A Comparison Of Susan Glaspell's Trifles And Battle Royal

As one develops and matures, one begins to grasp an understanding of who they are in this world through experiences. There are a numerous amount of outside forces and social institutions that influence the way people live. These institutions just so happen to be educational, familial, religious, or governmental. Whatever the case may be, it may work in one’s favor or not based on one’s identity. Sexism, racism, classism, and other forms of discrimination continue to persist to this day based on identities that are not necessarily in one’s control. These ideas are constantly expressed in different types of narratives. Susan Glaspell’s Trifles describes the story of a sheriff, attorney, their wives, and a neighbor to attempt to uncover the truth about a crime that occurred in the Wright

Ralph Ellison’s “Battle Royal” is a story about a young black man who is invited to give a speech at an event, but is forced to fight in a battle while blindfolded. Identities are the framework for the way the characters act and how others act toward them. Within society, recognizing the marginalization and benefits that some have due to their identity is essential to understanding our own. In Susan Glaspell’s Trifles and Ralph Ellison’s “Battle Royal” the authors demonstrate the undeniable effect that the characters’ intersectional identities of race and gender have on their lives, both positively and negatively. In Glaspell’s Trifles, the women are treated as subordinate and passive creatures that simply must do their house duties. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters who are the wives of the men, are brought to the home to help the men find clues and evidence that points to Mrs. Wright, who Hale believes killed her husband in his sleep. When they walked in, the house was extremely untidy and the men commented on her lack of housekeeping skills. None of the blame is put on her husband because of the traditional