They are treated as if they were the property of men only there to serve them and make them happy. Mr. Hale even goes so far as to state, “Well, women are used to worrying about trifles” (3). He makes this comment after Mrs. Peters expresses the importance of the exploded fruit canning jars. With this comment he expresses his belief that women lack the common sense and concentration to pay attention to important details, but that he will forgive them because they are used to worrying only about unimportant things. His words imply that he not only believes that women work for trifles, but that they are also trifles. Reading Bagatelles, one can immediately determine what the role of a woman is during this period and what men think of them. Women are expected to cook, cook, clean, and care for their children and husbands, and their identities are determined by their husbands. For example, the term used by the lawyer: "a sheriff's wife is married to the law" (5). Shows that she is not an independent woman but linked to what her husband