Prejudice In 12 Angry Men

Twelve Angry Men is an enthralling story of twelve jurors trying to solve a murder case. Stuck in a hot, stuffy room, they come together to bring justice to the accused. All with opposite personalities, arguments continuously occur, and fights break out, but in the end, a big lesson is taught. There are two main themes in Twelve Angry Men, Prejudice and Justice, which are developed through characterization and conflict.

One of the main themes in the play Twelve Angry Men is prejudice. There are different types of it involved throughout the whole story. Obviously, racial prejudice is a big part of it. The accused boy's race is never specifically stated in the play, however, in one make of the movie, the actor is Italian. The ninth juror refers

Juror three is prejudiced against the boy's age. The audience learns later that the reason for this is that Juror three and his own son have an interesting history. Juror three basically disowned his son, and hasn't seen him in more than two years. "3RD JUROR: Yeah, well I've got (a kid). He's twenty. We did everything for that boy, and what happened? When he was nine he ran away from a fight. I saw him. I was so ashamed I almost threw up. So I told him right out. "I'm gonna make a man outa you or I'm gonna bust you in half trying." Well, I made a man outa him all right. When he was sixteen we had a battle. He hit me in the face. He's big, y'know. I haven't seen him in two years. Rotten kid. You work your heart out...[He breaks off. He has said more than he intended. He is embarrassed.] All right. Let's get on with it." Here, Juror three reveals that he has a troubled history with his son. This makes the audience realize that each juror's decision is based off of their own histories and experiences, not just off of facts and logic. Another type of prejudice in the play is actually reversed prejudice. Juror eight- the protagonist of the play- is

It had a lot of interest for me. No dead spots - know what I mean? I'll tell you we were lucky to get a murder case. I figured us for a burglary or an assault or something. Those can be the dullest." This quote shows that the author of the play thinks that the legal system is messed up. Juror twelve has to make a "grave decision" that could end someone's life, and he is happy and excited about it being a murder case. It makes it sound like the whole thing sound like a Roman Circus than a Court of Law. "11TH JUROR: ...If you want to vote not guilty, then do it because you're convinced the man is not guilty - not because you've had enough. And if you think he's guilty, then vote that way, or don't you have the guts to do what you think is right?" This quote again shows how much the legal system is screwed up. The play asks that if you are on a jury, you give your fair, un-biased, honest opinion in order to give the accused a fair trial. "Each character wants "justice," but what justice becomes unclear and fluid throughout the course of the play." ("12 Angry Men Themes",