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. Show 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… 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… 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.
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