Around nineteenth century, “20% women worked for pay outside the home, and most women quit when they married or had children.” (Sociology of the Family 111) At that time, men were the leaders of the family, and they worked in communities, police and courts. However, women just stayed at home and took care of the children. In Susan Glaspell’s play, Trifles, while the male characters use their knowledge and experience to look for the criminal evidence that the murder left, the female characters use a different angle to approach the truth. The playwright describes each role’s characteristics to show how women and men’s tendencies of life are different.
George Henderson, County Attorney, believes women’s job is housework. When Mrs. Hale says to the Attorney that towels get dirty quickly because of men’s hand, Mr. Henderson does not want to argue about that and say: “Ah, loyal to your sex, I see” (5). Using “your sex”, Mr. Henderson defines not only Mrs. Hale, but also women in general as being born for housework. From these words, Mr. Henderson demonstrates that he thinks women should do their work well. Mr. Henderson believe that women’s tendency of life is housework.
Henry Peters, the sheriff, does not respect women and believes men cannot get any help from women. When the Sheriff, the Attorney and Mr. Hale finish checking upstairs and come down, Sheriff hears Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peter confuse what Mrs. Wright was going to do. Sheriff says to the other men: “They wonder if she was going to quilt it or just knot it! (The men laugh; the women look abashed.)” (9). In Mr. Peter’s eyes, women’s looking for truth is a joke. Mr. Peter demonstrates how he looks down upon women’s help, and he does not believe that women’s questions could help them at all.
Lewis Hale, a neighboring farmer, is sexist. After Mr. Hale tells the Attorney what happened last night, Mrs. Peter finds that there is something strange about Mrs. Wright’s fruit. Mr. Hale says to other men: “Well,...