Trifles In the play Trifles by Susan Glaspell a man has been murdered by his wife, but the men in town assigned to investigate the crime are unable to solve the murder mystery through standard criminal logic and procedure. Instead, two women (Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters) who visit the house are able to read a series of clues that the men cannot see because all the clues are embedded in women's specific household objects. At first the show seems to be about mystery, but suddenly it grows into a feminist perspective. The work Trifles written by Susan Glaspell can be considered a revolutionary text as it defends the feminist movement. Trifles is a work that really shows the conflict between gender roles in the early 20th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, the idea that everyone had equal rights did not exist. Men clearly dominated every aspect of life, while women often had little importance. The oppression of women during that time got to the point that they were not truly recognized as themselves. Their sole purpose was to take care of their families by maintaining the house and carrying out their caretaker duties. According to the essay “Literary Context in Plays: Susan Glaspell” by Bailey McDaniel states that Glaspell's play Trifles is considered an observation on the demeaning and insignificant characterization of women's work and their lives within domesticity (McDaniel) . Susan Glaspell really tries to emphasize this feminist vision throughout the work. Susan Glaspell uses literary elements that show readers the feminist theme in the work. The use of characters in this play really shows the feminist theme more. The men in this play clearly demonstrate how men were... middle of paper.......The bird and the cage are the two most important symbols in this play because they symbolize the oppression of Minnie Foster, and it can also mean the death of her husband (Mr. Wright). Minnie Foster is sometimes compared to the bird by Mrs. Hale saying that she was really sweet, pretty and liked to sing just like the bird, but then Mrs. Hale asks, "How has she changed?" (1074). The bird symbolizes Minnie Foster before she got married, but everything changed about her after she got married to Mr. Wright. The reader can clearly see how violent Mr. Wright was towards Minnie Wright to completely change her way of being. For example, one way Mr. Wright has kept Minnie Foster oppressed is by preventing her from singing. As the reader knows, Minnie really liked to sing, but Mr. Wright hated a "thing" that can sing, so he no longer allowed Minnie to sing..