Yangyang Lin

Dr.Rhoda Sirlin

English 152

The Response on a Passage to the Play “Trifles”

In my opinion, the description of the activities and dialogue in the kitchen exposes

the inequity of the men and women. For instance, the male characters takes it for

granted that the women should take care of the housekeeping carefully and the

characters do not appreciate the hardworking by the women.

MRS PETERS (to the other woman.): Oh, her fruit; it did freeze. ( to the county

attorney. ) She worried about that when it turned so cold . She said the fire’d go out

and her jars would break.”

SHERIFF(rises): Well, can you beat the woman! Held for murder and worryin’

about her preserves. (P1412)

And in another plot, the men criticize that Mrs.Wright doesn’t carry on the

responsibility to keep the kitchen clean.

COUNTY ATTORNEY:… (Attorney starts to wipe his hands on the roller towel)

Dirty towels! Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies?(P1413)

Although women work hard in the house to provide a comfortable surroundings for

the families, the men disregard their efforts, which shows that women were treated as

relatively inferior groups in the society.