Perceptions of Men and Women Revealed in Susan Glaspells...

Perceptions of Men and Women Revealed in Susan Glaspells Trifles Human beings not only live in the physical world but also survive in the emotional world. Frequently, ones emotional world actually controls the actions one commits in the physical world. Perception plays an enormous part in what one feels is important and what one feels is unimportant. Is there a difference between perception of men and women? In Susan Glaspells story Trifles, she examines the difference of perception between men and women in a unique way by revealing these differences in the solving of a murder case. The difference between what the men and women perceive to be important pieces of evidence is astonishing. Glaspell uses symbols as interpreted by the†¦show more content†¦These are the women of the play. The stage is now set for Glaspell to reveal to the reader how important perception is. According to Glaspell, perception is not just interpreting the physical evidence but also the emotional motives that would cause such a desperate murder. As the investigation starts, the men are worrying about the crime scenes having been secured or not. The county attorney is questioning Mr. Hale about how he came to discover Mr. Wrights body. His answer is telling, although the county attorney does not perceive this answer as being of any importance. Mr. Hale is telling the county attorney that he had stopped to ask Mr. Hale to go in on a party line with him, although he had asked once before: I spoke to Wright about it once before and he put me off, saying folks talked too much anyway, and all he asked was peace and quiet (1173). At the time he discovered the body, Mr. Hale had thought that he would go to Mrs. Wright and get her to persuade Mr. Wright, although he says, I didnt know as what his wife wanted made much difference to John (1173). While none of the above is actual physical evidence, if there is any emotional perception of what kind of man Mr. Wright was, the country attorney does not comprehend it. Perception is in ones own eyes and, in this case, ears. The first physical piece of what could be considered evidence is the jars ofShow MoreRelatedSusan Glaspell s Trifles 1358 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"Trifles† is written by the mid-1900s feminist author Susan Glaspell. The one act play depicts the conflict surrounding the murder of John Wright and his wife’s, Minnie Wright’s, involvement in his strangulation. While this drama appears to tell the simple tale of a murder investigation, Glaspell intertwines her feminist views into the plot. The male and female characters’ investigations of John Wright’s death reveal a deeper meaning. The stark contrasts between the men and women in the story displayRead MoreTrifles- Battle of the Sexes Essay1898 Words   |  8 Pagesthroughout our American history. Prior to 1848, women did not have a voice or a valued opinion; they were simply thought of as unseen and unintelligent. It took nearly 72 years before the 19th amendment to our Constitution was signed into law, granting women the right to vote (Infoplease). During the early part of the twentieth century, the duties and structures of women’s lives would have predisposed them to approach a problem from a different angle than that of men and even today, despite the significant