Surname 1

Name

Dr. Buckelew

English 101

2 April 2022

Literary Analysis Essay Outline

Women Subjugation in “A Jury of Her Peers

A group of men, along with their two spouses, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, examine the

demise of John Wright and probe into his wife's role in his mysterious death in Susan Glaspell's

story “A Jury of Her Peers.” While the men are on the scene to collect intelligence, it is the

women who uncover the authentic self of the Wright family and act as judges in the case.

However, men and women have unique gender roles, and the tale depicts a world ruled by men

since social norms limit women's freedom to roam around, pursue their own passions, or live as

independent individuals from their spouses. Thus, Glaspell exploits the discrepancy in gender

roles between men and women to emphasise the fundamental issue of social subjugation of

women prevalent at the time the story was written.

The subjugation of women is fueled by men who add societal expectations and obligations

with a more individualized or personalized manner of subjugation: by ridiculing these women for

personal flaws and preferences. According to Ortiz, even though the female protagonists communicate

in a different tone, the narrative they depict is one of patriarchal oppression and victimization (164). Mr.

Peters belittles his wife's apprehension about visiting the murder scene and they frequently state

that the objects in the pantry, or the kitchen items Mrs. Wright has demanded as evidence, are

beneath their consideration, and in this manner, the men discount the women by diminishing the

only opportunities available under women's authority. As Mrs. Hale suggests, “I’d hate to have
 Surname 2

men comin’ into my kitchen…snoopin’ round and criticizin’.” “Of course it’s no more than their

duty” (Glaspell 266). The chores of maintaining a household, and especially a kitchen, are only

assigned to women.

Men and women in the story have distinct gender responsibilities, and the story depicts the

disparities in division of labour and in societal structure itself. Minnie is an oppressed lady who

is trapped and humiliated by her repressive husband and Martha Hale examines Mr. and Mrs.

Peters and realizes that Mr. and Mrs. Peters' physical discrepancies match their power disparities,

where Mr. Peters wields all authority, while Mrs. Peters wields nothing whatsoever. Since

societal rules limit women's capacity to move around, have their own goals, and live as

independent individuals from their spouses, this society is ruled by men (Ortiz 165). Women are

continuously referred to as housekeepers, and Mrs. Hale nevertheless refers to Minnie Wright as

Minnie Foster because she believes that it is not right for women in the society to lose their

identity and take their husbands name just because they are married to them. They are constantly

belittled, patronized, and ridiculed by the men. As Mrs. Peters suggests, “They think it was such

a—funny way to kill a man.” “That’s just what Mr. Hale said….There was a gun in the house.

He says that’s what he can’t understand” (Glaspell 269). Their housekeeping job is trivialized,

their competence is questioned, and their enthusiasm in the feminine skill is mocked.

Women find their own sense of fairness and justice in the presence of a repressive,

patriarchal legal system. They hesitate to reveal the dead bird to the investigators, recognizing

their position in the society outside of the judicial framework as well as the court's stubborn

refusal to support women's responsibilities in the society, listen to their concerns, recognized

their suffering, or strive justifiably (Hedges 90). The women withhold information and instead

incorporate their system of justice and use their rational thinking, real world experience, and
 Surname 3

perspective to assess whether or not something is applicable to the investigation, as well as what

constitutes an acceptable conduct, by using an independent legal method. “For a moment Mrs.

Peters did not move. And then she did it. With a rush forward, she threw back the quilt pieces,

got the box, tried to put it in her handbag. It was too big. Desperately she opened it, started to

take the bird out. But there she broke —she could not touch the bird. She stood there helpless,

foolish. There was the sound of a knob turning in the inner door. Martha Hale snatched the box

from the sheriff's wife, and got it in the pocket of her big coat just as the sheriff and the county

attorney came back into the kitchen” (Glaspell 281). As events elapse, the women are capable of

recognizing the predicaments amongst themselves and are brought together by Minnie's situation

since they have all endured the isolation, loneliness, and cruelty that drove her to murder her

husband. As Mrs. Peters suggests, “I might V known she needed help! I tell you, it's queer, Mrs.

Peters. We live close together, and we live far apart. 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 and I understand? Why do we

know —what we know this minute?” (Glaspell 279). Acknowledging their common bond

through Minnie's awful situation, the ladies begin to perceive themselves as a collective unit and

they are unable to condemn another woman who has been subjected in the same way. Through

establishing a parallel arena in which Minnie's deeds are evaluated and dismissed by suppressing

the proof of Minnie's intent, the dead bird: Thus becoming a panel of jury who are all on the same

page to support one of their own.

There is always a propensity in the society to be faithful to societal laws and to defend those

to whom one is closest. Due to the existing gender disparity and women subjugation, women in

Glaspell's short story voluntarily picks that fundamental fact by safeguarding and ensuring safety

for their friend (Hedges 105). While the men were led to believe that the women were only
 Surname 4

concerned in inconsequential topics, there were indications that men missed due to the gender

disparity and women's subjugation, since males would not have comprehended the degree of

control that the women had in the cover to protect their own.
 Surname 5

Work Cited

Bendel-Simso, Mary M. "Twelve good men or two good women: concepts of law and justice in

Susan Glaspell's 'A Jury of Her Peers.'." Studies in Short Fiction, vol. 36, no. 3, summer

1999, and pp. 291+. link.gale.com/apps/doc/A391308649/AONE?

u=anon~96dfb706&sid=googleScholar&xid=eb3a8591. Accessed 2 Apr. 2022.

Glaspell, Susan. "A jury of her peers." Images of Women in Literature, 1917: 256-282. Accessed

2 Apr.2022.

Hedges, Elaine. “Small Things Reconsidered: Susan Glaspell's ‘A Jury of Her Peers.’” Woman's

Studies. 12 (1986): 89-110. Literature Resource Center. Gale. Web. 2 Apr. 2022.

Ortiz, Lisa. "An essay on “A Jury of Her Peers”." Short Stories for Students, Gale, 2002. 163-

166. link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1420004458/LitRC?u=googlescholar&sid=bookmark-

LitRC&xid=227ffbeb. Accessed 2 Apr. 2022.