"Trifles" and "Cat in the Rain"

Paper Summary:

The uneven power relationship between men and women underlies the play "Trifles" and the short story "Cat in the Rain." This paper discusses how the women in the two stories manifest their dissatisfaction with their inferior position in different ways, and how the authors bring out the nature of the relationship in very different ways.

From the Paper:

"In her short play Trifles, Susan Glaspell provides a strong feminist point of view, presenting three women who show greater understanding of one another than the men show of either the women or other men. The structure of the play also emphasizes that these women play a subservient role to the men in societal terms, standing as wives first and individuals second, and also being treated as something that needs to be protected when in fact they do not, at least not in the classic sense of male paternalism. Women are seen as having less important interests than men and as being given to the "trifles" of the title, but as the play shows, these women see and comprehend more than do the males and have a deeper understanding of the problems and pressures of life. The title becomes an ironic commentary in the context of the play."

More papers on "Trifles" and "Cat in the Rain":

• Essay # 36871 : "Cat in the Rain"
• Film Review # 121114 : "Singin' in the Rain"
• Essay # 88569 : "Dogs and Cats in the United States and Canada"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: