Feminist problem-solving in Susan Glaspell's Trifles

Feminism in Trifles

Trifles has always been considered a feminist work because the female characters solve the mystery of the murder through alleged trifles. Susan Glaspell was not reticent when it came to the distinctions between men and women and the consideration that men are not always as smart and powerful as they think they are. The feminist theme is demonstrated through the clear distinctions between men and women and how the women prevail.

The setting of the play occurs when women were challenging the constraints of society and defined roles. While women in the twentieth century have achieved great success, they still are not considered equal to men. For example, women are still considered the primary agents in the kitchen and they are still expected to maintain the trifle things of the household.

Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale buck the system when their attention to trifles solves the mystery. The men believe that women are accustomed to "worrying over trifles" (Glaspell 1117) so they stay out of and away from areas that they associate with women. This includes the kitchen and anything related to Mrs. Wright. Ironically, the clues to the murder are in these places. The women notice the misplaced loaf of bread, the birdcage and the quilt "that's not sewed very good" (1121). The crime scene is all about trifles but the men would never know.