Relationships, as displayed in the acts, Sure Thing" by David Ives and "Trifles", by Susan Glaspell, have a tendency to take different shapes. This mainly depends on the pattern of communication adopted and how the couple reacts to the issues that arise. Even though the stories are different and presented as different plays, they reflect the different lifestyle of people and what they get out of life. This is just s display of how communication and lack of it can influence a relationship.
In the play sure things, betty and bill establish a strong and meaningful relationship through persistent communication. A seemingly discouraging statement from sue did not hinder bill from giving it another try. The ring of the bell in their conversation signifies a time to change strategy and start it all over again. It is through such frequent communication that they allowed for each other that ultimately helped them to interact more and understand each other. Despite the fact that we are told of the many clashing differences that they shared, understanding each other gave them that assurance that they can live happily together (Glaspell 1153). They also realized that their differences would play a vital role in cementing their relationship and living a more interesting life.
On the other hand, trifles’ is a play that depicts a dead relationship where there seems to be no connection between the husband and the wife. There is a shift of blame on either the male or the female, which births a battle of the sexes. Even though Mrs. Wright is seen guilty of strangling his husband to death, there is more to her emotional stress that the males in the play do not realize. We learn that marriage life has negatively imparted on Mrs. Wright as revealed by the status of her house. The disorganization in her home is seen as an emotional turmoil by the women while a sense of carelessness by the males in the story (Ives1186). The different perspectives by the males and females make them react differently to the situation as they aspire to facilitate justice.
Comparing the two stories, we can relate them to the beginning and the end of a relationship. This may signify the fact that sure thing is the beginning of the relationship while trifles is the end of a similar relationship (Kennedy & Gioia 1196). The plays are meant to display how a seemingly romantic relationship can starts with such bliss and end on a sad note simply because the partners are not ready to honor up their responsibilities. There are various issues that a as they enter into marriage. They usually assume that they will work out everything but when the challenges and realities of marriage sets in, they find it hard to cope. With no proper channel of communication, the couple tends to ignore each other’s needs and hence leading to dire consequences as seen in Mrs. Wright case.
The conflicting perception and roles as displayed by males and females in the story is one of the conflicts that a couple has to face in marriage. The after math of Mr. Wright death and how males and females reacted to the death reveals one of the biggest sources of conflicts in the story. A man and a woman usually have a different perspective towards life and hence having different expectation. Not fulfilling such expatiations is likely to depress the couples and consequently thinking of suicide or even strangling the other.
Works cited
Glaspell, Susan. Trifles. New York: Walter H. Baker, 2010.
Ives, David. All in the Timing: Fourteen Plays. London: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2010
Kennedy, X.J. & Gioia, Dana. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. London: Pearson Education, Limited, 2012.
