Feminist Analysis of Susan Glaspell’s Trifles: Unveiling Gender Power Dynamics and Female Resistance
Susan Glaspell’s lifetime (1876–1948), coincides closely with the rise of modernism in Europe and its arrival and development in the United States. Her representative drama Trifles has obvious modernist characteristics. Many scholars analyze and evaluate her works from the perspective of modernism. However, Some drama critics and historians believe that her works are the classics of feminist drama in the history of American literature and deserve further discussion. This study attempts to analyze Susan Glaspell’s Trifles from the perspective of feminism. This analysis reveals the oppressive forces within a patriarchal society and the subsequent resistance displayed by female characters. The paper delves into the limited agency and discourse power of women, emphasizing the spatial confinement and silencing they endure, capturing the complexities of women’s struggles in a society dominated by patriarchal values.
Keywords: Feminism; Patriarchal Value; Activity Space and Discourse Power; Gender Politics; Female Resistance
