Gender In Trifles

“While the standard polarization of human being in a crime story is normally dividing by the law abiding citizens from the criminal, the characters here are soon divided on the basis of sex differences.” (Alkalay) In Susan Glaspell’s “Trifles” Glaspell uses a murder investigation of a woman’s husband to demonstrate the different roles of men and women in the early 1900’s. Glaspell shows the reader, through small significant objects that the men think are inessential to illustrate the greater value women have other than merely taking care of a household. She illustrates through important evidence the importance of individuality, and freedom between men and women. By having the men side with the men, and having the women side with the women, …show more content…
The men act as if the woman’s duty is small in comparison to what work they do. “I’d hate to have men coming into my kitchen, snooping around criticizing. Of Course it’s no more than their duty.” (Glaspell 946) It was the men’s job to make sure the women did their job correctly, and make sure it was to their own liking. “You’re convinced that there was nothing important here- nothing that would point to any motive. Nothing here but kitchen things.” (Glaspell 944) The Sheriff referring to “kitchen things” shows how the men belittle the woman’s work referring to it as nothing of …show more content…
Women need the same things men need, but men at this time thought the women need to please them by being a house