Susan Glaspell's play, Trifles, reflects her fixation on culturally bound notions about gender roles and the complexities of prevailing inequalities at home as well as in the public sphere. in 1916. The competing roles and perspectives of men and women helped create social division by confining women to the home where their contributions went unnoticed and undervalued. Glaspell's use of symbolism in Trifles is intended to represent how false assumptions about women lead to a dysfunctional society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The symbolism of the setting represents the isolation of women in society and emphasizes cooking as a woman's domain. The initial description of the kitchen as "dark" and "left untidy" denotes a sense of despair (73). The coldness and isolation of the region also play an important role. When the group first enters the house, they notice the cold and the men rush to the fire. As Hale recalls his conversation with Minnie, he asks her, "What, Mrs. Wright, it's cold, isn't it?" and she replies, “Is it?” (74). The coldness correlates with John Wright's callous actions towards Minnie, and Minnie's failure to recognize the coldness foreshadows her husband's death since she no longer feels his coldness. Additionally, Mrs. Hale describes the house as lacking in cheerfulness: “I never liked the place. Maybe because it's in a hollow and you can't see the road. I don’t know what it is, but it’s a lonely place and always has been” (79). The house being "at the bottom of a hollow" highlights how isolated Minnie Wright's house is, making it a desolate place to live. Additionally, this play talks about the male-dominated society, in which women are delegated to the kitchens. In "The Cult of the True Woman" there is a passage which states: "A woman should only take care of domestic affairs - wait until your husband entrusts you with those of great importance - and do not give your opinion before he asks you. for this’” (Welter 161). This once again illustrates that women have their place in a domestic setting and do not say what they think until their husband asks them to do so. Men judge women on their housekeeping skills and look down on the hard work a woman faces maintaining a home. For example, when the county attorney asks the sheriff if there is anything important about the crime committed on the first floor, the sheriff responds, “Nothing here except kitchen stuff” (75). Knowing that the kitchen is women's domain, men ignore it, rejecting the idea that anything of value could be found there. Men's disdain for a woman's role in the kitchen reflects the way women were treated during this era. They linger on the margins of society and lose themselves in caring for others, being dismissed as lesser beings. The characterization is symbolic throughout the play as it represents a patriarchal society, manifested in law and citizenship, and its effects. has on women. At the beginning of the play, the list of characters is significant because it supports the status of men over women: George Henderson, County Attorney Henry Peters, Sheriff Lewis Hale, Neighboring farmer Mrs. Peters Mrs. Hale (73) No only the first names of men are added while those of women are omitted, but the occupations of eachman are listed; this shows how women's identities do not matter, reducing them to property belonging to their husbands. The character descriptions are also meaningful. In the stage directions, the men are shown as arriving first, bundled up and flocking to the fire, while Mrs. Peters is described as a "slightly nervous woman" with "a thin, wiry face" and Mrs. Hale is "taller and bigger”. "She usually seems more at ease, but now she is disturbed and looks around fearfully as she enters" (73). The illustrations of the women represent opposing personalities and are consistent throughout the play. Although Mrs. Peters is less outspoken than Mrs. Hale, they each know their place among men. Instead of going to the fire with the men, they “stand close together by the door,” signifying the societal divide between men and women (73). Men coming first represent their superior position in society, while women are considered secondary, coming after them. Women do not follow men to the fire because they were not asked, indicating the authority of men and how women are dependent on their husbands. Throughout the play, the condescending attitudes of men attempt to subdue women, demonstrating how men subjugate women in society. that time. After Mrs. Peters finds Minne's jars of frozen fruit and expresses her concern, Mr. Hale comments that "women are accustomed to worry over trifles" (75). Right after, the stage directions tell us that “[t]he two women move a little closer,” showing that Mr. Hale’s words have negatively affected them (75). Another key example of men's disregard involves the quilt found by Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale. Mrs. Hale says this about the quilt: “It’s a log cabin pattern. Pretty, isn't it? I wonder if she was going to quilt it or just tie it? (78). As she