Trifles chronicles the differences in masculine and feminine thought patterns and in doing so discusses the nature of authority and how it is viewed in our culture. Basically, men and women account for two separate subcultures; however, these cultures were in now way equal when this play was written. By this we can infer that in our American Culture, men supposedly set the standards and thus account for much (if not all) of the authority. However, as is the case in the story Trifles, masculine authority and epistemology (source of knowledge) is not always correct in it's viewpoints. Instead, the viewpoints of women (which serve here as a symbol for other cultures and their ways of thought) complete the circle of knowledge, that is the views and knowledge of others in combination with our own ideals allows us to discover truths that would have remained unknown if we would have simply chosen to remain in our own ignorant worlds.
First flight of the Wright Flyer I, December 17, 1...
Masculine Feminine
Kevin and I with Paul Wright at Sonfest 2005Here is the answer to the mystery. For many years the Wright house was a quite place. One day, Mrs. Wright bought a bird. The bird sang and made a lot of noise. Mrs. Wright sang also, so she felt comforted by the presence of her new pet. However, Mr. Wright did not like the bird for this reason. It made too much noise. Thus, he killed the bird by squeezing its neck. Mrs. Wright then discovered her dead pet and placed its body in her beautiful sewing box. She was so upset and troubled over the lose and the reintroduction of a silent household that she decided to kill her husband for what he had done. So, she waited until he was asleep and then slipped a rope around his neck, killing him.