due to the lack of understanding that they would receive from the men. Although Alkalay-Gut makes a strong argument, it does not seem completely plausible. Throughout the entirety of the play, the women are sympathetic towards Mrs. Wright and work to understand her motive behind killing her husband. For example, when Mrs. Peters find Mrs. Wright’s beloved dead bird, she recalls a childhood experience with a boy who killed her kitten and says that, “[i]f they hadn’t held me back I would have hurt him” (Glaspell). The women are able to grasp the strong feeling of anguish that comes with loss, which ultimately influences their decision to withhold vital