Treatment of Women in America

Using the play “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell and the film “Thelma and Louise” by Callie Khouri, the paper below illustrates how women in the American society have been treated in different timelines as displayed in the film and the play. Trifles is a one-act play formulated by Susan Glaspell. The play describes how women are treated in the 1990s and it also describes murder. In the initial stages, we learn a great deal of information on the parties to the play in addition to their opinion. The play opens by the men entering the Wright’s empty farm house then followed by women. They find no evidence on the upstairs that would render Mrs. Wright guilty but the two women in contrary get a dead canary that cracks the case wide open.

The two women realize that Mr. Wright murdered the bird thus a true show that she killed her husband. They then piece together that Minnie was being abused by Mr. Hale and Mrs. Peters are able to sympathize with Minnie, Wright’s wife and understand what made her do the act which makes them hide the evidence against her. In the play, the men are blinded by their cold, emotionless evaluation of basic facts. The female characters get the body of canary, with its neck wrung, and murdered the same way just like John Wright is strangled. This makes them believe that Mrs. This shows division in roles and disregards to women as they were only left in charge of minor parts of the house.

The kitchen was only to carry kitchen things as indicated by the sheriff. This shows the omission on the importance of women’s lives as well as the men’s reluctance into entering the women’s spheres thus denying men the chance to discover the evidence that would have helped them in the case. The most crucial evidence, the murdered canary found by the two women were hidden in Minnie’s sewing basket. The men scorn these by kicking some of the ornaments in the process. The supporting Casts are Brad Pitt, Harvey Keitel, and Michael Madsen as his first crucial function. The film was a commercial and a significant success accorded six Academy Awards nominations, and it won the Best Original Screenplay.

Scott was selected as the best actor and served by the role of Best Director, both Davis and Sarandon were the Best Actresses. The film stirred controversy in its release due to the intersection of various genres, and currently, it is regarded as a classic. It impacted other artistic and film works and was regarded as a landmark of feminist film. The women in this film are portrayed as inferior to men. This is shown in Thelma's conversation with her husband, “Darryl, you’re my husband not my father. ” At first, they are disrespected as women, and this is more evident at the bar where they are accorded societal disrespect. Harlan misunderstands Louise at the bar based on how she was dancing and concludes that she wanted sex.

The man also thinks that by buying her more drinks, she will eventually say yes, this idea is very degrading to women, thinking that all you need to do to make a woman be on your way is to get them drunk. Men view women as inferior and tools of sex and satisfaction rather than normal members of the community that deserve respect (Schafran 16). Underestimation is also depicted in the situation above as the man who attempted to rape Louise, encouraged her to shoot him; she forced her to pull up the trigger to save her fellow. Underestimation is depicted when Thelma's husband hear about the news on how his wife and her fellow are dangerously armed and charged of murder.

He is left in disbelief. The traffic cooper also tries to get Louise in his car. In conclusion, the film and the play depict various happening in the feminist society in which the females were never accorded any respect rather used, unlike any other human. They were perceived as weak, disrespected, and underestimated based on their abilities. More importantly, they were viewed as ornaments of sexual harassment. This is cited in various instances which includes even the state authorities. The discussion above makes it clear that gender equality is yet to be achieved and there is still more towards realizing gender equality and respect for women in America. " American Journal of Public Health 86. Yung, Corey. "How to lie with rape statistics: America's hidden rape crisis.