What Is The Difference Between The Hossack Murder And A Jury Of Her Peers

The thrill of life and its mysteries capture the attention of people from all corners of the world, caught in the spectacle. A common idea shared by many around the world, watching a particular show that gives us a taste of the other side of the world out of our reach. In her two works, “The Hossack Murder” and “A Jury of Her Peers” Susan Glaspell is able to present similar messages about justice, gender roles, and the nature of truth during that era without losing their value through different perspectives
“The Hossack Murder” is a story based on a true case in 1900 whereas “A Jury of Her Peers” is a fictional take on the same case but with a more entertaining intention. At the very start of “The Hossack Murder” Glaspell states “Sometime around

As the two women and their husbands visit Minnie’s house looking for clues the men comment on the women’s attention to what they see as useless details saying “‘... would the women know a clue if they did come upon it?’” (150). The husbands' remarks criticize women, making them feel like they have no voice in the situation. At the same time, the results of the trial in “The Hossack Murder” also portray how women had no strength in court as they declare “We, the jury, find the defendant, Mrs. Margaret Hossack, guilty as charged in the indictment” (193). The justice system was against them, finding her guilty for just being a woman. No considerations were taken to further investigate the motives or any underlying problems before the murder. This lack of effort leads to an unjust system where people have no chance in defending themselves. Both The Hossack Murder and A Jury of Her Peers explore the treatment of women in early 20th-century America. In The Hossack Murder, Margaret Hossack is subjected to a harsh interrogation by the male authorities, who are convinced of her guilt simply because she is a woman. Similarly, in A Jury of Her Peers, the women are marginalized and dismissed as unimportant by the male investigators. The men believe that the information they seek cannot be among the trivialities

In “A Jury of Her Peers” Glaspeel introduces the main characters Mrs.Hale and Mrs.Peters along with their husbands Mr.Hale and Mr.Peter. Nowhere in this story do the people involved in the murder appear, they are only mentioned. In this story, Minnie Wright is the wife of the victim Mr.Wright. The scene Glaspell sets enables the reader to uncover the motive for the murder when the women discover the birdcage and the dead bird. These small details are interpreted by the woman, noticing frustration in Mrs. Wright's most recent stitches and her dead pet bird. As the women start realizing what may have actually happened they decide to hide it from the men. This process adds an aspect of entertainment and the reader can interpret the information on their own through the symbolism of the bird and stitches. Scott Bonn states true crime “allows us to experience fear and horror in a controlled environment where the threat is exciting but not real” (2). Similarly in this short story, little by little the women put the pieces together, engaging the audience as they also start to formulate their own opinion on the motive for the murder. Because this story has no definite end, the reader is free to have their own ideas and not be stuck onto the facts of the actual case but think beyond just the truth. Maybe the truth isn’t always the right thing