Irony of Small Trifles

Irony of Small Trifles

In the drama Trifles, Glaspell shows two main view points. That is how the men

have the role of being the head of everything and how the women do not get as fairly treated and are only house maids to the men. She characterizes the men as not giving the women the credit they deserve for their hard labors each and everyday. The sheriff, attorney, and neighboring farmer help prove how in the past men were completely superior to women. By showing these two points it makes us feel more sympathetic for the women because of how they are treated. The women always have to go along with what the men tell them, even if they disagree. Since the men are distinguished from the women, the women form their own alliance because they feel empathy for each other. The men and women have seemed to of taken sides against each other. And by the men always hassling the women about their trifles, they are actually working against themselves because the women decide not to give them the information needed to solve the case.

The first view that Glaspell gives in Trifles is that the men are far superior or higher than the women. The men in Trifles show the expected character as we would hear about in the past before women had the rights they do now. The attorney displays this past male figure the best. He is always looking down on the women. For example, in the start he says “This feels good. Come up to the fire, ladies.” (1249) This shows how he feels the need to tell or allow the women to come to the fire as if they were not able to do it on their own. He also shows this when he says, “Here’s a nice mess.” (1250) commenting about the house and then says “Dirty towels! Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies?” (1251) This exemplifies how he expects the women to take care of the house and that it should always be spotless. At this point in the story the attorney gets into an argument with the ladies who try to defend Mrs. Wright. They prove their point in that it is not right for a man to come into a house and complain about the mess when Mrs. Wright did not have time to clean it. The sheriff also displays this hierarchy of men over women. He follows what the attorney says “I suppose anything Mrs. Peters does’ll be all right.” (1251) Showing that there is not much as harm she could do with that area of the house as if she is a little child.

The sheriff also states a very sarcastic phrase about the women saying “They wonder if she is going to quilt it or knit it!” (1253) Showing how he is much more superior to them because he is looking for evidence for a big murder case, and all the women can do is talk about quilting. As he says this all the men laugh. Later on as the men come back from getting the fire wood, the attorney also says “Well, ladies, have you decided whether she was going to quilt it or knot it?” (1255) So the men must think the women are insignificant because they still think they are really discussing this subject. The only male in this story that does not seem to feel any hierarchy over the women is the neighboring farmer. He keeps to himself most of the time and does not really take part in putting down the women with their own ways. He does state one remark though that shows he still thinks a little more of himself than of the women. When the women said how Mrs. Wright was worried about her preserves. The sheriff states, “Well, you can beat a women! Held for murder and worryin’ about her preserves.” (1251) And Mr. Hale follows saying “Well, women are use to worrying about trifles.” (1251) Meaning how women worry to much about unimportant things. This making the women seem even more insignificant and useless in dealing with the case.

The other view that Glaspell shows in this play is a sympathy that the reader grows for the women. How they are forced to follow