Trifles

     In the first couple minutes of the play, I found it a little hard to follow what was going on given that the play started in media res . I did quickly notice the sociocultural dynamic the play was set in with the men doing all the talking like Mr. Hale giving his testimony while the women were not acknowledged. Very cleverly, however, Glaspell leaves a subtle message within the play that became very clear at the end. Throughout the play, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale are seen as less than as it is the men who are taken seriously in the investigation of the murder. The title "Trifles" becomes appropriate since the women are treated with a lack of importance. A few times Mr. Henderson makes fun of the women in their questioning of Mrs. Wright's knitting style. What he does not know, however, is that their questioning ultimately solves the murder case. It becomes evident that Mrs. Wright did have a motive in killing her husband. Mr. Wright snapped the bird's neck, and so consumed with rage his wife returned the favor and snapped his neck. It is important to note that it is women's stereotypical notions of emotions and higher importance to detail that prove superior. I found it quite ironic. I did question, however, why Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale did not say anything. I think perhaps Glaspell does this on purpose to send a greater message and be somewhat spiteful.
     I also believe this play plays on the fact that women were not considered competent. While this notion obviously benefited Mrs. Wright, it also highlights once again how women were not and still are not seen as equals in comparison with men. The men in the play do not think that Mrs. Wright is capable of killing primarily because she is a women, Unfortunately, the same thing can translate to the present and the various roles women have taken on. A woman can easily be written off from a higher position because her sex but also how attractive she may be. Among all the stereotypes for women there is a stereotype that attractive women are most likely unintelligent. When thinking of this, I recall the character of Izzy Stevens in Greys Anatomy where she was previously a model who posed in lingerie in order to pay for her college tuitions. Having been accepted to an elite residency program, no one believed it when she said she was studying to become a surgeon. No doubt she turned out to be a remarkable surgeon.
     All in all, after watching this play I was reminded of the constant indifferences. While taking my AP Spanish Lit exam the following day, three of my essay prompts surrounded an early era's sociocultural dynamics, the patriarchal system, and feministic views.