Women's Roles in The Stronger, Trifles, and Doubt: a Parable

Activists and reformers took nearly one hundred years to gain women’s rights that caused disagreements and conflict. A true woman was defined as a religious, submissive wife and mother attending to the home and family’s needs. Some women would tolerate the treatment that they were treated with, as of other women believed a movement was necessary to gain their rights. Even with the 19th amendment of the constitution women are still viewed as second-class citizens. Men may say that women are as strong and can perform the duties as they do, which scientifically women have more estrogen while men have more testosterone so we technically are not equal. However, the fight in the first place was rights as a citizen, which is how women are categorized as to what they should and shouldn’t be doing.

“The Stronger” by August Strindberg, “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell, and Doubt: A Parable by John Shanley all have a significance with the roles of women and power. Women’s suffrage started at the end of the 19th century and ended in 1920, during the time Strindberg’s and Glaspell’s play were made. Whereas Shanley’s play was made in 2004, however it still depicts the image of the role of women. The stronger has a deeper meaning that you should view with one woman speaking and the other that isn’t.

As said before, a true woman was submissive wife that attended to the family’s needs. A married women and unmarried woman are present in the play “The Stronger”. The play is focused on the turn of women in the 20th century. Usually the role of women are influenced by the role of men surrounded by them, except for in Strindberg’s play it is only the two women on stage to have no men influence them. Mrs. X as the married member, and Mrs. Y as the unmarried woman, Mrs. X was the only one who spoke and Mrs. Y just sat and listened the entire time. Mrs. X expresses herself through words and she uses a lot of them, whereas Mrs. Y just uses her silence. Which shows her maturity over the argument that Mrs. X is trying to have. Socially Mrs. X was the stronger woman because she was married and had a family that she attended. Except Mrs. Y is the stronger woman who expressed herself through her facial expressions and actions.

Although women were seen better if they kept their mouth closed and opinions to themselves. This was Mrs. X relationship with her husband, she had a lot to say to Mrs. Y, but was afraid to disrupt her marriage with an argument. Throughout the play we find out that Mrs. Y was Mrs. X’s ex-lover. This where it comes to the point of the play of who is the stronger woman. Mrs. X’s words show her true strength at the end of the play. She thanks her for her influencing her, and her family life. “You received nothing from me, but you gave me much.” (Strindberg 158) These two women have two different views and they are both viewed differently by the public. Strindberg succeeds at letting the audience trying to figure out the concept of who the stronger woman is. Mrs. Y is simply a human mirror that Mrs. X learns to look at herself at how her lifestyle has been, and soon enough many women were able to see themselves and how they have had mistreatment for years with the movements that they finally chose to do.

As for the play “Trifles” the women are as insubstantial, “used to worrying over their trifles” which indicates that the men aren’t suspecting them to figure out the crime committed. (Glaspell 1201) A few men are involved in the story, Hale is the man who found Mrs. Wright where John Wright had been dead for a while. Hale then returned with the county attorney, sheriff, Mrs. Peters, and Mrs. Hale. This play shows that women are superior to men, and that their actions can be just as bad as men. The play takes place in the home of Mrs. Wright and the men have gone to find any evidence for the case of Mr. Wrights death. It is believed that Mts. Wright being a woman, that she wouldn’t be capable of such a crime. The three men show male dominance throughout the play that women are harmless gender discrimination is dealt with.

The women’s opinions are disregarded, and their voice are not as loud as the men. One example of the male dominance were the men making light of women’s handy work. “MRS. HALE. It’s a log cabin pattern. Pretty,isn’t it? I wonder if she was goin’ to quilt it or just knot it? (Footsteps have been heard coming down the stairs, The Sheriff enters followed by Hale and the County Attorney) SHERIFF. they wonder if she was going to quilt it or just knot it!” (The men laugh, the women look abashed) (Glaspell 1204) An instance as this one is how women were put down except these three men had no exception that these women would have found evidence to the crime committed. These women had found a dead canary with a bird cage with a broken door. If more attention would have been given to these women, then more clues would have come up to the crime committed with Mr. Wright to the sheriff and county attorney.

Unfortunately, women are still not seen as equal, where discrimination is based upon females. The symbolism behind the canary cage in Glaspell’s play is that women will one day break out of the imprisoning ideals of society. Mrs. Wright took a stand, in an illegal way, for the years that she felt imprisoned, and may have felt that if she were sent to prison then she would feel freer than her life at home.

Shanley was going towards the same aim as Glaspell and Strindberg with women being told they are not as superior as men. Shanley has a principal of a catholic school, Sister Aloysius, who is against the Father with the actions he has made. With the Sister following what she believes is right, she is put down by Father Flynn since he knows that he is superior than her. Sister Aloysius may have been the principal with a sort of authority over children but she had no authority over the mother of the child being molested, or Father Flynn. Not only is Sister Aloysius a role of women shown, but also Sister James who is naïve and innocent, as well as Mrs. Muller who has a fear of standing up to her husband.

With innocence, people see the best in people, and this is how Sister James character is. Once Father Flynn was confronted by Sister Aloysius he decided to go to a woman who may have a weakness to forgive him. As well as Mrs. Muller being talked to by Sister Aloysius she admits that her husband is who is in charge and she is the one who follows. Sister Aloysius knew that she could take a stand and have some type of authority over a man, which not many women are strong enough to do, and Mrs. Muller was one of those women. “You’re not going against no man in a robe and win, Sister. He’s got the position.” (Shanley 897) No only is it because of his position as a Catholic Father, but because he is a man who will be believed more than a woman if it would have been brought up to a higher authority than both the two religious leaders.

Women remain being housekeepers and child bearers, and the submissive wives. Mrs. Muller told Sister Aloysius, “You don’t tell my husband what to do. You just stand back.” (Shanley 895) Mrs. Muller had no say even when he would hit her child, as much pain as it caused her it brought her fear that if took a stand then it may affect her safety, as well as her child’s.

Altogether, these plays show the way male dominance is in our society, from the 19th century to now. Whether it has to do with crime, knotting quilt, making the rules, or being afraid to take a stand for your marriage, most of it is looked at whether you are a female or male. From the three plays the strongest message to an audience, once they find the deeper meaning, would be Glaspell’s play. Hidden meanings behind the few male dominances show, along with the discrimination that a woman isn’t capable of commiting a crime. Women have the image of being delicate and fragile, not being able to lift anything to heavy.

This play shows the men searching for evidence that is necessary to show the court that Mrs. Wright had committed the crime somehow. Which was found but not by the men because they believed that the women’s trifles would not be helpful for any sort of clues. Except with the women finding the clues they figured out that she had anger stored and was ready to set herself free from a marriage she may have not been content with. It sends a message that women may be fed up with living in a society of women staying home and perform only home duties. The anger and frustration a female may have can give them more power than a man to make them able to do actions they may not fully think thoroughly.

The portrayal of woman and the impact it has on society continues to feed the ego of men. Women have advanced with their role throughout the years but they are still not seen as high as men are. Women still demand for equal pay and hierarchy in their respective companies. (Tannous) Women’s duties are under appreciated and are looked down upon for the reason that it may not seem as manly as men perform. Except for women to tolerate such actions and comments shows how strong a female can be, and their patience.