Trifles And The Sound Of A Voice Comparison Essay

Both Trifles by Susan Glaspell and The Sound of a Voice by David Henry Hwang share common traits, despite the obvious differences. They share mysteries and certain portrayals of women during the time periods. These will be discussed along with any influences the authors had when they were writing these plays. The first common trait is the mysteries both plays hold. The murder mystery in Trifles, the mystery of who the woman is in The Sound of a Voice, and the mystery of why the man came to the woman’s house in The Sound of a Voice. In Trifles, one of the main plot points is the mystery of who murdered Mr. Wright. The entire play focuses on two groups of people, and how they analyze the house to solve the mystery. The women are looking closer …show more content…
Time has not been very kind to the expectations of women. While they are viewed better than in the past, they are still tied down in the expectations of housekeeping for their men. The men frequently made jokes about the women and their jobs. Mr. Hale even says, “Well, women are used to worrying over trifles,” (Glaspell 636) when the group was discussing that Mrs. Wright was worried over her fruit rather than being held for murder. They also talk badly about the state of the house, with the County Attorney even stating, “Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies?” (Glaspell 637) The men do not even consider the emotional state that Mrs. Wright might have been living in before the murder, which the women were able to see by looking at the smaller, important details. If the men had been able to see the same way as the women, rather than thinking they were incapable of figuring out the crime, they might have learned the truth. That added with the fact that the men seemed incapable of believing a woman could have killed a full grown man. Since the men thought this way, the women were able to understand what had really happened and hide it from the men to save Mrs.