ipl-logo

A Jury Of Her Peers Essay

1505 Words7 Pages

A Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell involves an investigation of the murder of Mr.
Wright after he was strangled to death in his bed by a rope. His wife, Minnie Wright, is the leading suspect since she was in the bed with him when the murder occurred. Mr. Peters, the sheriff, Mr. Hale, the farmer who found Mr. Wright dead, and Mr. Henderson, the county attorney, all return to Minnie’s house to try to find the reason why she killed her husband. Mrs.
Peters, the sheriff's wife, and Martha Hale, the farmer’s wife join the men, but to bring Minnie a few things from her house up to the prison where she is staying. From the very beginning of the story, the men are all very sure of themselves and belittle the two women who had tagged along.
Mrs. …show more content…

Mrs. Peters being the one to say that was intentional because up to this point of the story she had tried to stick by her husband’s side to an extent when talking about Minnie, but now as she and Mrs. Hale realize what led to the murder she is understanding Minnie more.
The women make the final decision to hide all of the new information they found from the other men, knowing that they will not understand what Minnie had gone through all those years of psychological abuse (Sara D. Scotland, 53). The women understand Minnie, “We all go through the same things--it's all just a different kind of the same thing! If it weren't--why do you
4
and I understand?” (Glaspell, 17), which is why they try to hide the evidence at the end. Mrs.
Hale and Mrs. Peters know why Minnie killed her husband because they too live in similar households, but the men leading the investigation will not because they are blind to what they do to the women around them. The men continue to throw jabs at the ladies not even knowing the women they are making fun of had just found everything they needed to send Minnie to jail,

Show More
Related
278 Words | 2 Pages

In my opinion Minnie McCloskey is innocent as can be. There was no proof that Minnie committed the murder of Miss. Pickswinger’s death. There are several reasons why Minnie is innocent. Minnie had no reason to commit this crime, there was no excuse for her to do it. Mjnnie was the only one against the prank and the only one standing up for Miss. Pickswinger.

Read More
80 Words | 1 Pages

In “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell, Minnie Foster is taken to jail for killing her quarrelsome husband. In order to convict her, the sheriff needs to find a reason for the murder. Sheriff Wright, his wife and another couple survey Minnie’s home and farm in search of evidence. While the men search the farm and upstairs room, the wives go through the kitchen and living room (the areas thought to be of little use to the men).

Read More
879 Words | 4 Pages

Introduction. A Jury by Her Peers authored by Susan Glaspell narrates the investigative events that occur after the death of John Wright in his house. As neighbors and the Dickson County administration, themes of sisterhood and gender roles appear through the actions and hidden motives of the characters. The book, A Jury by Her Peers, expounds on the silent suffering of women and being perceived as unintelligent while providing justifications for covering up of John Wrights death.

Read More
1960 Words | 8 Pages

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we are here today to discuss the murder of John Wright. On November 15, Mr. Wright was found in his bed with a rope around his neck, presumably strangled to death. His body was discovered by his wife supposedly and did not bother to notify to the local authorities. At eight o'clock in the morning, Mr. Hale went to look for Mr. Wright and found Minnie, Mr. Wright’s wife, sitting in a rocking chair inside of the house. Mr. Hale asked Minnie for her husband and she stated that John Wright was dead in the bedroom.

Read More
364 Words | 2 Pages

In the play Trifles, the many signs that make Minnie Wright seem guilty of murdering her husband, John Wright is when the first character, Lewis Hale (a neighboring farmer) went to Mr. & Mrs. Wright’s home to address Mr. John Wright about installing a telephone (Kirszner and Mandell, 2012, p.867-880). Once Hale entered the Wright’s home, thinking that someone told him to ‘Come In,’ after he knocked on the door, he acknowledged that Mrs. Wright was sitting in a rocking chair pleating at her apron in a ‘no eye contact’ manner towards him (Kirszner and Mandell, 2012, p.867-880). Furthermore, the next sign is when Mrs. Wright is asked by Mr. Hale if Mr. Wright is home and if he can see him; this is when all signs pointing to Minnie Wright being

