A Jury Of Her Peers Theme Analysis

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A Jury of Her Peers Theme Analysis

Justice is often defined as treating someone or something with due fairness. But the fairness of a situation is often portrayed differently in many viewpoints. In Susan Glaspell’s “A Jury of Her Peers”, the idea of who is capable of fairly judging a person is examined. Mrs. Minnie Wright is being held in custody for the murder of her husband. As the sheriff and others go to the Wright’s house for different reasons, the answer to who should judge Mrs. Wright is revealed. Through the title of the story, the characters and their actions, and the use of symbolism, Glaspell expresses the theme that someone who has experienced a certain situation can find understanding for and truly judge someone who experienced the same situation . Justice
Through the characters in the story and their actions, Glaspell further emphasizes her point theme that sometimes a person who has experienced something can find understanding for another person going through the same thing. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters go to the Wrights’ house to collect clothes for Mrs. Wright, who is being held in custody while the sheriff and the county attorney arrive to collect evidence for a motive. The men only seek evidence to “convince twelve good men” that Mrs. Wright did indeed murder her husband, while the women turn to their emotional side to seek justice. The men are condescending and act as if they are superior to the women. Mrs. Hale’s husband, with “good natured superiority”, makes a comment “women used to worrying over trifles.” This causes the women to “move a little closer together” (412). This shows how the women are joining forces. The condescending nature and jibes of the men communicates the point the author is trying to make about the lack of ability these men (and men in general) have of judging an isolated housewife. For the men, “evidence is factual and their version of "...