Motherhood and domesticity Essay Example for Free

Motherhood and domesticity Essay Zora Hurston and Susan Glaspell, the short story of â€Å"Sweat† and â€Å"Trifles respectively, talked about women’s power. The character of Delia Jones and Winnie Wright reveal how the stories significantly portrayed the negative and positive nature of women. Moreover, their character portrays how women were treated during the Old South, whose gender and social roles were restricted to motherhood and domesticity. The play â€Å"Trifle† takes place in a single setting: the home of a murdered man and his wife. The dialogue begins with men and women approaching the crime scene to investigate a murder case and find evidences to determine the murderer. As the only one at home, Mrs. Wright is initially accused as the suspect, but they need to undergo standard legal procedures. Besides, they find no apparent reason to suspect Mrs. Wright. The conflict starts when the men and the women, including Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale, perceive the crime in different perspectives. The men in the play approached the Wright house as a crime scene while the women who accompanied them during the investigation approached the house as a home. The women took notice of even the little details in the home that the men ignored and refused to acknowledge as possible evidence. The men thought that such things would not give them any clues to solve the case. They forgot that their primary suspect was a woman. They ignored Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters and paid attention to things that seemed meaningless. They overlooked the small and domestic things that may be related to a woman and a wife that may significantly give them idea and evidence against Mrs. Wright. This prolongs the solving of the case a little longer. On the other hand, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale intricately and naturally observed the things at home. Their intuition, sensitivity, curiosity were significant in the story. The men attempted to solve the crime through logic and standard legal procedures, but the women who went there were able to read between the lines. They saw the clues embedded in domestic items that were specific to women. Although Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters did not know Mrs. Wright on a personal level, they could relate to her. They can put themselves in Mrs.Wright’s shoes and understand the background of the case which helped them solve the mystery of the case. Initially, the women made an agreement to conceal their discovery first because they sympathized with Mrs. Wright. They knew that if the men learned about it, they will no doubt take Mrs. Wright to prison because that is how the law works in the story. In contrast, the women in this case were overcome by their emotion. Their sensitivity and curiosity made them solve the case. Thus, Glaspell depicted women in her play in a positive light. The setting of the two plays described by the authors was symbolically used to portray the emotions and psychological factors of the character. In the play â€Å"Before Breakfast,† the setting reflects the impoverished life of the couple which Mrs. Rowland was so bitter about. The â€Å"slender finger† described in the play showcases the sophistication of Alfred’s past life as a millionaire’s son (O’Neil). His sophistication greatly affected his sensitivity. He got affected easily by his wife’s words that cost his life.