In recorded history, women have always been valued as inferior to men. This patriarchal concept prevails all the way to modern times, but what facts actually give credence to this concept? In both Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun and Susan Glaspell’s one-act play Trifles, there is a multitude of female roles, all which have a significant importance in the story. Time and time again a subtle irony is played up in these stories that highlight the lack of credit these women receive for their monumental efforts. The Younger family consists of five members, three of which are females in the household. Lena, Ruth, and Beneatha Younger are continually brushed off for being a greater hindrance to the family than they are a help, but the story proves this in an opposite manner. Lena Younger is the matriarch of the low-income family, and she soon expects to receive a 10,000 dollar insurance check after her husband’s passing. Each family member has an idea on how they wish to disperse this money, but ultimately it “ain’t none of [their] money, it’s Mama’s” (Hansberry 8). Nevertheless, Walter Lee -the protagonist and desired head of the family- takes it upon himself to allocate the money to a sound investment for the family’s future. Against his mother’s wishes, Walter shadily enters a business deal with two of his friends to become a part-owner of a liquor store. Mama’s misgivings are verified when the news is delivered that Willy Harris has up and left with the family’s investment in the store; all 10,000 dollars. Lena Younger had made the healthy choice that her family would move into a real house, and Walter put it all at risk for the off chance that he could make it big. Nevertheless, Lorraine Hansberry illustrates that Walter Lee is the head honcho of the family; seemingly ironic when he is the person responsible for making the situation so hard. Yet, lurking in the curtains, there is Mama, who is uncredited in assisting the family through this tortuous path they had to go down.
In the text of A Raisin in the Sun, the value of women is further put into question by the ways in which two men pursue Beneatha. The hopeful-doctor of the family is being courted by two guys who see her in very different
In the early 1900´s women did not have the same rights as men and are not respected as much as men either. Women did not get their voting rights till 1920, four years after the play Trifles by Susan Glaspell. In the play women are suppressed by men and society, Mrs.Hale and Mrs.Peters prove that women are not constrained by society's rules and are in fact, the most astute characters in *Susan Glaspell’s play “Trifles”*.
In Trifles, Susan Glaspell debates the roles between men and women during a period where a debate was not widely conducted. Glaspell wrote Trifles in the early 1900s—a time when feminism was just getting started. In this play, Glaspell shows us her perspective on the roles of men and women and how she believes the situation would play out. Trifles seems like another murder mystery on the surface, but the play has a much more profound meaning behind it. Glaspell presents the idea that men and women analyze situations differently, and how these situations are resolved based on how we interpret them. Research shows that women’s brains “may be optimized for combining analytical and intuitive thinking.” On the other hand, male brains are predominately “optimized for motor skills and actions” (Lewis). In the play, this research shows true when the women, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, analyze details rather than looking at the apparent, physical evidence, and they find out the motive of the murder. The men, on the other hand, look at broader evidence that does not lead to any substantial conclusion. When Glaspell was writing this play, she wanted the women to be the real instigators, the ones that would end up solving the mystery. While the men in the story laugh at the ‘trifles’ that women worry about, these details mean a great deal in Glaspell’s eyes. Glaspell presents the idea what men and women are different in the way they live their lives through detail.
Throughout history, sexism has been an ongoing conflict for women and still occurs even today. Constant fights over equal pay, the right to vote, and the right to work has become a major issue for women all over the years. In Susan Glaspell’s one-act play, Trifles, she explores the stereotypes and differences between the genders. The play was written and takes place in 19th century during the time where women were not treated the same as men. Written during that period, Trifles, deals with the rights of women and assumptions about women in society during that time. This feminist drama surrounds the murder of, John wright, who was found strangled in his house. Throughout the play, the audience recognizes that the women solve the murder mystery of Mr. Wright. While the men are oblivious to the truth because of their assumptions. Glaspell not only questions the women’s roles in society, but the knowledge and aspect that are valued within the specific contexts. Trifles utilizes irony to present the life problems faced by women during that time.
In today’s society, we generally view upon everyone as equal; however this view did not exist for decades. Throughout history, there were many instances showing that men dominated women and women were often seen as left with less important or treated as an inferior being. Women were often expected to be good mothers to their children as well as caretakers to their husband. After reading the play “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell, I was able to grasp the important facts about social views of women and their domestic roles. Glaspell’s play depicts the gender inequality which exists in the society, drawing significant attention to the societal values of women at that time. Although women’s roles are treated as unimportant, she depicts women’s
What is the meaning of money for you? For some people money means the world to them and even where the only place they can find happiness. However, for others money doesn’t mean anything to them; those people can live just with what they have and still be happy. According to “A Raisin in the Sun” written by Lorraine Hansberry demonstrates some of the conflicts people of color had in the late 1950’s when the subject involved money. Walter, one of the main characters of the play and also the only grown man of the family had the most problems with money, but at the same time he just wanted the best for his family. Beneatha, Walter’s sister, wanted to prove that a black woman could be a doctor not just a nurse to the racist society they were living in. Mama, the mother of Walter and Beneatha. Always trying to do the right thing for her family. All Mama wanted was a successfully family in a perfect house.
