In Susan Glaspell’s play entitled Trifles, men dominate over women through their actions, words, and mannerisms. The author takes the reader through the female struggle to be treated equally by the opposite sex throughout the play, and criticizes the little voice or rights women had in the early 1900s compared to men.
The era in which Trifles is based in forms a certain stereotype of females, as women were meant to maintain a certain lifestyle that included cooking, cleaning, and providing comfort for the family and/or male figure. When Mrs. Wright breaks this lifestyle by killing her husband and escaping his dominance, only the other women can discover that she killed her husband because of how things are awry within her house (Glaspell 1251). Male…show more content… Since this restriction of rights applies to both Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, they hide evidence (such as the dead bird) to protect Mrs. Wright because they cannot protect her in court (Glaspell 1251). Glaspell connects female restriction during the time of producing her play to the choice of both Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters to cover up evidence of Mrs. Wright’s crime. This shows the indistinct understanding between women, and the connection each female character has towards each other because they all serve as housewives. Glaspell critiques the role of women during the early 1900s by making the women in Trifles the inferior gender compared to men. She gives the reader glimpses of the Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters without their husbands, which shows the audience how free they are without male authority. Female oppression is a strong theme within the play, as Glaspell points out the disadvantages, such as the lack of rights or equality within marriage, of being a woman during the time in which the play is based
