Susan Glaspell

characters that, in essence, challenge the stereotypical women’s role in a male-dominated society during the early 1900s. In Trifles, a play written by Susan Glaspell, she depicts her female characters as crafty and bright and not simply inferior intellectually to their male counterparts. Upon closer examination of these two pieces of work, Cather and Glaspell demonstrate that these female characters defy the existing typecast of women as being less capable than men. In My Antonia, Cather…

when Minnie Foster took over the custody of a young canary, her singing habits took flight. However, her husband Mr. Wright crushed her happy hobby. “No, Wright wouldn’t like the bird—a thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that, too” (Glaspell 751). As a result of this quote, it is evident that John Wright not only murdered Minnie Foster’s canary, but also her will to sing. Through singing, Minnie Foster formed a connection with her bird that ultimately led…

Peers”, published in 1927, written Susan Glaspell, is a short story based on the 1900 murder of John Hossack. The short story was originally written as a one-act play in 1916. In 1950, the short story then became an episode of the television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Years to follow, in 1980 the short story became a short film that was nominated for an Academy Award. Growing up in a town that did not believe in women’s rights to employment and education, Glaspell still attended college…

objects to reveal more about the characters and add to the theme of the play or story. In Trifles by Susan Glaspell, the author uses seemingly small objects to reveal more about her characters. Likewise, the author Henrik Ibsen uses objects in the play A Doll’s House to reveal more about the characters. Objects are often used to reveal not only characters, but also the themes in plays. In Trifles Glaspell uses the telephone, bird, and a bird cage to reveal more about the theme and characters.…

Female Oppression The Trifles is a play was written in 1916 by Susan Glaspell; it gives insights into the role of the women in the society during this period. The play can be described as feminist in that it fights against the depiction of women as brainless housewives (Bressler 183). The play takes place in Mr. Wright’s untidy house after his murder and his wife’s incarceration for his death. There are five characters in the play, three of them are males, and two of them are females. Mrs. Hale…

In the play Trifles by Susan Glaspell there are several different types of relationships examined throughout. Since writing this play in 1916 the relationships are very different then they are today. These different types of relationships add an extra element that enhances the readers experience when reading the play. The relationships investigated in this play are a murderous wife and dead husband, guilty friends, and the interesting dynamic husbands and wives in the 1900’s. The most obvious…

In the play Trifles, the play write Susan Glaspell believes that women are being undressed by the men. This is shown throughout the story with the usage of several types of irony: dramatic, verbal, and situational. To starts of is an example from page 7, lines 73, “They wonder if she was going to quilt it or just knot it.” This was stated by the Sheriff right when they came downstairs after the ladies found the quilt. This is an example of dramatic irony as the men expect the ladies to be…

In the play Trifles by Susan Glaspell, the men are portrayed as condescending towards women. The play centers on the murder of John Wright who died in his bed by strangulation. His wife Minnie has been charged with the crime. When the play begins, the County Attorney, the neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Hale, and the Sheriff and his wife have come to collect things to take to Minnie in jail. In addition, the men want to look around the murder scene upstairs clues. The men never stop to think why such a…

Published in 1916, Susan Glaspell’s one-act play, Trifles, describes the investigation of Mrs. Wright, a farmer’s wife who is in jail because she was accused of murdering her husband, but had no apparent motive for murder. While searching for evidence at her house, three men look for obvious facts and motives, but are unsuccessful. On the other hand, two women, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, pay close attention to trifles and reveal many secrets about the Wright family, but decide to keep them a…

prioritize ones morals and values. However, it is not always easy. Although marriage is a beautiful experience it can also have some negative aspects. There are times when things get rough and the strong relationship begins to dwindle. The husbands in Susan Glaspell’s Trifles and Zora Neale Hurston’s “Sweat” mistreat their wives, which in turn results in their own death. There are many similarities and differences between these two works, many of which happen because of the effect the husbands…