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Similarities Between A Doll's House And Trifles

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Throughout the centuries, a commonality of time enduring plays is that they often include themes that are consistently relevant to audiences as time goes on. Henrik Ibsen 's A Doll 's House and Susan Glaspell 's Trifle are two plays that were written in 1879 and 1916, and both are still well read and enjoyed plays because of this reason. One relevant theme for contemporary viewers that can be found throughout both of these works is the character 's conflict against conformity to social norms. This struggle is relevant to present-day readers because of the increased value of the individualistic mentality that has been prevalent in our culture. By analyzing these characters during their struggle against conformity to social norms, we can discover how this theme makes these two works relevant to present-day readers. In Susan Glaspell 's Trifles, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are the primary characters that act out against social norms. An unseen character in the play; Mrs. Wright was one of the prime suspects in the case of her …show more content…

At the opening of the play, we find that she eats forbidden sweets behind her husbands back. This is not a huge offense, but it is an action that gives us insight into her deceptive nature. We later discover that she borrowed money, forged a signature, and lied to her husband about it. She justifies her actions with the rational that her deceptive actions stem out of an act of love, thus making them right. She doesn 't see anything wrong with her perception and can often be found covering her deceit with phrases like, “You mustn 't say anything about it to anyone. It is a surprise for my husband” (Ibsen 893). Audiences have been drawn to this tale of woven lies for over a century, even though it is a rebellion against societal norms in a negative

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