Susan Glaspell & A Woman's "Trifles"

A good follow up to the Yellow Wallpaper, "Trifles" tells the story of a woman's place in country life after the civil war. Accompanying the County Attorney to the scene of the crime are two couples: the sheriff and his wife and the nearest neighbors. The men go about seeking information through empiricism and practicality and actually scoff at the ladies for thinking of things of the heart, like a wasted canning year or a tangled quilting block.

The ladies do not seem to know that they are "investigating" as such, until they uncover the truth of the couple that used to inhabit the house. When they do discover this vital information to the case, it is a great move of independence and power that they do not only NOT disclose the clues, but go to ends to keep them secret for their husbands and the attorney.

I love the feeling of unity and empathy these women feel with the "criminal" their husbands seek to encage. It is a clear example of the beginnings of the women's liberation, still several years away from its beginnings.