says this, the men come down the stairs and the sheriff repeats her words, causing the men to laugh. Their ridicule paints a clear picture of the cruel nature of men towards women during this era. Although John Wright is not physically present in the play, he is mentioned as being a good man who "didn't drink and kept his word as well as most"; however, Mrs. Hale goes on to say "he was a hard man, Mrs. Peters." Just to spend the time of the day with him — (Shudders.) Like a violent wind that goes to the bones” (80). This illustration by John Wright highlights his dominance over Minnie and, although he puts on a moral facade, underneath lies a tough, tough man who controlled the household. Regarding marriage, “The Declaration of Sentiments” states that “[i]n the covenant of marriage, she is obliged to promise obedience to her husband, who becomes, for all intents and purposes, her master – the law to him giving power to deprive her of her liberty” (Stanton 3). In Minnie's marriage, John deprives her of contact with society, stifling her voice, and imposes his domination on her, forcing her to obey his orders. Men's unsympathetic treatment of women extinguishes opportunities for equality in society, asserting themselves above subordinate women. Women's actions resulting from men's insensitive treatment of them reflect the various stages of rebellion accomplished by women in society. When the county attorney comments on the dirty towels in the Wrights' kitchen and that Minnie is "not much of a housekeeper," Mrs. Hale responds "stiffly": "There's a lot of work to be done on a farm." (76). Obviously men have no respectfor what women do in the kitchen, and Mrs. Hale makes sure to challenge the lawyer, showing that she is not afraid to speak her mind by insulting the men who dare to interfere in the kitchen where they believe they do. have no business. Even though Mrs. Hale sees no problem with being rude, Mrs. Peters refuses to join Mrs. Hale in making mocking statements. Instead, she tells Mrs. Hale that "it is nothing more than [men's] duty," indicating her obedience to her husband (76). Mrs. Hale is irritated by the way the men think they can come in and meddle in things, "trying to get [Minine's] house to turn against her"; Yet Ms. Peters disagrees with Ms. Hale, asserting that “the law is the law” (78). Mrs. Peters defends the law and represents the blind obedience of women to their husbands, while Mrs. Hale represents the rebellious side of women of this era, who do not back down from patriarchal society. Interestingly, towards the end of the play, Mrs. Peters is faced with an internal conflict that serves as a turning point for her. After the women discover the bird and hide it from the approaching men, it is Mrs. Peters who disobeys their questions about where the bird has gone. After this exchange, the stage directions say that “[t]he two women are sitting there, without looking at each other, but as if they were scrutinizing something and at the same time holding back. When they speak now, it is groping in unknown territory, as if they are afraid of what they are saying, but as if they cannot help but say it, which represents the tension they feel because women know they just lied. 81). The way women learn leads them not only to knowledge, but also to the decision on how to act on that knowledge. By adopting this way of knowing, women can gain power while being devalued, because their lower status allows them to remain silent. Minnie Foster's life falls apart after her marriage to John Wright, clearly evident in the lack of maintenance. in the kitchen. Mrs. Hale seems to have a cherished memory of Minnie singing in the choir wearing a "white dress with blue ribbons", noting that she was well known among the other girls of the time (81). The color white symbolizes purity and innocence, while blue indicates truth; Minnie's dress represents her attachment to the truth of the innocence she had before marriage. Mrs. Hale also remembers Minnie's activity in the community, evident when she says, "I heard she wore pretty clothes and was lively, when she was Minnie Foster" (77). From this information, it can be inferred that Minnie got married automatically and without much thought. As Mrs. Hale would later point out about the women in her society: “We live close to each other and we live far from each other. We all go through the same things – it’s just a different kind of the same thing” (81). Minnie may have married because, as with other women, any other option to do anything else was nil. Shortly after her marriage, Minnie adopts the attitude of a battered wife. John Wright takes control of Minnie, marked by Mrs. Hale saying, "Wright was close." I think maybe that's why she kept so much to herself. She didn't even belong to Ladies' Aid. I guess she felt like she couldn't play her part, and then you don't enjoy things when you feel like crap" (77). The women find evidence of this in Minne's unfinished housework, representing Minnie's incomplete life in her marriage. After a closer examination of the kitchen, the,.