Section 1: Introduction “A woman is like a tea bag – only in hot water do you realize how strong she is” -Nancy Reagan. Trifles by Susan Glaspell is a one-act play, considered an early example of feminist drama (Bradford). It was composed at a time when women's position in society was looked down upon and their contributions overlooked. The play perfectly illustrates how men and women show differences in their perceptions of duty, right and justice due to their different roles and experiences in society. The play begins with the author setting the scene primarily in the kitchen area. Inside the kitchen of the Wright house are the sheriff, his wife, the neighbors (Mr. and Mrs. Hale), and the county attorney; they were there to collect evidence regarding Mr. Wright's murder. On orders from the county attorney, Mr. Hale begins to recount his visit to the house the day before when he found Mr. Wright upstairs lying dead from apparent strangulation (Ronson 185). Hale notes that Mrs. Wright was behaving rather strangely and atypically for someone who had just lost her husband (Ronson 185-186). The three men begin searching the house for physical evidence but fail to find any clues, blinded by their cold and impassive approach to the investigation. Meanwhile, the women, attentive to the smallest details and driven by their feminine instincts, determine that the murderer is Mrs. Wright herself. The irony of the play's title is obvious, as the simple "trifles" that men derisively accuse women of caring for lead them to solve this thrilling mystery. Section 2: Historical Look at Gender Differences Throughout History The 20th century saw the rise of radical patriarchy when men held all the power and women were essentially seen as second-class citizens (Smith ). Men were seen as the leader of society, while women were mere objects. Women's potential to contribute to society was largely overlooked, as they were seen as weak and destined for anything other than giving birth to children, raising a family, and caring for the household (Smith). Subsequently, they were unable to have any opinion on politics and played no economic role in society. Indeed, for a long time, they were prevented from working and owning their own property; they were also denied education (EMS). This was done so that they could depend solely on their husbands and fathers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Of course, this addiction gave men the upper hand and introduced a sense of belonging that men had towards women and to some extent women succumbed to this lifestyle for decades because they had very few choices then. Even when it finally became the norm for women to be able to earn their own money, they were still paid significantly less than men (Manpreet). In addition to the obvious social and economic inequalities they had to endure during this period, women were often victims of domestic violence and spousal oppression. They were expected to stay in an unhappy marriage or face punishment under the law if they tried to flee (Manpreet). Not having the right to think for themselves, women had neither voice nor room for decision-making. These differences between the sexes have often revealed different ways of perceivingjustice, law and duty by both sexes. Section 3: How Men and Women Perceive Duty Differently From a societal perspective, a man's duty is to be the head of the house, earn money, and provide for the needs of the family. family, while the woman's is to be a housewife. make the house pleasant to her husband and be submissive to him. The men in the play clearly view duty as something they must do, as part of their job. In this case, they are blinded by their commitment to finding physical evidence against Ms. Wright. The perception of wives' duty, however, was more emotional. They saw it as their duty to protect Mrs. Wright from another life of injustice by hiding the only evidence against her from the men, because they understood her motivations. “We all go through the same things, it’s just a different kind of the same thing. » (Ronson 191), says Mrs. Hale. In the play, it can be interpreted that the wives consider their duty to women in the community, as they are seen defending Mrs. Wright against criticism from men: “These towels get dirty real quick. Men's hands are not always as clean as they could be,” Mrs. Hale says in defense of Mrs. Wright when one of the men mentions her dirty towels (Ronson 187). Men criticize her housekeeping skills as if that is what defines her as a woman, emphasizing what men think of a woman's duty. Mrs. Hale feels guilty and regrets not visiting Mrs. Wright. “I wish I'd come here sometime (Ronson 191)” is another example of how women see it as their duty to show solidarity and loyalty to one another: “Ah, true to your sex, I see,” the county sheriff said to Mrs. Hale (Ronson 187). Section 4: How Men and Women Perceive the Law Differently Men's concept of law may be related to what they think the law's duty is. In the 20th century, women, by law, were bound to their husbands once married. Any effort by women to get out of an unsatisfactory marriage would be rejected, sometimes leading to punishment by the laws put in place in a patriarchal society. These laws often forced women to act and behave in a certain way, especially after they married. In Bagatelles, Mrs. Peters, because she is married to the sheriff, is expected to follow the rules of men and uphold the law since she is “married to the law” (Ronson 192). Women were expected to act, behave, and function in specific ways in society, while men were not bound by such societal norms. Section 5: How men and women perceive justice differently Men's assessment of what is fair and what is unfair is clearly subjective. They discriminately view Mr. Wright's murder as an unjust act that deserves to be punished by law, but overlook the apparent injustice that Mrs. Wright had to endure during her marriage to Wright. In fact, the county sheriff avoids the subject of Mr. Wright's bad deeds, dismissively saying "I'd like to talk about that a little later" (Ronson 187) when Mrs. Hale brings up Mr. Wright's cold nature and his faults. . as a husband. The wives felt violated by the men's many derogatory remarks, but they could not openly express their frustration to them. The women become defensive and, in a passive act of rebellion, decide to take matters into their own hands and resolve what justice is regarding the murder case. The conversation between the two wives gives us a glimpse into Mrs. Wright's life before and after her.