The Oppression of Women in Susan Glaspell’s “Trifles”
“…he killed the last thing that gave her joy”
In Trifles, playwright Susan Glaspell establishes the theme that the passions and desires of women are suppressed in male-dominated societies. In the play, Glaspell uses a bird with a broken neck to strengthen the theme. When she was younger, Mrs. Wright was a “lively” woman who wore “pretty clothes” and sang in the town choir.
Mr. Wright, her husband, is said to have “killed” both Mrs. Wright’s voice and the bird. Mrs. Wright’s passion was broken by the repressive nature of her marriage. The “pretty clothes” and “lively” singing voice she once adorned is represented by the bird, and its broken neck symbolizes the strain she feels within her marriage with Mr. Wright, as he killed the last thing that gave her joy.
Glaspell’s use of symbolism and imagery develops Mrs. Wright as a sympathetic character, establishing reasons behind, usually, indefensible actions. Furthermore, Glaspell’s use of figurative language illustrates how society breaks down women, mentally and emotionally. It also adds to the theme of female suppression in male-dominated societies as women are forced to comply with societal norms designed to favor men.
Read the play here: Trifles by Susan Glaspell
