Gender Roles in the Play Trifles free essay sample

Gender roles have caused strain over decades to not only females, but recently males as well. There are many attributes that humans have associated with each gender, causing a divide between sexes not only with each other, but also separating the two into almost completely different species. Due to this categorizing which is placed on gender, there can be a declining value of a person or even a higher hand given to the one gender which is seen as more powerful to society.The stereotypical labeling of genders can determine one person’s outlook on life. The judgment can make one feel like there is a set rubric to follow in order to remain in the lines regarding which gender they belong to. Such influences from peers or partners can alter ones thoughts on what is supposed to be versus what the person truly desires or feels. Influences such as these are also capable of making one feel inferior and certain personal characteristics may make one feel automatically categorized as male or female. The resources that have demonstrated characteristics of gender roles or have input on this topic have made their way into literature and journals that have opened the door to gender topics and what that can entail. Literature has demonstrated people’s beliefs, wants, downfalls, and differences on the subject of gender roles. These pieces of literature have proven the change which has been made over time through the transformation of gender classification.Literature such as this is what has made a better understanding and sense of relief on this suppressing stereotype. Opening up the ideology of gender roles, there are many things that determine how we associate gender and sex with peoples’ identities. The article, â€Å"The Context of Current Content Analysis of Gender Roles: An Introduction to a Special Issue† written by Rudy Rena, Lucy Popova, and Daniel Linz, demonstrates the idea of symbols representing our sex and gender and are explained by bringing up social influences associated with our sexual categories (705).An important part of this article is also a timeline description simply picking apart the order of where gender roles shifted and what powered this separat ion of physical characteristics. Within this timeline, there are different viewpoints in which stem from feminist movements, comparing reality with media, and media’s influence on its audience. Gender roles have been present for decades, and the everlasting struggle for equality between men and women has been a never ending battle still to this day.Although there has been quite a lot of success for women dealing with equality, there was not always a perfect balance in the household for gender roles. It began in the 1950’s when women began to break free of the hand that held them under and they began to surface and push through their harsh labeling (707). Humans have mainly been labeled because of their attributes and sexual characteristics and under minded for their contributions as human beings. It seems there has been a mutual agreement formed that humans are categorized based on characteristics such as strength, emotional stability, and power.In the 1950’s, there are examples of gender and sex roles integrated into media and advertisement. Women are seen powerless before this time and it was a struggle to remain equal with the media advertising them as pow erless due to their gender. There has been a labeling formed under the surface that automatically associated the male gender with power and success. In a study on comic strips in the 1950’s, women figures lacked presence due to their â€Å"powerless† state of being.Using the male gender to portray strength and success forced a strong opinion on its young audience and began to shape minds at an early age. Female comic characters were associated with issues of romance and personal charm through their domestic duties and males seemed to be geared to continually seek achievement and justice (707). Comic strips were not the only source of advertising sexual segregation, the television, the radio, and even treatment in the workplace were a huge part in dismissing a persons’ ability to succeed in equality due to their gender.There has been a major shift in gender roles since the 50’s, but due to media and its power to mold peoples’ opinions, it was definitely a struggle to maintain equality because of the cataloging of sexual characteristics. Home life is a core area that can be the biggest influence on ones opinions of gender roles. The content of the article â€Å"Parental Influence on Children’s Socialization to Gender Roles† written by Susan Witt introduces where stereotypical gender association derives. Gender roles can easily be dopted through the household and when children are placed in an environment where it is easily transmitted through the parents’ then that child will follow their parents’ influences (Witt, par. 1). Schooling, media, and society are also large influences on children at a young age to behave a certain way. Self-concept is also a large chunk of the way children see themselves when they begin to grow and criticism from parents can be a large influence on shaping that child’s perspective (Witt, par. 3). As humans we nurture newborns and associate them with their gender immediately. Whether this be the colors concerning their gender before they are even born, their clothing as a baby, even the toys we supply them with as children, humans gravitate naturally to associate certain characteristics with gender. Unknowingly, parents find themselves setting their children up for sexual segregation regarding what sports they play as children to what toys they possess and favor (Witt, par. 7). It is interesting to point out that although both parents have influences on their children, men are more likely to push the gender role farther to make sure their child meets that association with their sexual