Compare And Contrast Trifles And A Jury Of Her Peers

There are several similarities and differences in the way that Trifles and “The Story of an Hour” portray gender roles. Both of these stories portray two women very unhappy in their marriages and portray men as the dominant force. Trifles and “The Story of an Hour” both deal with very specific gender roles throughout the stories that relate to the time period they were written in.

    As a strong feminist, Susan Glaspell wrote “Trifles” and then translated it to a story called “A Jury of Her Peers.”  These works express Glaspell’s view of the way women were treated at the turn of the century.  Even though Glaspell is an acclaimed feminist, her story does not contain the traditional feminist views of equal rights for both sexes.

Alkalay-Gut, Karen. "Jury of Her Peers: The Importance of Trifles." Studies in Short Fiction 21 (Winter 1984): 1-9.

The “Jury of her Peers” and Trifles are similar because they have the same characters, the characters in both “Jury of her Peers” and Trifles are not different from each other at all. Another similarity between the two is that they are both written by Susan Glaspell.

“A Jury of Her Peers” and “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell are the same stories, but in different literary formats. These stories are based on the stereotype of women in society in the early 1900s. The roles of women as anything other than homemakers were downgraded. The stories showed how men, of that time, never considered just how hard women worked doing all of the household chores every day. These stories showed women who were treated like children and have no meaning in the workforce or anything else besides serving the men. “A Jury of Her Peers” and “Trifles” share the same plot; however, “Trifles” is a play and “A Jury of Her Peers” is a short story. This makes the same story be told differently because of the genres of literature. A play is represented in a theatrical performance or on film. A short story is a story with a fully developed theme but significantly shorter and less elaborate than a novel. It was easier to read the play rather than read the short story. However, the short story gave more content towards the story Glaspell was telling her readers by showing the point of view of both the men and women, while “Trifles” just explains the story.

“Trifles” and “A Jury of Her Peers” are extremely similar to one another. Most of the dialogue is taken directly from the play and placed into the short story. There are two main differences: the first is the difference between the titles and the second is the difference in characterization.

Although “A Jury of Her Peers” and “Trifles” are similar in plot, Mustazza’s article, “Generic Translation and Thematic Shift in Susan Glaspell’s ‘Trifles’ and ‘A Jury of Her Peers’” highlights the differences and similarities between the two. Mustazza’s article may help aid readers to understand the differences between Glaspell’s two works and provide understanding as to why Glaspell may have changed the genre and form of the plot. “Trifles” is a dramatic play whereas “A Jury of Her Peers” is prose fiction. While some differences may be seen on the surface, other differences will need to be inspected closely. Mustazza’s article may help one to understand Glaspell’s works by providing analysis and additional perspectives on both “A Jury of her Peers” and “Trifles”.

“A Jury of Her Peers,” is a story about a farmer’s wife who is accused of murdering her husband. Referred to fundamentally as a writer, Glaspell's short fiction went to a great extent unnoticed until 1973 when her short story, "A Jury of Her Peers" was rediscovered. Despite the fact that the creator of forty-three short stories, Glaspell's "A Jury of Her Peers" is her most broadly anthologized bit of short fiction and is dependent upon a real court case Glaspell secured as a news person for the Des Moines Daily. The story, which she acclimates from her one-enactment play Trifles in 1917, has pulled in the consideration of feminist researchers for its medication of sexual orientation related topics. On its surface, "A

Twentieth century society places few stereotypical roles on men and women.  The men are not the sole breadwinners, as they once were, and the women are no longer the sole homemakers.  The roles are often reversed, or, in the case of both parents working, the old roles are totally inconsequential.  Many works of literature deal with gendered roles and their effect on society as a whole or on an individual as a person.  "A Jury Of Her Peers" and Trifles, both written by Susan Glaspell, are works of literature that deal with socially gendered roles during the early nineteenth century.  The two works are almost exactly alike in that the dialogue from "A Jury Of Her

“A Jury of Her Peers” is a short story written by Susan Glaspell in 1917 illustrates early feminist literature. The two female characters, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, is able to solve the mystery of who the murderer of John Wright while their male counterparts could not. This short story had been adapted from Glaspell’s one-act play Trifles written the previous year. The play consists of the same characters and plotline as the story. In both works, Glaspell depicts how the men, Sheriff Peters and Mr. Hale, disregard the most important area in the house, the kitchen, when it comes to their investigation. In the end, the women are the ones who find clues that lead to the conclusion of Minnie Wright, John Wright’s wife, is the one who murdered him. Both of Glaspell’s female characters illustrate the ability to step into a male dominated profession by taking on the role of detective. According to Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide, written by Lois Tyson, a reader-response critique “focuses on readers’ response to literary texts” and it’s a diverse area (169). Through a reader-response criticism from a feminist lens, we are able to analyze how “A Jury of Her Peers” and Trifles depict how a patriarchal society oppresses women in the early twentieth century, gender stereotypes confined both men and women and the emergence of the New Woman is illustrated.

“Trifles” a play written by Susan Glaspell is also a short story named “A Jury of her Peers”. These two forms of writing that are similar in many regards but somewhat different when taken a closer look through. The following with compare and contrast the genres of the story, give a detailed reasoning on why one is better than the other, and a preference on which title is better and alludes more to the writing.

The men in this story are mocking the women, because they do not expect the women to know anything of importance, and to only know their “womanly” duties, which are deemed unimportant. Another similarity between the two works are the changes that the women undergo towards the end of the plays. In “Trifles”, the women, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, are stuck with the choice of aiding a murderer that was in an abusive relationship, or to tell their husbands what they have found:

I Prefer “Trifles” over “A Jury of Her Peers.” “Trifles” is an interesting play because it appeals to the sense of vision and hearing more than the short story. It is interesting to watch the body language of the characters in “Trifles.” The body language enhances the understanding of the audience. For example, two male characters and two female characters are seen effectively in the play. The play is interesting to watch due to the appeal of the stage. The stage is brightly lit to enhance the focus of the audience on the characters (K.E.G. Productions). The accent of the characters enables the international audience to understand the social background of the play. The characters communicate in an American accent and, therefore, the play depicts the happenings in the American society.

The short story Trifles, by Susan Glaspell is a mystery murder story that takes place in a time where men are superior to woman and that women’s rights has not been recognized, and how women were considered their husbands property. The irony associated with the title Trifles can be explained in many ways. There are events that cause the women to unite and hide the evidence from the men. Mrs. Glaspell is sending out a message to her female readers. To begin with, the title Trifles is ironic because Trifles explores far more than minor matters as it attempts to show the serious consequences of dismissing the feelings and troubles of individuals.

Trifles by Susan Glaspell is a powerful play which is based on a 19th-century murder case. While this play is based on a true story, it also explores the topic of gender inequality. During this period women were often portrayed as inferior to men and their roles in society were meant to be jobs such as homemakers; while the important roles in society such as law enforcement positions were exclusively reserved for men. In the play Trifles, Glaspell challenges her audience to examine societies devaluing nature towards women. The playwright showcases this theme throughout her play in the following ways; by comparing the opposing points of view of the female and male characters and by illustrating the constant dismissal of the female characters ideas by the male characters.