Sexism in Trifles Essay

During the time period that Susan Glaspell wrote Trifles women were seen as the weaker, less intelligent sex. Glaspell uses irony to illustrate a story in which men and women vary greatly in their observations, but it is the women who observe the trivial details and eventually discover the truth. Irony is used in Trifles to contrast the difference between the crystallized intelligence expected of men and the intuitional intelligence expected of women. By contrasting these two types of intelligence through irony, Glaspell conveys the message that appearances can be misleading; do not rely solely on a persons gender or other observable characteristics to form an opinion about them.

In the play, the men use crystallized intelligence, and while they are busy judging the women for their use of intuition, completely miss the solution to John Wrights murder. The women use their intuition, and they are able to solve the crime while the men are looking for answers nearly everywhere except where the answers actually exist. Mr. Hale states, Women are used to worrying over trifles, (324) as he implies that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are concerned with the wrong details at the crime scene. The men are so sure that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters have the wrong idea that by overlooking the significance of the womens intuition they allow Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale to leave the house with only evidence against Minnie.

Having found the dead canary, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale must make the choice of what to do with the evidence. They use their intuition and experience to make a decision that would differ extremely from the choice the men would likely make regarding the evidence. Mrs. Hale showed her opinion of John Wright by saying, Wright wouldnt like that bird--a thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that, too, (331) which shows that she did not believe that Mr. Wright was a pleasant man. She uses her opinions about Mr. Wright along with her intuition and experience as a housewife to decide to give Minnie the evidence against her, thereby acquitting her. It is because Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are capable of understanding Minnies lifestyle that they are willing to acquit Minnie. The intelligence that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters use results in a much different result than the what would have happened had the men found the evidence. If the men had found the dead canary, they would have used crystallized intelligence to piece together the clues. The men would have had much less insight into Minnies situation,

and that would have resulted in a guilty conviction.

The decision to give Minnie the dead canary means that Mrs. Peters is lying to her husband, the sheriff, by omission. This decision directly contrasts with the County Attorney who identifies his beliefs of how Mrs. Peters behavior should be by saying, No, Mrs. Peters doesnt need supervising. For that matter a sheriffs wife is married to the law, (332) which directly contrasts with the actions Mrs. Peters takes. The County Attorney and the other men in the play believe that if Mrs. Peters had found any evidence, she would have given it over to the men. Mrs. Peters hands the only evidence over to Minnie, making the choice to clear Minnie of the crime that she has committed and hide what actually happened from her husband. Mrs. Peters makes a decision that is based on information about Mr. Wright and how lonely Minnie must have been, but the choice she makes is in contrast with the law and the County Attorneys opinions of how Mrs. Peters should act.

Glaspell uses irony in Trifles to communicate that judging a person based on their appearance or their gender is not always an accurate portrayal of that persons abilities. We make judgments and form opinions of others based on brief encounters nearly everyday of our lives. The views we form from a brief encounter are often inaccurate. Glaspell shows that if we would take the time to examine the smaller details, we would be able to see the big picture and shape correct opinions of others. Taking the time to observe others trifles could lead to improving our own lives by giving us a more truthful view of others and the world around us.