characteristics (Witt, par. ). Studies also have shown that partners that appear to be androgynous in a relationship have a lasting effect on the child and succeed as parents to be more supportive of the child and encourage them highly to be unique (Witt, par. 14). In relation to androgynous relationships and appearances determining household roles the article â€Å"Gender, Gender Roles, and Physical Appearance† written by Linda Jackson, Linda Sullivan, and Janet Hymes, dissects the ideas and determines how we decide what gender pertains to certain household duties and also how physical appearance dictates a persons’ personality.Physical appearance and gender associations are what determine how we label someone as masculine or feminine (51). Similar to how parents view their children’s’ roles, society views people based on appearance and that too can have an effect on someone’s personality traits (51). Within different gender roles and sex groups there have been studies that prove who finds physical attractiveness more important. It is obvious that in traditional beliefs of men being masculine and women being feminine, women are more concerned with their appearance than men (52).In androgynous roles where men and women are equally feminine and masculine, physical appearance was seen as less important to each partner (52). These mentioned influences in different sex groups also have lasting influences on how gender roles are perceived. These influences are normally tendencies that have been passed down through parents and how partnerships form ideas and combined traditional beliefs. Again, this concerns the importance and heavy influence on children from their parents in the household, schooling, and media.Throughout literature there has been clear evidence of turmoil dealing with gender roles. There are several pieces of literature that display these characteristics and act as foundations for jurisdiction of gender role classification. â€Å"Trifles† written by Susan Glaspell is a prime example of associating the societal view of hierarchy based on sexual characteristics. The characters in the play all seem to act on the idea of segregating themselves due to their gender.From the beginning of the play, it is apparent that the women and men separate themselves into two different groups almost as if they are completely different species, â€Å"Come up to the fire ladies,† the attorney suggests to the women inviting them into personal space (1334). â€Å"I’m not—cold† Mrs. Peters responds (1334). The women maintain the household chores, as this is common of this time period in 1916 and the men are the hardworking business men whom run the household. Due to the period, this play is the viewing of gender roles before women stood up to men and they seemed belittled in their sexual category.It is an interesting note that in Glaspell’s play, the women are seen belittling men as well behind their backs, â€Å"I’d hate to have men coming in my kitchen, snooping around and criticizing† (1337). Although during this time it is an easier to see how women were suppressed, it is interesting to note that they too have opinions about the opposite sex. In literature, it is widely seen that women are put down and have been placed in that role for years, but Glaspell turns the situation around giving the women the right to also put men beneath them. This is the ongoing battle that is experienced between men and women and how it is almost seen as a competition to be seen as equals in a partnership. Other literature explores opposite sides of the gender spectrum such as the poem â€Å"Those Winter Days† written by Robert Hayden in 1962. Hayden uses a male approach to suggest that the father in the play is beaten down, wore out, and goes unwelcomed by anyone (line 5). Hayden flashes small examples in this poem such as this that lets the audience see a side to men that has barely been viewed when suggesting that males are not always seen as soft.The father does demonstrate the classical characteristics of a hard working male however, with cracked aching hands from labor, waking up early, and even anger associated with his personality (lines 1, 3, 9). This portrayal of a male figure is interesting in the sense that this poem seems to be taking a turn to see a side of the male gender that is rarely seen in society during this t ime. â€Å"Cat in the Rain† written by Ernest Hemingway is a powerful example of how gender roles can weaken partnerships. The couple in this short story demonstrates how placing set roles on different genders can put pressure and stress on personal achievement. The wife in â€Å"Cat in the Rain† demonstrates these same issues as her husband seems to disregard her desires and views her as a petty housewife, â€Å"’Oh, shut up and get something to read’, George said† (689). The husband does portray the ultimate â€Å"male dominating† role that society places on majority of men at this time of 1925. This active forceful attitude begins to push his wife away from him once she reaches a conclusion that she is searching for more than she possesses now. I want a cat. I want a cat now. If I can’t have long hair or any fun, I can have a cat,† the wife begins to struggle with her real emotions as they begin to surface from her frustration with her husband suffocating her (689). The female figure has turned to search for her true wants and finds a mysterious quality in the hotel owner who seems to supply her with materials and gestures that appeal to her liking. These qualities of gender classification supply as evidence that forcing societal roles to certain genders are headed for and unhappy ending.Failure is more likely common within assigned gender role relationships due to the fact that partnerships cannot remain equal if one person has an upper hand over the other. â€Å"Boys and Girls† is a short story written by Alice Munro which is the most recent piece of literature out of these chosen