Trifles by Susan Glaspell

Social Customs in "Trifles"

Susan Glaspell's "Trifles" is another look into how men treat women and what kind of despair it can drive women to. Social customs are at the heart of this play, as the two women reveal as they visit together while the men investigate the murder. They both knew Mrs. Wright was not happy and that Mr. Wright was cruel and domineering, but they never did anything about it. They did not visit or befriend Mrs. Wright when she needed it; they were all too busy with their own work and lives. The social customs of these rural people were to keep to themselves and not meddle in anyone else's business, even if it seemed like someone needed help. They essentially left Mrs. Wright to solve her own problems, and finally, when she could not take any more abuse, she did.

Although these characters were all neighbors in a small town, the men seem very removed from the realities of living and working on a farm. They do not see the difficulties the women face, or the personalities of the couples around them. They admit that Mr. Wright was difficult and "cheerless," but no one seemed to worry about Mrs. Wright or how it affected her. Perhaps most interesting is how perceptive the women are, while the men are investigating and "in charge." It is the social custom in this area that the men tend to their work, the women tend to theirs, and they do not confer very much. The women find the motive for the murder, and understand how far Mr. Wright pushed his wife, and the men do not have a clue. They simply think the "little women" are quaint for worrying about frozen preserves and quilting. The social custom is for the men to take charge, but it is the women who are perceptive enough to understand what happened and feel remorse for their own lack of friendship and understanding. The moral of this story is that sometimes social customs need to change with the times or circumstance, and this is certainly one of those times.