"Trifles" and Victorian Society

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the feminist issues that arise within American patriarchal Victorian society within the play "Trifles" by Susan Glaspell. It looks at how the play revolves around the murder investigation of Mr. Wright's wife in relation to her husband's murder and how the various stereotypical female gender roles in the play deny an accurate and unbiased account of the murder through the men and woman that collect evidence for trial. In essence, the paper shows how the gender role of the housewife and the alienated female in Victorian society are the central aspects of stereotypes brought forth by Glaspell in her feminist drama: "Trifles".

From the Paper:

"The general plot of Trifles is centered around the mysterious murder of Mr. Wright, a local farmer. His wife, Mrs. Wright, never appears in the play, but is constantly referred to in relation to her possible involvement in the crime. The investigation and ensuing court case revolves around the gender stereotypes that the male officials provide when discovering Mrs. Wright's strange behavior after the death of her husband. In the case of Lewis Hale--who had discovered Mr. Wright's body--his own descriptions of Mrs. Wright infer a strong Victorian sense of the "nurturing" housewife when he had initially questioned her."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Ben-Zvi, Linda. Susan Glaspell: Her Life and Times. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
• Crocker, Lisa. Studies in Liminality: A Review of Critical Commentary on Glaspell's Trifles. 2006. Florida Gulf Coast University. 28 November, 2006. <http://itech.fgcu.edu/faculty/wohlpart/alra/glaspell.htm#Criticism>
• Glaspell, Susan. "Trifles." 2006. University of Virginia. 28 November, 2006. <http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=GlaTrif.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=1&division=div1>

More papers on "Trifles" and Victorian Society:

• Analytical Essay # 130965 : "Female Gender Role Stereotypes and 'Trifles'"
• Analytical Essay # 33681 : " Dracula" and Victorian Morality"
• Analytical Essay # 29559 : "Men's Attitudes Toward Women"

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