Class distinctions, specifically gender differences, are ceaseless throughout history and continue to prevail in modern day society. In the twentieth-century play, “Trifles,” Susan Glaspell focuses her discontent with society on the impeding condescension the women of her play are exposed to. The overall play possesses a feminist connotation in which the protagonist women attempt to detach themselves from the false male-imposed identity they are given by unintentionally solving a crime. The men of the play are oblivious to the intellect and expertise of the women and are therefore unable to solve said crime. It can be argued that Glaspell suggests that gender inequality enables overall class distinction by implementing foreshadowing, irony,
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Hale and Mrs. Peters. Mrs. Hale is described as being “disturbed” (909) and she “looks fearfully about as she enters [the farmhouse].” (909) Similarly, Mrs. Peters is presented as “nervous” (909); the two women gather closely behind the men as they enter the house. Why are they nervous and scared? These specific characteristics imply that the women have a legitimate reason to be frightened, which leads to the assumption that they do uncover disturbing aspects of Minnie later in the play. Furthermore, the initial scene indicates that the men are “followed by the two women” (909) when entering the Wright’s farmhouse which essentially foreshadows the gender gap Glaspell addresses in the play. This also indicates the societal isolation the women experience – the women of the early twentieth century are in a class lower than that of the men farmers, who are considered to be extremely low on the social ladder. Although most of the play’s foreshadowing takes place in the first, unspoken scene, additional use of foreshadowing by Glaspell appears when Lewis Hale recalls the day he finds the deceased John Wright with George Henderson (county attorney) and Henry Peters (sheriff). Hale suggests that …show more content…
Throughout the play, Glaspell incorporates many items that possess a deeper meaning such as the birdcage that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters discover. In the cage used to be a canary, which symbolizes Minnie herself – locked in her house, seen as her husband’s possession, completely excluded from society. Likewise, the cage represents John and Minnie’s marriage and it can therefore be concluded that Minnie is trapped by marriage and the only way out, like breaking the cage door, is destruction (murder). The lock is broken on the cage and her husband is gone; Minnie is free from the bias her husband had towards her and this is essential to her happiness. In addition, an essential symbol that enhances the class distinction of that time is the use of names for the characters. Throughout the play, the men are generally referred to by their last names, their first names, or the job they occupy. Contrary to this, the women are only identified by their husband’s last names or by saying “his wife”. This symbolizes the patriarchal dominance the men hold above the women – they are in a higher social standing and therefore the women belong to them and are controlled by them. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters refer to Mrs. Wright as Minnie on occasion but this is the only exception where a woman in the play is referred to by her first name. The male-dominated
Hale and Mrs. Peters. Mrs. Hale is described as being “disturbed” (909) and she “looks fearfully about as she enters [the farmhouse].” (909) Similarly, Mrs. Peters is presented as “nervous” (909); the two women gather closely behind the men as they enter the house. Why are they nervous and scared? These specific characteristics imply that the women have a legitimate reason to be frightened, which leads to the assumption that they do uncover disturbing aspects of Minnie later in the play. Furthermore, the initial scene indicates that the men are “followed by the two women” (909) when entering the Wright’s farmhouse which essentially foreshadows the gender gap Glaspell addresses in the play. This also indicates the societal isolation the women experience – the women of the early twentieth century are in a class lower than that of the men farmers, who are considered to be extremely low on the social ladder. Although most of the play’s foreshadowing takes place in the first, unspoken scene, additional use of foreshadowing by Glaspell appears when Lewis Hale recalls the day he finds the deceased John Wright with George Henderson (county attorney) and Henry Peters (sheriff). Hale suggests that …show more content…
Throughout the play, Glaspell incorporates many items that possess a deeper meaning such as the birdcage that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters discover. In the cage used to be a canary, which symbolizes Minnie herself – locked in her house, seen as her husband’s possession, completely excluded from society. Likewise, the cage represents John and Minnie’s marriage and it can therefore be concluded that Minnie is trapped by marriage and the only way out, like breaking the cage door, is destruction (murder). The lock is broken on the cage and her husband is gone; Minnie is free from the bias her husband had towards her and this is essential to her happiness. In addition, an essential symbol that enhances the class distinction of that time is the use of names for the characters. Throughout the play, the men are generally referred to by their last names, their first names, or the job they occupy. Contrary to this, the women are only identified by their husband’s last names or by saying “his wife”. This symbolizes the patriarchal dominance the men hold above the women – they are in a higher social standing and therefore the women belong to them and are controlled by them. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters refer to Mrs. Wright as Minnie on occasion but this is the only exception where a woman in the play is referred to by her first name. The male-dominated