Question

Several of the main characters in Trifles are housewives. Why would writing about a housewife’s situation be an appropriate way to express a feminist theme?
It would be inappropriate for a housewife to share her opinions with her husband.

Only a housewife can display the deep devotion of a wife to her husband.

Housewives can reveal the unspoken challenges of society’s expectations of women.

Housewives can explore the satisfaction of women during the time period.

Answer 1

The correct answer is C. Housewives can reveal the unspoken challenges of society's expectations of women.

Housewives have been confined to their homes and chores, just like the caged bird that Mr. Wright strangled. Their responsibility was to keep the house clean, bear children and care about them, making the husband happy. Furthermore, they were supposed to stay out of the public discourse, politics, and all other serious, "manly" themes. On the top of everything, physical or emotional abuse wasn't a rare thing. All of this resulted in an ongoing frustration of American middle-class housewives, especially in the 1950's. That's one of the reasons that Trifles (1916) have been regarded as one of the first feminist dramas - and one of the reasons that housewives' lives are appropriate for writing about the oppression of women.