examples. With the idea in the 1960’s involving feminism and women’s rights as humans, Munro releases some of these suggestions on her short story. This story has a foundation associated with parenting and children’s ideas of gender as they are raised.The daughter in this story strives to be what is defined earlier as manly characteristic s of power, emotional stability, and strength. She is lying in bed at night and pictures herself as filling a heroic, powerful figure as most men would be portrayed in stories or films (792). The young girl is filled with excitement, adventure, and daring personality that pushes her to strive after her father in the sense of assisting him in daily farm chores. Her personality that is so lively and unimpressed by feminine traits is soon diminished when she sneaks to see her father kill their farm horse (797).Soon after this incident is processed in the mind of the young girl, it reaches time for the other farm horse by the name of Flora to be killed also, â€Å"this time I didn’t think of watching it,† (798). As the story continues and the young girl matures, she seems to begin to adopt the principles of a young woman as society has claimed to be traits of sensitivity and compassion. The young girl begins to pull away from her parents due to the fact that they are beginning to try to shape her into the lady she is d estined to be according to society.In the end of the story her father stamps the gender label on his daughter firmly by stating â€Å"Never mind, she’s only a girl,† (800). The father dismisses the girl’s ability to maintain masculine traits due to the fact that she illustrated her emotions for the death of the horse. Munro supplied evidence that it is exemplified that women and men are asserted characteristics formed by their reactions to attachment, comprehension of death, and duties. â€Å"General Review of the Sex Situation† written by Dorothy Parker is a short and witty poem that pin points every genders societal characteristics of the other.The title of the poem clearly dictates that there is a situation between sexes and it is not a situation that appears to be up for debate. Parker forms generalizations on men and women labeling traits that women pursue such as finding commitment, love, and faith while male characteristics gravitate towards trophy winning, showcase qualities, and are easily stricken with boredom (lines 1-6). Parker is clear in the end of her poem in questioning what good can come of the combination of male and fem ale (line 8).This questioning brings the idea to minds of readers of how two separate genders that are positioned on such opposite ends of the spectrum work as a partnership. This ideology begins to stir ideas within the mind and supports the claim that people must be willing to present equal agreement in their traits to cohere successfully. Although gender roles have several angles and explanations that try to justify their reasoning, it is common knowledge that the labeling issues have come a long way throughout history.The following articles are based upon studies that provide evidence that people in today’s generations are more understanding of gender roles within the household and society. The journal, â€Å"The Role of Husband and Housewife as Perceived by a College Population† written by Diane Wentworth and Robert Chell, explores studies that have been performed based upon the differences of sex and how gender is automatically assumed with that sexual connotation (640). This collection of studies examines nearly every aspect of male and female interactions with society and household labels that are supplied by humans.The most interes ting search that was reported in this journal was in the summer of 1999 and was a study of men leaving work to remain at home while the wife went to work (641). The reasoning behind these findings is simply the statement of the husband saying that the women was simply making more money in her workplace in comparison to his, and he would rather give care to his own children then sending them to a daycare (641). The study reaches another question of whether the men’s gender roles have been affected within the family and majority answered no (641).The idea of the male figure being capable of caring for the household with the women supplying the income is a very large change from the 1950’s where women were belittled in society. The people in this study are evidence that in the past, gender biased situations and roles were unnecessary when trying to form a family, household, and even societal views. The last article that also provides evidence of gender biased situations being put to ease in â€Å"Adolescents’ Attitudes toward Female Gender Roles: Implications for Education† written by Randy and Ryan Mills.This article examines teachers’ thoughts on their own middle school students and how 90% of them believe that their students are more understanding and open to accept equal gender roles (742). These teachers believe that the cause of this high rate concern ing gender role flexibility relies in media and school curriculum changes that have been made over the years to create a more equal environment (742). This study also demonstrates how gender is now being placed on a more equal playing field and how younger generations are influenced by media that empowers each gender to follow their own personal traits regardless of their sexual orientation. Gender roles have remained a powerful topic throughout all of history. Gender roles can be taught, ignored, or placed on someone and all of this judgment winds up being in that persons control. This topic holds a large amount of weight as it is a heavy subject that is powered by peoples’ beliefs which are all extremely diverse. Although in this lifetime there may or may not be sight of complete equality in the world, it is safe to say that gender roles have evolved drastically in time and seem to be reaching a more equal state.