“Money is not the key to happiness,” no big pay amount would make much of a difference. As people in America everybody thinks you cannot afford to avoid the unhappiness of having to life, having plenty of cash does not make your any more enjoyable then what it is in the present. Happiness depends on how you feel towards your loved ones which in Lorraine Hansberry's Play, “A Raisin In the Sun” Walter's obsession with money often caused him to act unkindly to his loved ones. In the book Raisin in the Sun a family from the Southside of Chicago they lived in a small apartment trying to find a way out of the community they have lived in. The Younger family was dealing with living in a white dominant society dealing with poverty and prejudice acts. The Youngers’ try to ignore the obstacles and stay on their feet throughout the 1950s.
Mama seeing that her own son is being destroyed because his dream has been deferred makes a large decision. Mama realizes that it is time for Walter Lee to become the head of the house. By giving Walter the remaining sixty-five hundred dollars of the insurance check she shows that she trusts Walter. By doing this it makes Walter the head of the Younger’s house along with resurging his dream. Walter’s attitude towards every character is changed. He sits his son Travis down and asks ‘“...what kind of man you going to be when you grow up[?]”’(495) Travis responded with wanting to be a bus driver, but Walter being happy tells Travis to aim higher.
The story of this play is simple and the majority of African-Americans faced such issues in the 1950’s, living on the south side of Chicago, struggles with poverty, dignity and dreams of a better life. Wanting better for your children and trying to fit in, while maintaining family values. A Raisin in the Sun is an excellent example of the relationship between family values and conflict. In this play it portrays: values and purpose of dreams, the need to fight for racial discrimination and the importance of family.
The further one gets in reading the play, the more there is to learn about the Youngers. The vision and dream of all the Younger family is one of either making or breaking the family based on their independent choices. Though each member of Younger family had a dream, the dreams were distinct from each other. The dream of Mama was that of owning a nice house that has a beautiful backyard just like they wished with the husband. Mama felt that her dream was helpful to her entire family because they would be able to take good care of Travis and make him grow up to become a great man in the neighborhood.
In the 19th Century, women had different roles and treated differently compared to today’s women in American society. In the past, men expected women to carry out the duties of a homemaker, which consisted of cleaning and cooking. In earlier years, men did not allow women to have opinions or carry on a job outside of the household. As today’s societies, women leave the house to carry on jobs that allow them to speak their minds and carry on roles that men carried out in earlier years. In the 19th Century, men stereotyped women to be insignificant, not think with their minds about issues outside of the kitchen or home. In the play Trifles, written by Susan Glaspell, the writer portrays how women in earlier years have no rights and men
The play ?Trifles?, by Susan Glaspell , is an examination of the different levels of early 1900?s mid-western farming society?s attitudes towards women and equality. The obvious theme in this story is men discounting women?s intelligence and their ability to play a man?s role, as detectives, in the story. A less apparent theme is the empathy the women in the plot find for each other. Looking at the play from this perspective we see a distinct set of characters, a plot, and a final act of sacrifice.
“Trifles” a play by Susan Glaspell, emphasizes the thought that women were kept in their homes and their contributions to the home and family went unappreciated and unnoticed. The play gives readers a view of how women were view and treated during the 1900’s. As a female analyzing the play, Mrs. Wright’s motive for killing Mr. Wright was quite clear. Susan Glaspell gives her readers a feminist approach, to demonstrate how Mrs. Wright’s murdering of her husband is justified.
Susan Glaspell’s Trifles is a feminist drama that involves three women, a murder, and three over-controlling male counterparts. Although this play was published in 1916, some of the issues Glaspell introduces still plague our society today. Glaspell clearly introduces a divide between men and their masculinity and women and their femininity. Throughout the drama, there are three main conflicts that all support one main thesis; Mrs. Wright versus Mr. Wright, the lawmen bashing Mrs. Wright, and the two women hiding evidence. These conflicts demonstrate the gender divide and support Glaspell’s thesis: women must stick together to support other women in times of crisis and moral conflict.
During the story, “A Raisin in The Sun”, holds two influences, Walter, and Mama, who have the most significant impact among the plot. Here’s why; Lorraine Hansberry has created this play to prove what life was like before our modern generation had come about. As to why Lorraine brought Walter and Mama to help make up the conflicts and rising action to the plot. If the play was created without Walter, it would only be a story based upon, Beneatha, and Mama. There’d be no Ruth, no Travis, or new baby soon to come about. Whereas, if there was no Mama around anymore, the family would have no intelligence, faith, or leader, to help the children determine how to handle their problems or know what to do with themselves.
The play “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell shows a very traditional view of roles that are played by men and women during the early 20th century. The title of the play is indicative of how women are viewed by society. Roles that men and women faced were quite set in stone, in a very conformist standard. Men were expected to do the hard jobs, the important work and were responsible for handling the harsh realities of the world. A shift in the image of how women roles were defined was around the corner with the progressive movement However, in 1916, women were still tied down to the traditional values. Women were treated as delicate and unable to handle tasks men were expected to handle. They were tied down to doing trivial work, wither in their household, or in the limited working field they had access to. Women’s key role was reproductive and confined them as the caretaker of the household. In the play “trifles”, Glaspell displays the trivial and often restrictive roles that are placed on women. Are women best in such roles or are they protected by men from the harshness that the world can bring. Even in modern day, women generally seem to be in safer conditions, or even smaller roles, that protect them from large difficult tasks. women, in the modern era, are mostly limited to such positions and seen as only supporters, given subordinate tasks while men attempt to take a more pivotal role.