What is the main theme of A Jury of Her Peers?

Subjugation of Women: It is not surprising that the second-wave feminists of the 1970s revived Glaspell’s 1917 short story. Through the characterization of intelligent female protagonists and inept male secondary characters, Glaspell critiques female oppression and marginalization. For example, both Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale possess superior powers of observation and meticulous attention to detail. The male characters, who instead expect subordination and obedience from their wives, sisters, and mothers, miss vital clues necessary to solve the crime. The male characters’ underappreciation of the female characters’ intelligence heightens this disparity in equality and encourages readers to question the gender roles of the period.

Themes Examples in A Jury of Her Peers:

A plea for the end of the discrimination of women--the Declaration of Sentiments—was signed in 1848. The Girl Scouts formed in 1912, and by 1920 women’s suffrage was redefined. For centuries women have been uniting to eliminate their gender’s subjectivity to prejudice; however, the battle against misogyny is even now unfinished. Incompleteness and sisterhood are two themes reiterated throughout Susan Glaspell’s short story, “A Jury of Her Peers.” Glaspell personifies and emphasizes said central ideas through the characterization of the protagonist, Martha Hale. The initial setting of the play immediately identifies Martha as a housewife who, as pertaining to the time period of the plot, satisfies the stereotype of women in the early part of the twentieth century. Primitively, readers rightfully assume Martha Hale is another conventional female of her time: property and inferior. Martha rushes unpreparedly out of “her kitchen, [which] was in no shape for leaving,” to meet her impatient husband. While complying with the submission of the era as she rushes to her husband and her worry as to the state of her kitchen, Martha Hale is defies the expectancy of a simple-minded and…show more content…
The inferred and assumed cover up performed by the Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters showcases a breakthrough in women’s rights, and Mrs. Hale’s will and power to communicate her beliefs to Mr.s Peters defies the stereotype of the setting. While the absolving Minnie the women finished the accused’s work and took a small step in the direction of finishing

A Jury of Her Peers is a short story by Susan Glaspell that focuses on the interaction of men and women and how badly women were treated back in that time period. The story revolves around the murder mystery of John Wright in his own house. George Henderson, the district attorney, Lewis Hale with his wife Martha Hale, a couple whom were close neighbors to the Wrights, and Henry Peters, the sheriff, with his wife, Mrs. Peters. While the three men look for evidence to incriminate Minnie Wright, the wife of John Wright who was present during his death, Martha and Mrs. Peters discover clues and evidence that proves Minnie Wright killed John Wright. The reason why the women are able to place together the evidence and find the missing pieces is because…show more content…
Since the beginning of time, men had always been on the top while degrading the women and telling them they only serve as maids in the house. In the case of the Wrights, the author makes the reader wonder what it would have been like to live with Mr. Wright and how Mrs. Wright felt about living in poor conditions because both of them do not appear in the story. It is through Mrs. Hale that the reader gets a sense of before and after life of Mrs. Wright. Mrs. Hale used to be friends with Minnie Foster, who was always cheering and happy around people. She explained that after the marriage, she never went to visit because she hated the house and the owner, blaming him for not giving Minnie the respect she deserved. The three men that were inspecting the house for clues to incriminate Minnie Foster were blinded by ridiculing the ‘womanly’ things that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters were talking and doing while waiting. Because of this, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters quickly uncover the truth by telling each other their backstories. Mrs. Peters also mentions that a person gets discourage and loses heart. The men misunderstood the act as some kind of ‘mental’ issue or problem but in truth, Minnie Foster did such horrendous act as killing her husband is somehow justified by the author. Minnie Foster managed to put up with John Wright’s harsh treatment and poor conditions that she had to live in. In conclusion, the short story of A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell, women are oppressed, misunderstood, and the degradation of their gender which all contributed to the men obliviousness toward womanly things and locations. Because of all three factors, the women solved the puzzle and the mystery surrounding Mrs. Wright and the men left empty-handed towards the police station with no evidence to incriminate

What was the theme of Jury of Her Peers?

The Subjugation of Women In “A Jury of Her Peers,” men and women have distinctly different gender roles and the story portrays the different opportunities available to men and women both in terms of the division of labor and in society as a whole.

What is the meaning of A Jury of Her Peers?

: a jury whose members are from the same community as the person on trial.

Why is A Jury of Her Peers important?

What is a jury of your peers? Essentially, it's just a way to get a fair jury made up of citizens who could be considered peers of the person who is on trial. This is a way to reduce the chances of bias in the jury.

What is the irony in the short story A Jury of Her Peers?

Answer and Explanation: Glaspell's "A Jury of Her Peers" is ironic because the "jury" alluded to in the title is not an actual jury. Rather, it refers to the characters Martha Hale and Mrs. Peters, who are able to deduce that it was domestic abuse which drove Minnie Wright to murder.