For example, women were expected to be submissive and meek around men. In Trifles, the women, especially Mrs. Hale, words her retorts to Mr. Henderson very carefully when she disagrees with some of his negative assessments of Mrs. Wright. Another great example of being submissive is when Mrs. Hale says to Mr. Henderson, "The towels get dirty awful quick " (Glaspell 938). But then she backs up that statement by showing loyalty by saying "Men's hands aren't always as clean as they might be (Glaspell 938). Mrs. Hale carefully words her statement to show she is loyal to the men's sex just as a servant would because their superiors provide for them. .

             Although not a social distinction, another difference between the men and women of Trifles is the way they see the world around them. For example, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are much more perceptive than the men. For example, when the men were searching for evidence, their perceptive of the search for them was to find the "big things and the "awful important things "in the crime scene (Glaspell 941). As for the women, they focused more on the little details such as the sewing and how it was "nice and even " but became messy and "all over the place " as if it was a sign of being nervous (Glaspell 941). As the ladies continue sitting in the kitchen, they come across another piece of evidence which is the bird cage. They notice that the "hinge is pulled apart as if "someone has been rough with it " in an angered hostility (Glaspell 942). All day the men have been trying to gather evidence, but the women just "accidentally turn up the evidence which the men seek in vain " because they are more prone to see the little details around them (Holstein). All together, the women outsmarted the law, men in authority, and even their own husbands because they took notice of the small detail that men cannot see.

             Throughout the play, Glaspell uses the phrase "knot it" "to refer to a quilting technique.