In the 19 th century, women were treated differently and had different roles compared to women in the 21 st century. Men, in the past, expected their women to carry out the tasks of a homemaker — this task primarily comprised cooking as well as cleaning. Women were not allowed to communicate their opinions and thoughts or seek employment outside the household. In the 21 st century, however, women can now find jobs in the professional fields and share their views openly without fear of being reprimanded by the society. Susan Glaspell’s play “Trifles” depicts how women were portrayed in society in the earlier years. The stereotypical nature of the play describes women as housekeepers and child bearers, subordinates, and less intelligent than men. This, is, however, not the case in the 21 st century as both sexes are seen as equal in all life domains.
Firstly, in the play, it is evident that women are seen as housekeepers as well as child bearers. The dishes are dirty in the kitchen. Everything is not in the right place including the bread being on the kitchen counter. The men outwardly assume that Mrs. Wright is not a tidy woman as she cannot keep the kitchen clean. This assumption brings to light that in this era, men expected women to be good housewives by keeping the house clean, tidy, decorated as well as cheerful. In light of this reality, the County Attorney in the play says “It’s not cheerful. I shouldn’t say she had the homemaking instinct” (Glaspell, 2004). In this era, men have the idea that women should stay in the house worrying about how the home should look. In the play, in the mind of the Attorney, Mrs. Wright’s home should have been clean, warm, organized, and radiate a feeling of happiness. It is evident that women were somehow slaves as their lives mainly revolved around the kitchen and, in general, the home. As demonstrated at the beginning of the play, while the men rush upstairs and to the farmhouse to look for evidence of the murder, the women remain in the kitchen to collect Mrs. Wright’s items as per her request (Benko, 2008) . This particular scene further shows that women indeed belonged to the kitchen. The men disregarded the kitchen as they thought that there was nothing valuable to the crime in the kitchen. In the 21 st century, on the other hand, women are not confined to the house and the kitchen. In other words, women are no longer viewed as housekeepers and child bearers. Women now have employment aspirations, and the majority are taking part in the labor market. In fact, presently, women do not withdraw from employment upon motherhood or marriage but remain in the employment sector until they retire (Olah, Richter & Kotowska, 2014) . Also, unlike in the play where men left household duties solely to women, men in the 21 st century embrace the concept of active parenting. As such, they are willing to take part in the care of their children actively. Simply put, men also participate in parental responsibility for their offspring.
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Secondly, in the play, women are seen as subordinates. In other words, they are depicted as submissive creatures. The woman is well-behaved and, as such, they remain in the kitchen and talk about insignificant issues, while the men investigate the murder. This action shows the submissive nature of women in the play. Also, since it is a crime scene that needs to be solved promptly, the men’s superiority nature is seen when the County Attorney, the Sheriff, and Mr. Hale behave confidently given that they are in a superior position to the women. They indicate that they are in control of the situation. The women, on the other hand, are frightened and confused, demonstrating their inferior nature. Because the kitchen is the domain of the subordinate women, the men assume that they will not find any significant evidence in the kitchen. They claim that there is “nothing here but kitchen things” (Glaspell, 2004). In the 21 st century, however, women are equal to men. Women are no longer inferior creatures as they can make their own decisions. In fact, many policies are championing for the equality of the sexes. Presently, women have equal rights with men.
Thirdly, in the play, women are portrayed as less intelligent than men. For this reason, the men embark on investigating the murder while the women remain in the kitchen. This clearly shows that the women’s’ input on the case is not required as they do not possess the intellectual skills required to solve the case. In this regard, because of the gender stereotypes that exist, the women dutifully remained in the kitchen to collect Mrs. Wright’s items. However, in an exciting twist, the women uncover valuable evidence in the process of attempting to gather some few supplies for Mrs. Wright. In contrast, in the 21 st century, women are seen as intelligent just like their male counterparts. Women are now doctors, engineers, detectives, scientists, and lawyers. In the past, all these professions belonged to men as they were viewed as more intelligent than women. Contrary to the depiction of women in the play regarding murder investigations, women currently take part actively in murder investigations. We have many women detectives, who solve various vicious crimes because of their intelligence.
To sum up, gender stereotypes have existed throughout the centuries. Susan Glaspell’s play “Trifles” demonstrates the place of women in society. The play depicts women as housekeepers and child bearers, subordinates, and less intelligent than men. Nonetheless, in the 21 st century, there is equality of the sexes in all life aspects.
References
Benko, Z. (2008). Feminine trifles: the construction of gender roles in Susan Glaspell’s trifles and in modern English and American crime stories , 4-13. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/9758063/Feminine_Trifles_The_Construction_of_Gender_Roles_in_Susan_Glaspell_s_Trifles_and_in_Modern_English_and_American_Crime_Stories
Glaspell, S. (2004). Plays . Suzanne Shell, Sandra Brown, and the Online Distributed Proofreading team.
Olah, L., Richter, R., & Kotowska, I. (2014). The new roles of men and women and implications for families and societies. Families and Societies Working Paper Series , 2-61. Retrieved from http://www.familiesandsocieties.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/WP11OlahEtAl2014.pdf