Read More
178 Words | 1 Pages

Minnie Wright a character in Susan Glaspell’s short story, “A Jury of Her Peers”. In which the storyline is the focus of a crime scene that takes place in the home of Minnie Wright. The short story’s leading woman is Minnie Wright Formerly Minnie Foster who has said to be once vibrant and lively however now described as quite timid. Although readers will only see Minnie’s character through the words and expressions of her peers and neighbors, were painted a visual of her character that gives the reader details into her life and who she is. One of the woman who introduces Minnie to reader’s through her eyes is the wife of the town’s sheriff, Mrs. Peters, and the other a woman from her neighborhood Mrs. Hales.

Read More
349 Words | 2 Pages

Susan Glaspell’s play, “A Jury of Her Peers,” revolves around whether or not Minnie Wright strangled her husband, John Wright, to death with a rope. The play gets readers thinking about justice and the law. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, wives of law enforcement officials, are inside the Wright’s house with their husbands. The men are looking for any evidence or motive in relation to the murder, and the women are getting items for Minnie while she is in jail. The women are conflicted between law and justice as they find the motive behind the murder of John.

Read More
1235 Words | 5 Pages

However, the women see past his looks and come to the conclusion that Mr. “wright” was actually a very abusive man towards his wife and practically took away her spark, which could’ve possibly been a motive to kill her husband. For example, when the women found the dead bird, with its neck wrung. After knowing that Mr. Wright killed Mrs. Wright's bird it shows us that he indeed was a harsh, cruel man. Also, Mrs. Hale points out how Mrs. Wright used to sing, used to be happy until she was with Mr. Wright, which shows us he took a piece of her away as time went on. Mrs. Peters being “married to the law,” could've told the men about the evidence, but she chose

Read More
1408 Words | 6 Pages

Even Mr. Hale was concerned about Minnie. The play, however, does not share the same emotions of how Mr. Hale's words could effect Minnie. The story has a greater influence than the play, invoking certain feelings about justice for abused women. The lack of details in the play "Trifles" is really an injustice to how the readers should feel about Minnie. The complex details that are lacking in the play are displayed freely in the short story "A Jury of Her Peers.

Read More
734 Words | 3 Pages

Minnie’s quilt, the dead bird and its cage, and the kitchen show that living in a man’s world is not easy. In the end, Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale recognize that they too have experienced the same loneliness and mistreatment that led Mrs. Wright to murder her husband. The men don't value the women in this story and they don't see them as being very intelligent either. It is for this reason “A jury of her peers” is created. Peers being the women themselves as they stand up, united against the subjugation they have all experienced.

Read More
1577 Words | 7 Pages

The audience is constantly trying to figure out if Minnie actually killed John, more than if John abused Minnie. Because of this, “Trifles” is distracting and thinking about the murder takes attention away from the theme of abuse, while “POOF!” is directed on the abuse and what to do with her husband’s ashes the whole time. By staying on the topic of abuse and clearly laying it out, the audience can learn about domestic abuse and genuinely understand the meaning behind the

Read More
560 Words | 3 Pages

Even though they had a reason to cover for Minnie, it wasn’t a good enough reason to make it okay. It was still wrong what Minnie did which in turn makes what Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale

Read More
1289 Words | 6 Pages

“A Jury of Her Peers”, the short story which was written one year after the play, focuses more on the people trying to figure out what happened. The short story is named A Jury of Her Peers because Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peter basically decided the fate of Minnie. They both decided not to turn in the

Read More
1101 Words | 5 Pages

Hence for Minnie her home never seemed to be very cheerful place. Mrs. Hales even goes to mention “I never liked the place. Maybe cause it’s down in a hollow and you don’t see the road. It’s a lonesome place and always was.” (Glaspell 482).

Read More
204 Words | 1 Pages

She went to the cellar and got a leg of lamb and hit the husband in the back if the head killing him. In the story written by Glaspell the Minnie Foster killed her husband after years of abusive behavior. She snapped because the husband had killed her canary. Both stories have a murderous wife. Another similarity is that neither of the criminals

Read More

More about A Jury Of Her Peers Essay

Related Topics

Open Document