There are many different thematic elements in Susan Glaspell’s A Jury of Her Peers. Some of the themes relate to socio-economic status. Other themes relate to issues that deal with feminism. The loyalty of a person to their own sex is one notable theme. The text of this fictitious story supports the idea that loyalty to one’s sex can hinder that person’s better judgment.
Mrs. Hale, the wife of the man who found the dead body of John Wright, and Mrs. Peters, the sheriff’s wife, sympathize with the convicted Mrs. Wright, also known as Minnie Foster. They think it is unfair for Mrs. Wright to be judged by the men on her housekeeping skills when she wasn’t able to tidy up before her departure to the jailhouse. “How’d you like to cook on this?”(156). Mrs. Hale points out what a pity it would be to have to cook on a stove like the one in the Wrights’ kitchen. The two women continue to probe around the crime scene and find other reasons to pity Minnie, the lone suspect in a homicide investigation. Mrs. Hale talks about how Mrs. Wright is really the same as Mrs. Peters and herself. Mrs. Hale at times even shows signs of guilt because she didn’t visit Minnie more frequently. It is important to realize that the story is told from the perspective of women, and it is easy to see how forgiving they are of their sex.
It is also evident that Glaspell is making a generalized statement about personality differences between men and women. The women are portrayed as much more intuitive, paying attention to details while the men are ironically looking for more important things. The women notice how many things are left unfinished in the house suggesting that something happened abruptly. They go on to uncover the mystery of Minnie’s motive in strangling her husband while the men arrogantly prance around the house finding nearly nothing of use.
The arrogance and pride of men can be seen throughout the story. “They wonder whether she was going to quilt it or just knot it!”(156). The men laugh at the women for discussing Mrs. Wright’s intended use of her material. Mr. Henderson, the county attorney, even said “But would the women know a clue if they did come upon it?”(153). The men in this story (mainly Mr. Henderson) are very condescending towards women and their strictly household intelligence. Their loyalty to their sex blinds them from finding the evidence needed in determining what Minnie’s motive was for killing John.
The loyalty of Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters to their sex is the most shocking instance of the story. “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.” (162). The poor judgment of Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters to not tell their husbands and the county attorney about the strangled bird that they found among Mrs. Wright’s possessions was perhaps the bluntest evidence in the text of this theme. The women cared more about the protection of their own kind than the explanation of a murder.
The loyalty of one to their sex is shown in this story to hinder one’s judgment. The men’s loyalty to the male sex kept them from being able to solve the mystery of Mrs. Wright’s motive. The women’s loyalty to the female sex encouraged them to withhold the evidence they discovered from the men. The arrogance of the men caused them to mock the women and their concern with trifles. The women unjustly protected a woman guilty of homicide simply because they could relate to her on some levels.
