A Jury of Her Peers: Feminist Insight from 1971 Classic

'A Jury of Her Peers' by Susa Glaspell is a short story of literature that has gained a lot of insight from feminists since 1971. The story's fame in the feminist world originates from its focus on the gender inequalities that affect women in the society. While focusing on Lowa as the primary setting, Susan narrates the experiences of a woman, Martha Hale (Angel 780). The story begins with Martha Hale accompanying her husband and the town Sheriff to investigate Minnie Wright's home after John Wright's death (Ayan, 151). While attempting to find a closure concerning Mr. Wright's end to free Mrs. Wright from the society's accusations, the story's plot builds up some themes such as women's subjugation, gender roles, and independence, among others.

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'A Jury of Her Peers' presents women's subjugation as one of its main themes. The author shows how women are being marginalized in society by focusing on the differences between male and female roles (Ayan 155). Men and women have varied opportunities in society because of the distinction in labor division. Men control the world because they have the authority to restrict women's movement and inclusion in social decision making. In the story, the women have limited chances to exercise freedom of choice and expression as a result of the myth that puts women as men's subordinates. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Wright as the female characters in the story represent the oppression and male domination of the society. They understand their

position and roles as women and perform their tasks diligently. Upon reaching Mrs. Wright's house, Mrs. Hale takes her position in the kitchen and stays away from the investigation. She performs insignificant duties, such as collecting Mrs. Wright's clothes. Her inability to actively participate in the investigation or air out her opinion concerning the case makes her a less valuable member of the society as compared to her husband, Mr. Hale, who works actively with Mr. Peters in the murder investigation (Ayan 158).

The story defines Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Wright as housekeepers because of their responsibility to take care of the house and ensure cleanliness in the kitchen area. The author mentions that Mrs. Wright left most of her duties undone to indicate her lack of responsibility as a woman. Despite Mr. Peter and Mr. Hale searching for evidence in Mr. Wright's house, they fail to notice the messy kitchen, unlike Mr. Hale. While at Mrs. Wright's house, Mrs. Hale sees a messy kitchen "...one half of the kitchen table was wiped clean, while the other half remained messy". The different focus between Mrs. Hale and the other male investigators shows how society marginalizes women to belong to the kitchen (Angel 784).

The social expectation of women defines the sacrifices made by women to meet men's demands. Mrs. Hale views Mrs. Wright as Minnie Foster as she emphasizes the changes women experience when transitioning into marriage life. Before marriage, women identify with their second names, but after marriage, they change their identity and adopt their husband's names. For instance, Minnie Foster becomes Minnie Wright after marrying John Wright. She loses her identity and personality after gaining her husband's name. She loses her freedom of movement and turns into a lonely woman as a result of her childlessness and spending her days at home (Ayan 160).

Women's subjugation goes beyond social and physical aspects. The male prospects in the story oppress women emotionally and belittle them in several aspects. Mr. Hale and Mr. Peters insult their female counterparts and dismiss their abilities (Anwar et al., 605). Mr. Peters jokes about his wife's fear of traveling to the murder scene. The attorney uses his authority as a male to arrogantly treat the two women by assuming that they lack the strength to provide substantial evidence in court. The verbal language of the male characters cites how men devalue women in society. The county attorney and the sheriff use their male chauvinism to disapprove of Mrs. Wright's innocence. Instead of focusing on justice and the law, they create scenes that convict Mrs. Wright as her husband's murderer. On the other hand, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters use their experiences as women to approach the murder case fairly. They attempt to understand Mrs. Wright's daily life to find justice for the Wright's.

The female characters accept male dominance and oppression as part of their female duties. They support the difference between male and female roles by belittling their skills and abilities as women. For example, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters believe that only men can find serious evidence from the murder scene. They develop unity from Mrs. Wright's experience because of their reflection through mistreatment, isolation, and loneliness. Their decision to conceal the evidence against Mrs. Wright aims at fighting oppression and motivating women to take the top position in the society through women empowerment.

To conclude, 'A Jury of Her Peers' describes the societal beliefs of male domination. The story's characters portray how women and males have varied roles. For instance, the men take part in critical issues such as murder investigations while women serve as housekeepers. The theme of women's subjugation appears through the male characters devaluing women and

marginalizing their movements and inclusion in societal matters. The clearest theme in 'A Jury of Her Peers' is the discrimination against women due to the set gender roles which identify women as the weak gender. In the story, Glaspell can successfully delineate how women are marginalized in society and, at the same time, their contribution to society. In the literary work, Mr. Peters and Mr. Hale are openly abusing their wives and dismiss them by indicating that they are not of importance while at the same time showing that their wives lack abilities. In another case, a county attorney is seen treating women with contempt because of his assumption that women are too feeble for any substantial role in investigations. However, women prove the biased men wrong by being able to solve a crime problem in which Minnie Wright's fate is rescued from the grasp of men. In this instance, women can show their power in their thinking and ability to manage and navigate through the gendered limits that have been set for them. In the literary work, the feminist criticism, which seeks to showcase how women are oppressed and limited in terms of their potential, is clear. The feminist language in the literary work clearly shows how women's image has been stereotyped by chauvinistic men who seek to maintain male hegemony in the profession.

Works Cited

Angel, Marina. "Susan Glaspell's Trifles and A Jury of Her Peers: Woman abuse in a literary and legal context." Buff. L. Rev. 45 (1997): 779.

Anwar, Shamena, Patrick Bayer, and Randi Hjalmarsson. "A jury of her peers: The impact of the first female jurors on criminal convictions." The Economic Journal 129.618 (2019): 603-650.

Ayan, Meryem. "Genderlect Investigation in Susan Glaspell" s A Jury of Her Peers." European Scientific. Pg (2016): 154-164.